Pathopharm Exam 3-S4 Flashcards
Which intracerebral disease process is capable of producing diffuse dysfunction?
a. Closed-head trauma with bleeding
b. Subdural pus collections
c. Neoplasm
d. Embolic infarct
d. Embolic infarct
Cognitive operations cannot occur without the effective functioning of what part of the brain?
a. Pons
b. Medulla oblongata
c. Reticular activating system
d. Cingulate gyrus
c. Reticular activating system
What is the most common infratentorial brain disease process that results in the direct destruction of the reticulating activation system (RAS)?
a. Cerebrovascular disease
b. Demyelinating disease
c. Neoplasms
d. Abscesses
a. Cerebrovascular disease
What stimulus causes posthyperventilation apnea (PHVA)?
a. Changes in PaO2 levels
b. Changes in PaCO2 levels
c. Damage to the forebrain
d. Any arrhythmic breathing pattern
b. Changes in PaCO2 levels
A healthcare professional reads in the patient’s chart and notes the patient has Cheyne-Stokes respirations. What clinical finding would the professional correlate with this condition?
a. Sustained deep rapid but regular pattern of breathing
b. Crescendo-decrescendo pattern of breathing, followed by a period of apnea
c. Prolonged pause after the inspiratory period with occasional end-expiratory pause
d. Completely random, irregular breathing pattern with pauses
b. Crescendo-decrescendo pattern of breathing, followed by a period of apnea
Vomiting is associated with central nervous system (CNS) injuries that compress which of the brain’s anatomic locations?
a. Vestibular nuclei in the lower brainstem
b. Floor of the third ventricle
c. Any area in the midbrain
d. Diencephalon
a. Vestibular nuclei in the lower brainstem
Which midbrain dysfunction causes pupils to be pinpoint size and fixed in position?
a. Diencephalon dysfunction
b. Oculomotor cranial nerve dysfunction
c. Dysfunction of the tectum
d. Pontine dysfunction
d. Pontine dysfunction
A healthcare professional suspects a patient is brain dead. How would the professional assess for brain death?
a. Determine if the patient can make voluntary movements.
b. Perform tests to assess if the patient is in a coma.
c. Remove the patient’s ventilator to see if spontaneous breathing occurs.
d. Monitor the patient for eye movements that seem purposeful.
c. Remove the patient’s ventilator to see if spontaneous breathing occurs.
A patient has damage to the lower pons and medulla. What finding does the healthcare professional associate with this injury?
a. Flexion with or without extensor response of the lower extremities
b. Extension response of the upper and lower extremities
c. Extension response of the upper extremities and flexion response of the lower extremities
d. Flaccid response in the upper and lower extremities
d. Flaccid response in the upper and lower extremities
Which hospitalized patient does the healthcare professional assess as a priority for the development of delirium?
a. An individual with diabetes celebrating a 70th birthday
b. A depressed Hispanic woman
c. An elderly male on the second day after hip replacement
d. A man diagnosed with schizophrenia
c. An elderly male on the second day after hip replacement
A patient suffered a seizure for the first time. The spouse asks the healthcare professional to explain what a seizure is. What response by the professional is best?
a. Actions that occur without conscious thought because of a stimulus
b. A sudden, explosive, disorderly discharge of brain cells
c. A disease where a person has frequent seizures like this one
d. A series of excessive, purposeless movements.
b. A sudden, explosive, disorderly discharge of brain cells
A patient had a seizure that consisted of impaired consciousness and the appearance of a dreamlike state. How does the healthcare professional chart this episode?
a. Focal seizure
b. Complex focal seizure
c. Tonic-clonic seizure
d. Atonic seizure
b. Complex focal seizure
A patient is in status epilepticus. In addition to giving medication to stop the seizures, what would the healthcare professional place highest priority on?
a. Facilitating a CT scan of the head
b. Providing oxygen
c. Assessing for brain death
d. Assessing for drug overdose
b. Providing oxygen
What is the most critical aspect in correctly diagnosing a seizure disorder and establishing its cause?
a. Computed tomographic (CT) scan
b. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis
c. Skull x-ray studies
d. Health history
d. Health history
What area of the brain mediates the executive attention functions?
a. Limbic
b. Prefrontal
c. Parietal
d. Occipital
b. Prefrontal
A healthcare professional is caring for a patient diagnosed with aphasia. What action by the professional would be best in working with this patient?
a. Provide physical therapy.
b. Provide speech therapy.
c. Provide special thickened foods.
d. Provide balance activities.
b. Provide speech therapy.
