Neurology

Question 1

Spinothalamic tract

Answer 1

Pain and temperature (crosses in spinal cord)

Question 2

Dorsal columns

Answer 2

Vibration, proprioception (crosses in medulla)

Question 3

Corticospinal tract

Answer 3

Motor pathway (crosses in medullary pyramids

Question 4

Brown-Séquard syndrome

Answer 4

Hemi-cord lesion: Ipsilateral motor & vibration loss, contralateral pain/temp loss

Question 5

Anterior spinal artery syndrome

Answer 5

Loss of everything except dorsal columns below lesion

Question 6

Syringomyelia

Answer 6

Cape-like loss of pain/temp (central cord, spinothalamic)

Question 7

Cauda equina vs. conus medullaris

Answer 7

Cauda = asymmetric; Conus = symmetric + early bowel/bladder issues

Question 8

Cerebellar hemisphere lesion

Answer 8

Ipsilateral limb ataxia

Question 9

Cerebellar vermis lesion

Answer 9

Truncal ataxia, wide-based gait

Question 10

Multiple sclerosis

Answer 10

White matter demyelination; scanning speech, INO, nystagmus

Question 11

Guillain-Barré syndrome

Answer 11

Ascending paralysis after infection; demyelination of peripheral nerves.

Question 12

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Answer 12

UMN + LMN signs with no sensory loss

Question 13

Friedreich ataxia

Answer 13

GAA repeat; staggering gait, diabetes, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Question 14

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease

Answer 14

Peripheral neuropathy + foot deformities (“stork legs”)

Question 15

Parkinson disease

Answer 15

Bradykinesia, rigidity, resting tremor, substantia nigra loss.

Question 16

Huntington disease

Answer 16

CAG repeat; caudate atrophy, chorea, depression, dementia.

Question 17

Alzheimer’s disease

Answer 17

Amyloid plaques, tau tangles, hippocampal atrophy

Question 18

Lewy body dementia

Answer 18

Parkinsonism + hallucinations + fluctuating cognition

Question 19

Vascular dementia

Answer 19

Stepwise decline; multiple infarcts

Question 20

Lateral geniculate nucleus

Answer 20

Vision → occipital lobe

Question 21

Medial geniculate nucleus

Answer 21

Hearing → temporal lobe

Question 22

Superior colliculus

Answer 22

Visual reflexes (vertical gaze palsy if damaged).

Question 23

Inferior colliculus

Answer 23

Auditory processing

Question 24

Brodmann areas 1, 2, 3

Answer 24

Primary somatosensory cortex (postcentral gyrus)

Question 25

Broca’s area

Answer 25

Motor speech → broken speech, intact comprehension

Question 26

Wernicke’s area

Answer 26

Fluent aphasia + impaired comprehension (“word salad”)

Question 27

Arcuate fasciculus lesion

Answer 27

Conduction aphasia → poor repetition

Question 28

Reticular activating system (RAS)

Answer 28

Consciousness → lesion causes coma

Question 29

CN III palsy

Answer 29

Down and out + ptosis + pupil dilation

Question 30

Myasthenia gravis

Answer 30

Anti-AChR; worsens with use; ptosis/diplopia

Question 31

Lambert-Eaton syndrome

Answer 31

Improves with use; paraneoplastic (small cell lung CA)

Question 32

Botulinum toxin

Answer 32

Prevents ACh release → flaccid paralysis

Question 33

NMDA receptor

Answer 33

Glutamate receptor involved in excitotoxicity

Question 34

Meningitis triad

Answer 34

Fever, neck stiffness, photophobia/altered mental status

Question 35

Subarachnoid hemorrhage

Answer 35

Worst headache of life → CT, then LP if needed

Question 36

Epidural hematoma

Answer 36

Middle meningeal artery; lucid interval; lens-shaped on CT

Question 37

Subdural hematoma

Answer 37

Bridging veins; elderly, slow onset; crescent-shaped on CT

Question 38

Normal pressure hydrocephalus

Answer 38

Wet, wobbly, wacky (incontinence, gait, dementia)

Question 39

Babinski sign

Answer 39

UMN lesion = positive Babinski (toes up)

Question 40

Romberg test

Answer 40

Tests proprioception (dorsal column)

Question 41

Pronator drift

Answer 41

Sensitive for UMN lesions

Question 42

Decerebrate vs. Decorticate posturing

Answer 42

Decerebrate = worse (brainstem lesion)

Question 43

Internuclear ophthalmoplegia (INO)

Answer 43

MLF lesion = MS; impaired adduction in one eye

Question 44

Trigeminal neuralgia

Answer 44

Electric shock pain in face; carbamazepine is first-line

Question 45

Bell’s palsy

Answer 45

CN VII palsy; whole side of face droops

Question 46

Kernig & Brudzinski signs

Answer 46

Meningeal irritation signs

Question 47

Papilledema

Answer 47

Blurred disc margins = ↑ ICP

Question 48

Cushing’s triad

Answer 48

↑ ICP → HTN, bradycardia, irregular respiration