Which of the following is TRUE regarding a lesion of the right
vestibular nuclei?
the left PPRF is more active than the right PPRF
the fast phase of nystagmus is to the right
stumbling to the left
the left lateral vestibulospinal tract is more active
than the right
slow phase of nystagmus to the left
National Board Review Practice question 2
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
weakness is a common sign of cerebellar lesions
Golgi cells in the cerebellum lie in the granule
cell layer and are inhibitory
cells in the posterior parietal cortex send information
to the lateral zone of the cerebellum (via the pontine grey)
basket cells in the cerebellum inhibit Purkinje cell
firing
the fastigial nucleus receives input from Purkinje
cells in the medial zone of the cerebellum
National Board Review Practice question 3
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
spinal nerve C7 exits above vertebra C7
radiculopathy of spinal nerve C6 results in pain
from dorsal aspect of the thumb and index finger
radiculopathy of spinal nerve C7 results in pain
from the middle finger
spinal nerve C8 exits below vertebra C7
all of the above are true
National Board Review Practice question 4
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
a complete transection of the spinal cord at
C2 never results in urinary retention
a complete transection of the spinal cord at
S2-S4 never results in urinary retention
a large lesion of the cauda equina will result in
a spastic bladder, both acutely and chronically
a complete transection of the spinal cord at C2 results
in a spastic bladder immediately after the injury (during spinal shock)
a bilateral lesion at C1 will result in cessation
of breathing
National Board Review Practice question 5
Which of the following statements is/are TRUE regarding the shaded
area in the drawing below? There is only one correct response.
The below are all components of one cranial nerve?
lesion results in a loss of pain and temperature
from the ipsilateral "ear"
axon conveys taste information from the posterior
one-third of tongue
axon arises from the superior ganglion IX
stimulation of the ipsilateral (to the lesion) side
of the pharynx will result a consensual but NOT a direct gag reflex
axon is one component of CN X
National Board Review Practice question 6
Which statement is TRUE regarding the shaded areas below?
lesion results in loss of pain and temperature
from spinal levels T3 and below on the contralateral (right) side
cells project directly to the ipsilateral (left)
sphincter of the pupil
axons arise from the ipsilateral (left) dorsal root
ganglia T7 and below
lesion results in spasticity of the ipsilateral (left)
intrinsic muscles of the hand
two of the above are true
National Board Review Practice question 7
Which statement is TRUE regarding the shaded areas below?
There is only one correct response.
axons carry unconscious proprioception information
from the contralateral (right) big toe
cells provide ipsilateral (left) preganglionic parasympathetic
input to the superior cervical ganglion
axons arise from the ipsilateral (left) cerebral
cortex
axons terminate in the ipsilateral (left) dorsal
horn at spinal level C7
cells project to biceps muscle
National Board Review Practice question 8
Which statement is TRUE regarding the shaded areas below?
There is only one correct response.
axons terminate in the lateral zone of the
cerebellum
axons terminate in the ventral posteromedial
nucleus
lesion results in deficit in first or pricking
pain from the sole of the right foot
lesion results in loss of unconscious proprio. from
spinal segment C6 on left side
lesion results in deficit in vibrational sense from
the left arm
National Board Review Practice question 9
Which statement is TRUE regarding the shaded areas below?
All parts of the response must be correct. There is only one correct response.
NOTE THAT THE ROOTLETS OF C.N. VI ARE
NOT DAMAGED
cells could project to the medial zone of the
contralateral (right) cerebellum
cells project to the ipsilateral (left) abducens
nucleus
lesion of pathway results in a Babinski sign from
the left big toe
axons terminate in the left hypoglossal nucleus
cells send axons into the intermediate nerve of CN
VII
National Board Review Practice question 10
Which statement is TRUE regarding the shaded areas below?