A patient’s chart notes receptive aphasia. What does the healthcare professional understand about this patient’s abilities related to speech?
a. Speak in made up words.
b. Produce verbal speech, but not comprehend language.
c. Comprehend speech, but not verbally respond.
d. Neither respond verbally nor comprehend speech.
b. Produce verbal speech, but not comprehend language.
The healthcare professional notes that the patient’s intracranial pressure is 12 mmHg. What action should the professional take?
a. Do nothing; this is a normal finding.
b. Give medications to immediately lower the pressure.
c. Give medication to immediately raise the pressure.
d. Repeat the reading because the first one was inaccurate.
a. Do nothing; this is a normal finding.
Cerebral edema is an increase in the fluid content of what part of the brain?
a. Ventricles
b. Tissue
c. Neurons
d. Meninges
b. Tissue
What type of cerebral edema occurs when permeability of the capillary endothelium increases after injury to the vascular structure?
a. Cytotoxic
b. Interstitial
c. Vasogenic
d. Ischemic
c. Vasogenic
What is a communicating hydrocephalus caused by an impairment of?
a. Cerebrospinal fluid flow between the ventricles
b. Cerebrospinal fluid flow into the subarachnoid space
c. Blood flow to the arachnoid villi
d. Absorption of cerebrospinal fluid
d. Absorption of cerebrospinal fluid
Which dyskinesia involves involuntary movements of the face, trunk, and extremities?
a. Paroxysmal
b. Tardive
c. Hyperkinesia
d. Cardive
b. Tardive
Antipsychotic drugs cause tardive dyskinesia by mimicking the effects of an increase of what?
a. Dopamine
b. Gamma-aminobutyric acid
c. Norepinephrine
d. Acetylcholine
a. Dopamine
The existence of regular, deep, and rapid respirations after a severe closed head injury is indicative of neurologic injury to what?
a. Lower midbrain
b. Pontine area
c. Supratentorial
d. Cerebral area
a. Lower midbrain
What type of posturing exists when a person with a severe closed head injury has all four extremities in rigid extension with the forearms in hyperpronation and the legs in plantar
extension?
a. Decorticate
b. Decerebrate
c. Spastic
d. Cerebellar
b. Decerebrate
After a cerebrovascular accident, a patient has been diagnosed with anosognosia. What action by the healthcare professional would be most helpful?
a. Provide a white board for the patient to write on.
b. Ensure the patient has a safe environment.
c. Provide physical therapy for strengthening exercises.
d. Practice naming colors using flash cards.
b. Ensure the patient has a safe environment.
After a cerebrovascular accident, a man is unable to either feel or identify a comb with his eyes closed. What is this an example of?
a. Agraphia
b. Tactile agnosia
c. Anosognosia
d. Prosopagnosia
b. Tactile agnosia
Most aphasias are associated with cerebrovascular accidents involving which artery?
a. Anterior communicating
b. Posterior communicating
c. Circle of Willis
d. Middle cerebral
d. Middle cerebral
A healthcare professional reads in a patient’s chart that the patient shows behaviors suggestive of neurofibrillary tangles. What information does the healthcare professional plan to provide the spouse?
a. The patient will probably develop seizures.
b. The patient will lose all motor function.
c. The patient will have a gradual decline in function.
d. The patient’s intracranial pressure will rise.
c. The patient will have a gradual decline in function.
The body compensates for a rise in intracranial pressure by first displacing what?
a. Cerebrospinal fluid
b. Arterial blood
c. Venous blood
d. Cerebral cells
a. Cerebrospinal fluid
A patient is in the intensive care unit and has intercranial pressure (ICP) monitoring. The patient’s ICP is 17 mmHg. The healthcare professional notes that the chart indicates the patient is now in stage 1 intracranial hypertension. What assessment finding does the professional associate with this condition?
a. Rapid spike in measured ICP
b. No significant change in ICP readings
c. Restlessness and subtle breathing and pupil changes
d. A widened pulse pressure and bradycardia
b. No significant change in ICP readings
Dilation of the ipsilateral pupil following uncal herniation is the result of pressure on which cranial nerve (CN)?
a. Optic (CN I)
b. Abducens (CN VI)
c. Oculomotor (CN III)
d. Trochlear (CN IV)
c. Oculomotor (CN III)
To quickly assess a patient’s nervous system for dysfunction, what assessment should the healthcare professional perform as the priority?
