Alzheimer's Disease

Self-Study Examination

Instructions: After studying the text answer the following true/false or multiple choice questions.  Remember, there's only one answer to each question.

1. Most causes of dementia are:

a) from high levels of aluminum in the brain
b) irreversible
c) brought on by heredity
d) reversible

2. This is the most common neurodegenerative disorder making up 50 to 60 percent of all cases of dementia:

a) Alzheimer’s disease
b) frontotemporal dementia
c) dementia with Lewy bodies
d) Parkinson’s dementia

3. One of the most common forms of vascular cognitive impairment is caused by:

a) subdural hematomas
b) nutritional deficiencies
c) smoking
d) small strokes in the brain
e) endocrine or metabolic imbalances

4. Which of the following are risk factors for dementia:
  1. age
  2. genetics
  3. athrosclerosis
  4. high-density lipoproteins
  5. strokes

a) 1, 2, and 4
b) 2 only
c) 1 and 2
d) 3 and 5
e) 1, 2, and 3

5. By the age of 60, about 35 percent less blood circulates through the arteries of the heart than in earlier years.

a) true
b) false

6. This structure is part of the limbic system. It controls body temperature and tells us to sweat when we are hot and shiver when we are cold:

a) thalamus
b) brain stem
c) hypothalamus
d) cerebrum

7. The function of this part of the neuron is to receive a message from other nerve cells:

a) axon
b) dendrite
c) nucleus
d) cell body
e) myelin sheath

8. The term cognition means to:

a) understand
b) assimilate
c) recognize
d) know

9. Failure to recognize or identify objects is called:

a) aphasia
b) agnosia
c) apraxia

10. A person with dementia is convinced there are unwelcome visitors in the home, which no one else sees. This is an example of a:

a) hallucination
b) delusion

11. In this neurophysiological test, a patient would demonstrate how he or she brushes teeth:

a) remote memory
b) motor skill
c) executive function

12. The positron emission tomography is an example of:

a) structural imaging
b) functional imaging

13. Neuron loss occurs first in the region of the ________, part of the limbic system located in the central brain. This explains memory loss, an early stage of Alzheimer’s.

a) amygdala
b) hypothalamus
c) thalamus
d) hippocampus

14. Depression is common at the _______ stage.

a) mild
b) moderate
c) severe

15. People with Alzheimer’s may have sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome and snore loudly with episodes of snorting and gasping.

a) true
b) false

16. The ________ are caused by abnormal processing of a protein called tau which normally helps uphold the structure of a neuron.

a) plaques
b) tangles

17. ________ ________ occurs when there is damage to the mitochondria, the energy factory of the cell and free radicals are produced.

a) Inflammatory response
b) Oxidative stress
c) Beta amyloid

18. More women have dementia than men.

a) true
b) false

19. Defects in single genes or in sections of chromosomes cause most inherited forms of Alzheimer’s disease.

a) true
b) false

20. This is the most commonly prescribed cholinesterase inhibitor:

a) Exelon
b) Namenda
c) Razadyne
d) Aricept

21. Vitamin E is thought to:

a) reduce the amount of oxidative stress
b) increase levels of acetylcholine
c) prevent variants of APOE from forming
d) decrease beta-amyloid in the brain

22. With validation therapy, it is the goal to:

a) breakdown tasks into small steps
b) avoid caffeine and alcohol
c) comfort the person and not make sure they are factually correct
d) distract them with a favorite activity

23. Antipsychotics, when used to treat behavioral symptoms in older adults, have been found to increase a person’s risk of:

a) agitation and suspicion
b) falls and confusion
c) insomnia and depression
d) premature death

24. In this type of dementia there is spontaneous speech that is grammatically correct but bears no relevance to the conversation at hand:

a) progressive fluent aphasia
b) primary progressive aphasia
c) corticobasal degeneration
d) semantic dementia

25. Gliosis is best defined as:

a) an overgrowth of neuronal support cells which form scar tissue in the brain
b) formation of tiny holes on the brain’s surface
c) abnormal protein-filled structures that develop within cells
d) a buildup of twisted strands of protein

