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Question 1
Correct
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Regarding codeine, which of the following statements is INCORRECT:
Your Answer: There is a reduced risk of toxicity in patients who are ultra-rapid metabolisers of codeine.
Explanation:Codeine phosphate is a weak opioid and can be used for the relief of mild to moderate pain where other painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen have proved ineffective.Codeine is metabolised to morphine which is responsible for its therapeutic effects. Codeine 240 mg is approximately equivalent to 30 mg of morphine. The capacity to metabolise codeine can vary considerably between individuals; there is a marked increase in morphine toxicity in people who are ultra rapid metabolisers, and reduced therapeutic effect in poor codeine metabolisers. Codeine is contraindicated in patients of any age who are known to be ultra-rapid metabolisers of codeine (CYP2D6 ultra-rapid metabolisers).Codeine is also contraindicated in children under 12, and in children of any age who undergo the removal of tonsils or adenoids for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea due to reports of morphine toxicity.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Central Nervous System
- Pharmacology
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Question 2
Correct
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A patient diagnosed with cranial nerve palsy exhibits asymmetrical movement of the palate, nasal regurgitation of food, and nasal quality to the voice.
Which of the following cranial nerves is most likely responsible for the aforementioned features?Your Answer: Vagus nerve
Explanation:The vagus nerve, ‘the wanderer’, contains motor fibres (to the palate and vocal cords), sensory components (posterior and floor of external acoustic meatus) and visceral afferent and efferent fibres.
Palatal weakness can cause nasal speech and nasal regurgitation of food. The palate moves asymmetrically when the patient says ‘ahh’. Recurrent nerve palsy results in hoarseness, loss of volume and ‘bovine cough’.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Anatomy
- Central Nervous System
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Question 3
Correct
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Which of the following best describes the mechanism of action of aspirin:
Your Answer: Cyclo-oxygenase (COX) inhibitor
Explanation:Aspirin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Aspirin irreversibly inhibits cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes and the resulting inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis results in analgesic, antipyretic and to a lesser extent anti-inflammatory actions.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Central Nervous System
- Pharmacology
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Question 4
Correct
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A 55-year-old woman was complaining of headaches. On examination, the patient is found to have weakness on the left side of her body and her eyes are deviated towards the right hand side. These are signs of damage to which of the following areas?
Your Answer: Frontal lobe
Explanation:Some potential symptoms of frontal lobe damage can include loss of movement, either partial or complete, on the opposite side of the body.
In the patient’s case, it is a result of motor cortex damage on the right side since her left side of the body is affected. The conjugate eye deviation symptom towards the side of the lesion is a result of damage to the frontal eye field.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Anatomy
- Central Nervous System
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Question 5
Correct
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Regarding cortical areas, which one is found in the posterior part of the inferior frontal gyrus?
Your Answer: Broca’s area
Explanation:Broca’s area is involved in the expressive aspects of spoken and written language (production of sentences constrained by the rules of grammar and syntax). It corresponds to the opercular and triangular parts of the inferior frontal gyrus (BA 44 and 45). These areas are defined by two rami (branches) of the lateral sulcus (one ascending, one horizontal) which ‘slice into’ the inferior frontal gyrus. In keeping with its role in speech and language, Broca’s area is immediately anterior to the motor and premotor representations of the face, tongue and larynx. A homologous area in the opposite hemisphere is involved in non-verbal communication such as facial expression, gesticulation and modulation of the rate, rhythm and intonation of speech.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Anatomy
- Central Nervous System
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Question 6
Correct
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If a lesion is observed in Broca's area, which function is expected to become affected?
Your Answer: Formation of words
Explanation:The primary functions of the Broca area are both language production and comprehension. While the exact role in the production is still unclear, many believe that it directly impacts the motor movements to allow for speech. Although originally thought to only aid in speech production, lesions in the area can rarely be related to impairments in the comprehension of language. Different regions of the Broca area specialize in various aspects of comprehension. The anterior portion helps with semantics, or word meaning, while the posterior is associated with phonology, or how words sound. The Broca area is also necessary for language repetition, gesture production, sentence grammar and fluidity, and the interpretation of others’ actions.