There might be deficits that are not included in the responses. There
is only one correct response.
cells receive input from the fastigial nucleus
lesion results in a dilated pupil in the left
eye
lesion results in loss of pain and temperature from
the right side of the face
lesion results in a left nystagmus
lesion results in loss of consensual gag reflex upon
stimulation of the right side of the pharynx
National Board Review Practice question 11
A strange virus has attacked all of the shaded areas below. Which
statement (remember that all parts of the statement must be true) is TRUE
regarding the neurological deficits that would be present following lesions
of these shaded structures? There might be deficits that are not
included in the responses. IF THE LESION INVOLVES NUCLEUS SOLITARIUS,
ASSUME THAT ONLY THE ROSTRAL PORTION OF THE NUCLEUS IS INVOLVED. There
is only one correct response.
a left Babinski
loss of salivation from the right submandibular
gland
deviation of the tongue to the left upon protrusion
bilateral loss of pain and temperature from the face,
tongue, and pharynx
loss of taste from the left side of the tongue
National Board Review Practice question 12
Which statement is TRUE regarding the shaded areas below?
There might be deficits that are not included in the responses. There
is only one correct response.
lesion results in deafness in the left ear
pathway terminates in the ventral (lower) part of
the left motor VII, and axons arise from the right abducens nucleus
cells contain dopamine, and pathway terminates in
the right VPL
lesion results in a loss of taste from the left side
of the tongue, and deviation of the uvula to the right
lesion results in inability to turn the left eye
medially past the midline upon attempted horizontal gaze to the right
National Board Review Practice question 13
Which statement is TRUE regarding the shaded areas below?
There might be deficits that are not included in the responses. There
is only one correct response.
axons innervate the right orbicularis oculi muscle
lesion results in loss of the direct gag reflex
upon stimulation of the right side of the pharynx
lesion results in loss of direct corneal reflex upon
stimulation of the cornea of the left eye
axons enter brain stem and enter right TTT
lesion results in deviation of the jaw to the right
upon jaw opening
National Board Review Practice question 14
Which statement is TRUE regarding the shaded areas below?
There might be deficits that are not included in the responses. There
is only one correct response.
axons terminate in the left oculomotor nucleus, and
cells project to the right VPM
cells project to the right side of the cerebellum
as climbing fibers
pathway arises from cells in the right dorsal horn
pathway terminates in the left superior cervical
ganglion, and cells project to the muscles of mastication on the left
two of the above statements are true
National Board Review Practice question 15
Which statement is TRUE regarding the shaded areas below?
There might be deficits that are not included in the responses. There
is only one correct response.
lesion results in inability to turn the left eye
laterally upon attempted gaze to the left
axons arise from cells in the dentate nucleus, but
not the interpositus nucleus
lesion results in incoordination of the left arm
and leg
lesion results in loss of 2 point discrimination
from the left side of the face
axons arise from the right nucleus solitarius (rostral
pole)
National Board Review Practice question 16
Which statement is TRUE regarding the shaded areas below?
There might be deficits that are not included in the responses. There
is only one correct response.
lesion results in right hemiplegia, and axons arise
from the left dorsal horn of the spinal cord
lesion results in loss of the direct gag reflex upon
stimulation of the right side of the pharynx
lesion results in a dilated pupil in the left eye
cells project to the right and left nucleus ambiguus
axons are central processes of delta fibers whose
cell bodies lie in dorsal root ganglia
National Board Review Practice question 17
Which statement is TRUE regarding the shaded areas below?
There might be deficits that are not included in the responses. There
is only one correct response.
axons arise from the inferior colliculus
cells project to the contralateral (right) spinal
cord and travel in the lateral funiculus close to the LCST
lesion results in weakness of the contralateral (right)
facial muscles below the eye
lesion results in rigidity
all of the above are true
National Board Review Practice question 18
Which of the following statements/associations is INCORRECT?
stimulation of structure labeled C excites
deep cerebellar cells
the effect of B onto D is excitatory
structure labeled E inhibits deep cerebellar
nuclei
structure labeled D is a Golgi cell
structure labeled A excites Purkinje cells
National Board Review Practice question 19
Which of the following statements/associations is INCORRECT?