26. Repeating words and phrases of one’s own speech is called:

a) dysarthria
b) agrammatism
c) echolalia
d) perseveration
e) mutism

27. In the early stages there is increasing and persistent forgetfulness:

a) frontotemporal dementia
b) Alzheimer’s disease

28. This drug blocks the effects of dopamine—a neurotransmitter associated with psychosis—which manages aggressive and hypersexual behavior:

a) selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
b) tranquilizers
c) antipsychotics

29. Lewy bodies are best defined as microscopic deposits of alpha-synuclein protein found in deteriorating nerve cells.

a) true
b) false

30. When orthostatic hypotension occurs in dementia with Lewy bodies, it is classified as a:

a) cognitive impairment
b) psychiatric symptom
c) motor symptom
d) autonomic dysfunction

31. In order to have a “probable” diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies, cognitive decline must be present in addition to:
  1. a positive blood test for Lewy bodies
  2. noticeable fluctuations in cognition with varying levels of alertness
  3. recurrent visual hallucinations
  4. a positive brain-imaging test
  5. spontaneous Parkinsonian symptoms

a) 1 and 3
b) 2, 3, and 4
c) 2, 3, and 5
d) 1 and 4

32. This classification of drugs appears to be more effective in treating dementia with Lewy bodies than in treating Alzheimer’s:

a) antipsychotics
b) cholinesterase inhibitors
c) anti-Parkinsonian drugs
d) antidepressants

33. When blood flow is disrupted to the brain due to a blood clot in an artery or when an artery leaks or ruptures:

a) the blood pressure drops
b) a person has a stroke
c) there are Parkinson-type symptoms
d) the person is labile

34. Small vessel disease affects the small vessels of the brain and is closely associated with:

a) elevated cholesterol levels
b) smoking
c) high blood pressure
d) obesity and formation of plaques

35. The most useful tool in diagnosing vascular cognitive impairment is:

a) reviewing the medical history
b) assessing signs and symptoms
c) neuropsychological tests to evaluate memory and cognitive function
d) brain imaging

36. A brain-healthy diet should include foods rich in fiber and calcium.

a) true
b) false

37. The first symptom of normal pressure hydrocephalus that usually presents itself is:

a) seizures
b) headaches
c) difficulty walking
d) amnesia

38. People with Huntington’s disease may burn 5,000 calories a day.

a) true
b) false

39. Most people with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease develop the disease:

a) by eating contaminated meat
b) for no apparent reason
c) by genetic mutation
d) from skin transplants and contaminated growth hormone

40. Parkinson’s disease is a disorder that mainly affects neurons producing:

a) acetylcholine
b) Lewy bodies
c) dopamine
d) cholinesterase

41. In multiple sclerosis, the body incorrectly directs antibodies and white blood cells to attack:

a) the gray matter of the brain which controls executive functions
b) immune cells in the thymus
c) neurons in the brain causing people to fall backwards
d) proteins in the myelin sheath, a protective coating around nerve fibers

42. In Wilson’s disease, a hereditary disorder, there is a buildup of ______ in the liver, brain, and other vital organs.

a) zinc
b) copper
c) iron
d) magnesium

43. This subcategory is characterized primarily by memory impairment:

a) amnesic MCI
b) nonamnesic MCI

44. In a 2005 study, vitamin E slowed the progress of Alzheimer’s.

a) true
b) false

45. Besides age, which of the following are the two most common factors that affect mental function:
  1. medication
  2. depression
  3. chronic stress
  4. overwork
  5. fatigue

a) 1 and 5
b) 1 and 2
c) 3 and 4
d) 2 and 3
e) 2 and 5

46. An example of an auditory cue is to set an alarm a few minutes before an appointment.

a) true
b) false

47. The two commonly accepted risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease is:

a) APOE and UBQLNI genes
b) elevated cholesterol and homocysteine
c) family history and aging
d) chronic high blood pressure and heart disease

48. Amyloid-beta-derived diffusible ligands:

a) attack the synapse
b) alter the nucleus
c) destroy the myelin sheath
d) reduce the conductivity potential of dendrites and axons

49. All brain cells use which of the following for energy during normal cellular operations:

a) oxygen
b) protein
c) fat
d) sugar