Broca’s aphasia is a non-fluent aphasia in which the output of spontaneous speech is markedly diminished and there is a loss of normal grammatical structure. Specifically, small linking words, conjunctions, such as and, or, and but, and the use of prepositions are lost. Patients may exhibit interjectional speech where there is a long latency, and the words that are expressed are produced as if under pressure. The ability to repeat phrases is also impaired in patients with Broca’s aphasia. Despite these impairments, the words that are produced are often intelligible and contextually correct. In pure Broca’s aphasia, comprehension is intact.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Anatomy
- Central Nervous System
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Question 7
Incorrect
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Carbamazepine is indicated for all of the following EXCEPT for:
Your Answer: Simple focal seizures
Correct Answer: Myoclonic seizures
Explanation:Carbamazepine is a drug of choice for simple and complex focal seizures and is a first-line treatment option for generalised tonic-clonic seizures. It is also used in trigeminal neuralgia and diabetic neuropathy. Carbamazepine may exacerbate tonic, atonic, myoclonic and absence seizures and is therefore not recommended if these seizures are present.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Central Nervous System
- Pharmacology
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Question 8
Incorrect
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Which of the following statements is true about anterior cord syndrome?
Your Answer: There is preservation of temperature sensation
Correct Answer: There is preservation of proprioception
Explanation:Anterior cord syndrome is an incomplete cord syndrome that predominantly affects the anterior 2/3 of the spinal cord, characteristically resulting in motor paralysis below the level of the lesion as well as the loss of pain and temperature at and below the level of the lesion. The patient presentation typically includes these two findings; however, there is variability depending on the portion of the spinal cord affected. Other findings include back pain, or autonomic dysfunction such as hypotension, neurogenic bowel or bladder, and sexual dysfunction. The severity of motor dysfunction can vary, typically resulting in paraplegia or quadriplegia.
Proprioception, vibratory sense, two-point discrimination, and fine touch are not affected in anterior cord syndrome. These sensations are under the control of the dorsal column of the spinal cord, which is supplied by two posterior spinal arteries running in the posterior lateral sulci.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Anatomy
- Central Nervous System
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Question 9
Correct
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In the emergency room, a 28-year-old woman complains of wobbly and slurred speech, is unable to do the heel-shin test, and has nystagmus. The following signs are most likely related to damage to which of the following areas:
Your Answer: Cerebellum
Explanation:Cerebellar injury causes delayed and disorganized motions. When walking, people with cerebellar abnormalities sway and stagger.
Damage to the cerebellum can cause asynergia, the inability to judge distance and when to stop, dysmetria, the inability to perform rapid alternating movements or adiadochokinesia, movement tremors, staggering, wide-based walking or ataxic gait, a proclivity to fall, weak muscles or hypotonia, slurred speech or ataxic dysarthria, and abnormal eye movements or nystagmus.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Anatomy
- Central Nervous System
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Question 10
Incorrect
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You suspect that your patient with polycystic kidney disease has developed a berry aneurysm as a complication of his disease. The patient complains of a sudden, severe headache. You are guessing subarachnoid haemorrhage secondary to a ruptured berry aneurysm as the cause of his severe headaches. What is the most likely location of his aneurysm?
Your Answer: Anterior cerebral artery
Correct Answer: Anterior communicating artery
Explanation:One of the complications that polycystic kidney disease may cause is the development of a brain aneurysm.
A berry aneurysm is the most common type of brain aneurysm.
The Circle of Willis, where the major blood vessels meet at the base of the brain, is where it usually appears. The most common junctions of the Circle of Willis where an aneurysm may occur include the anterior communicating artery (35%), internal carotid artery (30%), the posterior communicating artery and the middle cerebral artery (22%), and finally, the posterior circulation sites, most commonly the basilar artery tip.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Anatomy
- Central Nervous System
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SESSION STATS - PERFORMANCE PER SPECIALTY