Zone D: lesion involving Purkinje cells on
the right results in left nystagmus
Zone B: updating, interpositus
Zone C: motor planning; dentate
Zone D: vestibular nerve and vestibular nuclei
input
Zone A: fastigial nucleus, unconscious proprioception
National Board Review Practice question 20
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
the caudate, putamen and globus pallidus are parts
of the basal ganglia
the substantia nigra and subthalamic nucleus are
often included in the basal ganglia because of their close functional involvement
the caudate and putamen make up the striatum, while
the putamen and globus pallidus make up the lenticular nucleus
the basal ganglia exert control of movement via direct
connections to the spinal cord
the ansa lenticularis and the lenticular fasciculus
are both output pathways of the basal ganglia
National Board Review Practice question 21
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
cortical cells projecting to the striatum are excitatory
striatal interneurons (cells whose axons do not leave
the striatum) are cholinergic and excitatory in the direct pathway
striatal projections to the globus pallidus are inhibitory
cells in both segments of the globus pallidus are
inhibitory
cells in the subthalamic nucleus excite cells in
the inner segment of the globus pallidus
National Board Review Practice question 22
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
in primary motor cortex (MI) the representation of
the face is located medial to that of the upper limb
the supplementary motor area (SMA) and premotor cortex
(PM) are both in Brodmann's area 6
the SMA and PM are both involved in premotor planning,
and are at a high hierarchical level in the motor system
the MI is involved in the execution of a movement
and is at a relatively low level of the motor system in spite of being
in the cortex
pyramidal tract neurons fire before the muscles contract
in an intended movement
National Board Review Practice question 23
Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding the shaded
areas in the figure below?
area A contains the premotor area (PM) and
some of the supplementary motor area (SMA), while area B is MI
cells in the area A become active when thinking
of a complex motor task, even when the task is not actually performed
neurons in areas A and B fire prior
to a given movement, but cells in A fire before cells in B
for a given movement
lesions in A result in apraxias, while lesions
in B result in contralateral paresis and upper motor neuron signs
cells in areas A and B code for the
force of a movement
National Board Review Practice question 24
Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding the shaded
area in the figure below?
a lesion here will result in a weakened left upper
limb
a lesion here will result in a weakened tongue on
the right
a lesion here can result from an occlusion of the
posterior cerebral artery
the lesion is in area 6
this area receives input from VA/VL
National Board Review Practice question 25
Which of the following statements regarding the labeled structures in
the diagram below is FALSE?
the greatest amount of refraction is done at this
interface (A)
this is the anterior chamber (B); it contains
aqueous humor produced by the ciliary body
parasympathetic innervation of this muscle (C)
results in pupillary constriction
this is the posterior chamber (D); it contains
vitreous humor
parasympathetic innervation of this muscle (E)
results in accommodation
National Board Review Practice question 26
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
application of a noradrenergic agonist at the iris
results in pupillary dilation
contraction of the ciliary muscle results in an increase
in the refractive power of the lens
in myopia, the eye is too short for its refractive
power
one advantage of a constricted pupil is increased
depth of field
in hyperopia, accommodation is needed to bring distant
images into focus
National Board Review Practice question 27
Which of the following statements about photoreceptors is FALSE?
the maintenance and disposal of discs in the outer
segments is performed by cells in the retinal pigment epithelium
there are more rods than cones in the retina, but
cones predominate at the fovea
neural convergence contributes to greater sensitivity
in the rod system at the expense of acuity
all rods contain rhodopsin, while each cone contains
one of three different photopigments
the central retinal artery supplies all layers of
the retina
National Board Review Practice question 28
Which of the following is TRUE regarding the diagram below of
a normal retina?
light approaches the photoreceptors from the bottom
of the figure
B is a bipolar cell
the outer segment of cell C is supplied by
the central retinal artery
the part of the axon that is shown for cell A
is myelinated
two of the above statements are correct
National Board Review Practice question 29
Which of the following statements regarding the labeled structures in
the diagram below is TRUE?
a complete lesion of the cortical area marked by
A results in left homonymous hemianopsia
cells marked by B are innervated by axons
that travel in Meyer’s loop
the receptive field of a cell located at C
is closer to the foveal representation than the receptive field of a cell
located at E
cells at D have receptive fields in the contralateral
lower visual quadrant
two answers are true
National Board Review Practice question 30
Which of the following statements is/are FALSE?