a. Size and reactivity of pupils
b. Pattern of breathing
c. Motor response
d. Level of consciousness
d. Level of consciousness
What does diagnostic criteria for a persistent vegetative state include?
a. Absence of eye opening
b. Lack of subcortical responses to pain stimuli
c. Roving eye movements with visual tracking
d. Return of autonomic functions
d. Return of autonomic functions
When does uncal herniation occur?
a. The hippocampal gyrus shifts from the middle fossa through the tentorial notch into the posterior fossa.
b. The diencephalon shifts from the middle fossa straight downward through the tentorial notch into the posterior fossa.
c. The cingulate gyrus shifts under the falx cerebri.
d. A cerebellar tonsil shifts through the foramen magnum.
a. The hippocampal gyrus shifts from the middle fossa through the tentorial notch into the posterior fossa.
Which assessment finding marks the end of spinal shock?
a. Return of blood pressure and heart rate to normal
b. Gradual return of spinal reflexes
c. Return of bowel and bladder function
d. Evidence of diminished deep tendon reflexes and flaccid paralysis
b. Gradual return of spinal reflexes
A patient has finally been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) after seeing several physicians. The patient expresses frustration that the diagnosis has taken so long. What
information can the healthcare professional give to the patient about this situation?
a. Many diseases cause weakness and fatigue.
b. Only upper motor neurons are involved.
c. Several nerves are connected to each muscle.
d. Lack of sensation makes it hard to describe.
c. Several nerves are connected to each muscle.
Parkinson disease is a degenerative disorder of which part of the brain?
a. Hypothalamus
b. Anterior pituitary
c. Frontal lobe
d. Basal ganglia
d. Basal ganglia
Clinical manifestations of Parkinson disease are caused by a deficit in which of the brain’s neurotransmitters?
a. Gamma-aminobutyric acid
b. Dopamine
c. Norepinephrine
d. Acetylcholine
b. Dopamine
What do diffuse axonal injuries (DAIs) of the brain often result in?
a. Reduced levels of consciousness
b. Mild but permanent dysfunction
c. Fine motor tremors
d. Visual disturbances
a. Reduced levels of consciousness
What event is most likely to occur when a person experiences a closed head injury?
a. Brief period of vital sign instability
b. Cerebral edema throughout the cerebral cortex
c. Cerebral edema throughout the diencephalon
d. Disruption of axons extending from the diencephalon and brainstem
a. Brief period of vital sign instability
A healthcare professional wants to volunteer for a community education project to help prevent spinal cord injury. What activity would the professional most likely volunteer for?
a. Teaching school aged children bicycle safety
b. Teaching stretching to high school athletes
c. Teaching adults good body mechanics for lifting
d. Teaching older adults how to prevent trip-and-fall events
d. Teaching older adults how to prevent trip-and-fall events
A patient has a spinal cord injury at C4. What should the healthcare professional assess as the priority in this patient?
a. Blood pressure
b. Respirations
c. Pulse
d. Temperature
b. Respirations
What indicates that spinal shock is terminating?
a. Voluntary movement below the level of injury
b. Reflex emptying of the bladder
c. Paresthesia below the level of injury
d. Decreased deep tendon reflexes and flaccid paralysis
b. Reflex emptying of the bladder
A healthcare professional is caring for a patient who has a spinal cord injury at T5. The patient exhibits severe hypertension, a heart rate of 32 beats/min, and sweating above the spinal cord lesion. How does the professional chart this event?
a. Craniosacral dysreflexia
b. Parasympathetic dysreflexia
c. Autonomic hyperreflexia
d. Retrograde hyperreflexia
c. Autonomic hyperreflexia
Why does a person who has a spinal cord injury experience faulty control of sweating?
a. The hypothalamus is unable to regulate body heat as a result of damage to the sympathetic nervous system.
b. The thalamus is unable to regulate body heat as a result of damage to the sympathetic nervous system.
c. The hypothalamus is unable to regulate body heat as a result of damage to the parasympathetic nervous system.
d. The thalamus is unable to regulate body heat as a result of damage to spinal nerve roots.
a. The hypothalamus is unable to regulate body heat as a result of damage to the sympathetic nervous system.