glaucoma does not affect visual acuity until the
disease becomes end-stage
the etiology of age-related macular degeneration
is progressive loss of function of retinal pigment epithelial cells, resulting
in loss of ganglion cells and optic nerve cupping
in early stages, neither of the following diseases
have significant warning symptoms: age-related macular degeneration, and
glaucoma
even if a patient suspected of having a pituitary
abnormality has normal visual acuity and a normal pupillary light reflex
test, it is still NOT safe to reassure the patient that there is
no lesion compressing the optic chiasm
patients with stroke in the visual cortex usually
do not suffer a marked loss of visual acuity
National Board Review Practice question 31
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
the middle ear is normally filled with air
the major function of the Eustachian tube is to maintain
a pressure equilibrium across the tympanic membrane
the malleus is attached directly to the tympanic
membrane and articulates with the incus
the middle ear muscles are vestigial structures that
play no role in human hearing
the ossicles of the middle ear are essential for
efficient transmission of sound from air to the inner ear
National Board Review Practice question 32
Which of the following statements is FALSE about the middle ear?
if sound traveling in air hits the fluid of the inner
ear, about 99.9% of the sound energy will be reflected back into the air
impedance matching refers to the contraction of middle
ear muscles in response to sound
the main function of the middle ear is to transfer
sound energy from air to cochlear fluid
the force acting on the tympanic membrane is concentrated
into the small area of the footplate of the stapes
the malleus is longer than the incus; this can help
overcome the mismatch in the impedance of air and fluid
National Board Review Practice question 33
Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding the inner
ear?
the inner ear consists of osseous and membranous
labyrinths
the membranous labyrinth is filled with endolymph
the round window opens into the scala tympani
the organ of Corti lies in the scala media
the helicotrema is a connection between the scala
tympani and the scala media
National Board Review Practice question 34
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
the medial superior olive detects interaural time
differences
the lateral superior olive detects interaural intensity
differences
axons in the auditory portion of CN VIII terminate
in the inferior colliculus
at high frequencies, we depend upon interaural intensity
differences for sound localization in the horizontal plane
at low frequencies, we depend upon interaural time
differences for sound localization in the horizontal plane
National Board Review Practice question 35
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
a rupture of the tympanic membrane will result in
conductive hearing loss
malfunction of the Eustachian tube results in a conductive
hearing loss
low frequencies are represented along the base of
the cochlea
otitus media results in a conductive hearing loss
hearing loss in children may result in speech and
language impairments
National Board Review Practice question 36
Which of the following is TRUE regarding the audiogram shown
below?
hearing loss does NOT involve frequencies
associated with conversational speech
thresholds to air conducted stimuli are normal
there are abnormal thresholds to bone conducted sound
stimuli
data show a conductive hearing loss
the data reveal presbycusis
National Board Review Practice question 37
Which of the following pairings is FALSE?
area 3a --- conscious proprioception
area 3b --- heavy input from VPL
lesion of SI --- contralateral astereognosis
area 2 --- heavy input from VPL
lesion of area 1 --- impaired texture discrimination
National Board Review Practice question 38
Which of the following structures is INCORRECTLY paired with
all or part of its blood supply?
anterior limb of internal capsule--medial striates
dorsal part of the posterior limb of internal capsule--anterior
choroidal
visual cortex--posterior cerebral
Broca's motor speech area--middle cerebral
hippocampus--posterior cerebral
National Board Review Practice question 39
A lesion in the frontal association cortex on the left would most likely
result in:
contralateral homonymous hemianopsia
intention tremor
receptive aphasia
expressive aphasia
contralateral hemianesthesia
National Board Review Practice question 40
Antidiuretic hormone (ADH) is produced by cells in the:
anterior pituitary
thalamus
supraoptic region of the hypothalamus
tuberal region of the hypothalamus
mammillary region of the hypothalamus
National Board Review Practice question 41
A lesion of the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (which lies
in the tuberal level) has been shown (in experimental animals) to produce:
diabetes insipidus
voracious appetite (hyperphagia) and rage
loss of appetite (anorexia)
memory loss
lack of oxytocin production
National Board Review Practice question 42
Bilateral lesions of the ventral portion of the temporal lobes involving
the hippocampal formation would most likely result in which of the following
signs and symptoms?
little or no trouble comprehending speech, but great
difficulty speaking
trouble understanding speech, and also trouble with
verbal expression
loss of the bothersome nature of pain, without loss
of pain sensitivity or discrimination
a deficit of long term memory
recent memory deficit
National Board Review Practice question 43
An embolus enters the left middle cerebral artery and lodges immediately,
blocking all of its branches. What would you expect to see in a set of
C-T scans?
a lesion destroying cortex over the entire medial
extent of the left hemisphere, but not extending to white matter
a lesion that includes the medial part of the occipital
lobe
a lesion that destroys the entire extent of the pre-
and postcentral gyri including the portions that wrap around onto the medial
aspect of the hemisphere
destruction of cortex that includes both Broca's
and Wernicke's speech areas
all of the above
National Board Review Practice question 44
Following a blockage of the anterior cerebral artery to the left cortex,
which of the following functions would be preserved?
the ability to speak
the ability to understand speech
the ability to move the right toes
the ability to move the right fingers
three of the above
National Board Review Practice question 45
The mammillary bodies:
are damaged in Korsakoff’s syndrome
receive input from the fornix
project to the medial dorsal nucleus of the thalamus
are involved in temperature regulation
two of the above statements are true of the mammillary
bodies
National Board Review Practice question 46
Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding the paraventricular
nucleus of the hypothalamus?
cells are involved in the regulation of circadian
rhythm
cells are involved in the production of oxytocin
cells are involved in the regulation of H2O balance
cells project to the posterior lobe of the pituitary
cells release CRF
National Board Review Practice question 47
Which of the following characteristics are TRUE regarding a highly
synchronized EEG??
occurs during REM sleep
low amplitude
25 Hz
occurs in deep (delta) sleep
is happening now as you study
National Board Review Practice question 48
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
patients with prosopagnosia do not know that they
are looking at a face
disorders of reading are called dysphagia
Broca’s aphasia can be accompanied by hemiplegia
agnosias are more common than aphasias
awkward articulation is an essential characteristic
of fluent aphasia (Wernicke’s)
National Board Review Practice question 49
Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding apraxias?
lesion in ideomotor apraxia involves temporal parietal
junction
patient with ideomotor apraxia will use the wrong
object to perform correct action
apraxias are always associate with hemiparesis
patient with ideational apraxia is unable to use
correct motor sequence
lesion in ideomotor apraxia involves parietal lobe
and supplementary motor area
National Board Review Practice question 50
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
in coma the patient cannot be aroused from unconsciousness
in sleep apnea there is excessive daytime sleep
in narcolepsy the patient goes directly into REM
sleep
the most common cause of comas are metabolic derangements
in the persistent vegetative state, the patient appears
alert and has meaningful cognitive responses
National Board Review Practice question 51
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
corticobulbar fibers course within the anterior limb
of the internal capsule
corticospinal fibers course within the genu of the
internal capsule
a lesion of the optic tract results in a bitemporal
hemianopsia
the superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculi
are association fiber bundles of the cerebral cortex
blockage of the middle cerebral artery results in
little cortical damage due to the collateral circulation of the Circle
of Willis
National Board Review Practice question 52
Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding the mesocorticolimbic
dopamine system?
arises from the ventral tegmental area and innervates
limbic structures and visual cortex
is involved in reinforcement and reward
arises from the substantia nigra and innervates limbic
and prefrontal cortical region
arises from the raphe nucleus and innervates the
limbic cortical region
arises from cells which lie ventral to the substantia
nigra
National Board Review Practice question 53
The human circadian pacemaker is located in the:
pituitary
thalamus
suprachiasmatic nucleus
pons
spinal cord
National Board Review Practice question 54
Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding serotonin?
cell bodies lie in the substantia nigra and innervate
the cortex and limbic system.
is increased by MAOIs and tricyclics.
is likely decreased in impulsive individuals
is kept in synaptic cleft longer by Prozac
produced in raphe nuclei
National Board Review Practice question 55
The severe short term (explicit) memory deficits characteristic of Alzheimer’s
disease would most likely be due to:
plaques and tangles in hippocampal regions
plaques and tangles in basal ganglia
degeneration of ventral tegmental area
loss of norepinephrine in the amygdala
loss of epinephrine producing cells in the adrenal
cortex
National Board Review Practice question 56
Which of the following associations is INCORRECT regarding the
figure below?
lesion at A would result in complete blindness
in the LEFT eye
lesion at B would result in bitemporal hemianopsia
lesion at C would result in unilateral nasal
hemianopsia on the left side
lesion at D would result in complete blindness
in the LEFT eye
lesion at E would result in RIGHT upper quadrant
hemianopsia