Autonomic hyperreflexia-induced bradycardia is a result of stimulation of what?
a. Sympathetic nervous system to -adrenergic receptors to the sinoatrial node
b. Carotid sinus to the vagus nerve to the sinoatrial node
c. Parasympathetic nervous system to the glossopharyngeal nerve to the atrioventricular node
d. Bundle branches to the -adrenergic receptors to the sinoatrial node
b. Carotid sinus to the vagus nerve to the sinoatrial node
A herniation of which disk will likely result in motor and sensory changes of the lateral lower legs and soles of the feet?
a. L2 to L3
b. L3 to L5
c. L5 to S1
d. S2 to S3
c. L5 to S1
A healthcare professional is planning a community event to reduce risk of cerebrovascular accident (CVA) in high risk groups. Which group would the professional target as the priority?
a. Insulin-resistant diabetes mellitus
b. Hypertension
c. Polycythemia
d. Smoking
b. Hypertension
A right hemisphere embolic CVA has resulted in left-sided paralysis and reduced sensation of the left foot and leg. Which cerebral artery is most likely affected by the emboli?
a. Middle cerebral
b. Vertebral
c. Posterior cerebral
d. Anterior cerebral
d. Anterior cerebral
Atrial fibrillation, rheumatic heart disease, and valvular prosthetics are risk factors for which type of stroke?
a. Hemorrhagic
b. Thrombotic
c. Embolic
d. Lacunar
c. Embolic
Microinfarcts resulting in pure motor or pure sensory deficits are the result of which type of stroke?
a. Embolic
b. Hemorrhagic
c. Lacunar
d. Thrombotic
c. Lacunar
Which vascular malformation is characterized by arteries that feed directly into veins through vascular tangles of abnormal vessels?
a. Cavernous angioma
b. Capillary telangiectasia
c. Arteriovenous angioma
d. Arteriovenous malformation
d. Arteriovenous malformation
Which clinical finding is considered a diagnostic indicator for an arteriovenous malformation (AVM)?
a. Systolic bruit over the carotid artery
b. Decreased level of consciousness
c. Hypertension with bradycardia
d. Diastolic bruit over the temporal artery
a. Systolic bruit over the carotid artery
Which cerebral vascular hemorrhage causes meningeal irritation, photophobia, and positive Kernig and Brudzinski signs?
a. Intracranial
b. Subarachnoid
c. Epidural
d. Subdural
b. Subarachnoid
In adults, how are most intracranial tumors located?
a. Infratentorially
b. Supratentorially
c. Laterally
d. Posterolaterally
b. Supratentorially
In children, how are most intracranial tumors located?
a. Infratentorially
b. Supratentorially
c. Laterally
d. Posterolaterally
a. Infratentorially
What is the most common primary central nervous system (CNS) tumor?
a. Microglioma
b. Neuroblastoma
c. Astrocytoma
d. Neuroma
c. Astrocytoma
A person has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and asks the healthcare professional to explain the disease. What description by the professional is most accurate?
a. Myelination of nerve fibers in the peripheral nervous system (PNS)
b. Demyelination of nerve fibers in the CNS
c. Development of neurofibrillary tangles in the CNS
d. Inherited autosomal dominant trait with high penetrance
b. Demyelination of nerve fibers in the CNS
A blunt-force injury to the forehead would result in a coup injury to which region of the brain?
a. Frontal
b. Temporal
c. Parietal
d. Occipital
a. Frontal
A blunt-force injury to the forehead would result in a contrecoup injury to which region of the brain?
a. Frontal
b. Temporal
c. Parietal
d. Occipital
d. Occipital
Spinal cord injuries occur most frequently in which region?
a. Cervical and thoracic
b. Thoracic and lumbar
c. Lumbar and sacral
d. Cervical and thoracic lumbar
d. Cervical and thoracic lumbar
A patient who sustained a cervical spinal cord injury 2 days ago suddenly develops severe headache and blurred vision. What should the healthcare professional do?
a. Give the patient a glass of cool water.
b. Give the patient some pain medication.
c. Take the patient’s blood pressure and pulse.
d. Facilitate the patient having a head CT scan.
c. Take the patient’s blood pressure and pulse.
What is the type of vascular malformation that most often results in hemorrhage?
a. Cavernous angioma
b. Venous angioma
c. Capillary telangiectasia
d. Arteriovenous malformation
d. Arteriovenous malformation
Where are atheromatous plaques most commonly found?
a. In larger veins
b. Near capillary sphincters
c. At branches of arteries
d. On the venous sinuses
c. At branches of arteries
A patient has AIDS and reports fever, clumsiness, difficulty with balance and walking, and trouble speaking. What treatment does the healthcare professional educate the patient about?
a. Radiation therapy
b. Chemotherapy
c. Oral pyrimethamine
d. Surgery
c. Oral pyrimethamine
A patient has been hospitalized with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). The patient asks how this could have occurred. What response by the healthcare professional is best?
a. It is often preceded by a viral illness.
b. It is due to a genetic defect in acetylcholine.
c. It could be caused by a brain tumor.
d. It is often transmitted by family pets.
a. It is often preceded by a viral illness.
In which disorder are acetylcholine receptor antibodies (IgG antibodies) produced against acetylcholine receptors?
a. Guillain-Barré syndrome
b. Multiple sclerosis
c. Myasthenia gravis
d. Parkinson disease
c. Myasthenia gravis
Multiple sclerosis and Guillain-Barré syndrome are similar in that they both do what?
a. Result from demyelination by an immune reaction.
b. Cause permanent destruction of peripheral nerves.
c. Result from inadequate production of neurotransmitters.
d. Block acetylcholine receptor sites at the myoneuronal junction.
a. Result from demyelination by an immune reaction.
Which would be considered a positive symptom of schizophrenia?
a. Blunted affect
b. Auditory hallucinations
c. Poverty of speech
d. Lack of social interaction
b. Auditory hallucinations
A healthcare professional is seeing a patient with suspected schizophrenia. For which prenatal occurrence should the professional assess?
a. Viral infection
b. Maternal depression
c. Maternal smoking
d. Exposure to toxic waste
a. Viral infection
Which neurotransmitter is reduced in people with schizophrenia?
a. Dopamine
b. Gamma-aminobutyric acid
c. Acetylcholine
d. Serotonin
b. Gamma-aminobutyric acid
A patient has positive signs of schizophrenia and is scheduled for a brain scan. What part of the brain does the healthcare professional expect the scan will focus on?
a. Parietal lobe
b. Limbic system
c. Temporal lobe
d. Hypothalamus
c. Temporal lobe
A patient has started on clozapine. The healthcare professional educates the patient that this drug blocks which neurotransmitter receptor?
a. Norepinephrine
b. Gamma-aminobutyric acid
c. Serotonin
d. Dopamine
d. Dopamine
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system abnormalities exist in a large percentage of individuals with what?
b. Major depression
The common property among the three types of medications used to treat depression is that they do what?
a. Increase neurotransmitter levels within the synapse
b. Increase neurotransmitter levels in the presynapse
c. Decrease neurotransmitter levels in the postsynapse
d. Decrease neurotransmitter levels within the synapse
a. Increase neurotransmitter levels within the synapse
A decrease in receptor binding for which neurotransmitter is found in individuals with depression?
a. Norepinephrine
b. Serotonin
c. Dopamine
d. Acetylcholine
b. Serotonin
A severely depressed patient has been taking venlafaxine but is now pregnant and asks the healthcare professional what treatment options are available for her. What therapy does the
professional discuss as a first choice?
a. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
b. Switch to haloperidol
c. Intensive psychotherapy until the baby is weaned
d. Limit zinc and magnesium in the diet
a. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
A patient has been diagnosed with lithium toxicity. Which electrolyte imbalance does the healthcare professional correlate with this condition?
a. Hypernatremia
b. Hyponatremia
c. Hyperkalemia
d. Hypokalemia
b. Hyponatremia
A criterion for a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a period of excessive worrying that lasts for at least how many months?
a. 3
b. 6
c. 9
d. 12
b. 6
A patient is taking phenelzine and presents to the clinic complaining of “feeling awful.” The patient reports eating aged cheese and avocados last night. What assessment by the healthcare professional is the priority?
a. Kidney function studies
b. Blood pressure
c. Chest x-ray
d. Weight
b. Blood pressure
What is a notable complication of panic disorder?
a. Avolition
b. Anhedonia
c. Alogia
d. Agoraphobia
d. Agoraphobia
A patient reports frequent nightmares. For which of these should the healthcare professional assess the patient?
a. A recent major loss
b. Family history of nightmares
c. History of traumatic event
d. Poor nutrition and weight loss
c. History of traumatic event
The neural groove closes dorsally during which week of gestational life?
a. Second
b. Fourth
c. Eighth
d. Twelfth
b. Fourth
A healthcare professional advises a pregnant woman to add supplements of which nutrient to her diet to prevent birth defects?
a. Iron
b. Vitamin C
c. Zinc
d. Folate
d. Folate