Brainstem nuclei Practice Questions

Question 1

A 45-year-old female is admitted to the hospital after worsening headaches for the past month. She has noticed that the headaches are usually generalized, and frequently occur during sleep. She does not have a history of migraines or other types of headaches. Her past medical history is significant for breast cancer, which was diagnosed a year ago and treated with mastectomy. She recovered fully and returned to work shortly thereafter. CT scan of the brain now shows a solitary cortical 5cm mass surrounded by edema in the left hemisphere of the brain at the grey-white matter junction. She is admitted to the hospital for further management. What is the most appropriate next step in management for this patient?

Accepted Answer

Surgical resection of the mass

Answer

Seizure prophylaxis and palliative pain therapy

Answer

Chemotherapy

Answer

Irradiation to the brain mass

Question 2

A 60-year-old woman presents with progressive difficulty swallowing solid foods for the past 2 months. She also says her voice has gradually changed, and she has had recent episodes of vertigo associated with nausea and vomiting and oscillating eye movements while reading. She denies any problems with the movement of her face or extremities. Past medical history is significant for hypertension, managed with enalapril, and dyslipidemia, which she is managing with dietary modifications. The patient reports a 40-pack-year smoking history. Vital signs are within normal limits. On physical examination, there is decreased pain and temperature sensation on the right side of her body, and she cannot touch her nose with her eyes closed. Which of the following is the most likely site of vascular occlusion in this patient?

Accepted Answer

Posterior inferior cerebellar artery

Answer

Anterior cerebral artery

Answer

Anterior inferior cerebellar artery

Answer

Middle cerebral artery

Answer

Anterior spinal artery

Question 3

A 25-year-old man presents to the emergency department with the sudden onset of neck pain and a severe spinning sensation for the last 6 hours. The symptoms initially began while he was lifting weights in the gym. He feels the room is spinning continuously, and he is unable to open his eyes or maintain his balance. The dizziness and pain are associated with nausea and vomiting. Past medical history is unremarkable. His blood pressure is 124/88 mm Hg, the heart rate is 84/min, the temperature is 37.0°C (98.6°F), the respiratory rate is 12/min, and the BMI is 21.6 kg/m2. On physical examination, he is awake and oriented to person, place, and time. Higher mental functions are intact. There are several horizontal beats of involuntary oscillatory eye movements on the left lateral gaze. He has difficulty performing repetitive pronation and supination movements on the left side. Electrocardiogram reveals normal sinus rhythm. Which of the following additional clinical features would you expect to be present?

Accepted Answer

Past-pointing

Answer

Sensory aphasia

Answer

Expressive aphasia

Answer

Hemiplegia

Answer

Bitemporal hemianopsia

Question 4

A 76-year-old woman with hypertension and coronary artery disease is brought to the emergency department after the sudden onset of right-sided weakness. Her pulse is 83/min and blood pressure is 156/90 mm Hg. Neurological examination shows right-sided facial drooping and complete paralysis of the right upper and lower extremities. Tongue position is normal and she is able to swallow liquids without difficulty. Knee and ankle deep tendon reflexes are exaggerated on the right. Sensation to vibration, position, and light touch is normal bilaterally. She is oriented to person, place, and time, and is able to speak normally. Occlusion of which of the following vessels is the most likely cause of this patient's current symptoms?

Accepted Answer

Contralateral lenticulostriate artery

Answer

Ipsilateral anterior cerebral artery

Answer

Contralateral middle cerebral artery

Answer

Anterior spinal artery

Answer

Ipsilateral posterior inferior cerebellar artery

Question 5

An 18-year-old man presents to his primary care physician with a complaint of excessive daytime sleepiness. He denies any substance abuse or major changes in his sleep schedule. He reports frequently dozing off during his regular daily activities. On further review of systems, he endorses falling asleep frequently with the uncomfortable sensation that there is someone in the room, even though he is alone. He also describes that from time to time, he has transient episodes of slurred speech when experiencing heartfelt laughter. Vital signs are stable, and his physical exam is unremarkable. This patient is likely deficient in a neurotransmitter produced in which part of the brain?

Accepted Answer

Hypothalamus

Answer

Hippocampus

Answer

Midbrain

Answer

Pons nucleus

Answer

Thalamus

Question 6

A 58-year-old woman presents with vision loss in her right eye. She noticed the visual changes the morning of presentation and has never experienced this visual disturbance before. Her medical history is significant for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and type II diabetes mellitus. She is currently on lisinopril, lovastatin, and metformin. She has smoked a pack of cigarettes daily for the last 25 years and also is a social drinker. On physical exam, her lids and lashes appear normal and there is no conjunctival injection. Both pupils are equal, round, and reactive to light; however, when the penlight is swung from the left eye to the right eye, there is bilateral pupillary dilation. The nerve that is most likely defective in this patient relays information to which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Lateral geniculate nucleus

Answer

Oculomotor nucleus

Answer

Edinger-Westphal nucleus

Answer

Medial geniculate nucleus

Answer

Ventral posteromedial nucleus

Question 7

A 40-year-old man is brought to the emergency department after sustaining multiple lacerations during a bar fight. The patient’s wife says that he has been showing worsening aggression and has been involved in a lot of arguments and fights for the past 2 years. The patient has no significant past medical or psychiatric history and currently takes no medications. The patient cannot provide any relevant family history since he was adopted as an infant. His vitals are within normal limits. On physical examination, the patient looks apathetic and grimaces repeatedly. Suddenly, his arms start to swing by his side in an uncontrolled manner. Which area of the brain is most likely affected in this patient?

Accepted Answer

Caudate nucleus

Answer

Cerebral cortex

Answer

Cerebellum

Answer

Medulla oblongata

Answer

Substantia nigra

Question 8

A 57-year-old man was brought into the emergency department unconscious 2 days ago. His friends who were with him at that time say he collapsed on the street. Upon arrival to the ED, he had a generalized tonic seizure. At that time, he was intubated and is being treated with diazepam and phenytoin. A noncontrast head CT revealed hemorrhages within the pons and cerebellum with a mass effect and tonsillar herniation. Today, his blood pressure is 110/65 mm Hg, heart rate is 65/min, respiratory rate is 12/min (intubated, ventilator settings: tidal volume (TV) 600 ml, positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) 5 cm H2O, and FiO2 40%), and temperature is 37.0°C (98.6°F). On physical examination, the patient is in a comatose state. Pupils are 4 mm bilaterally and unresponsive to light. Cornea reflexes are absent. Gag reflex and cough reflex are also absent. Which of the following is the next best step in the management of this patient?

Accepted Answer

Apnea test

Answer

Second opinion from a neurologist

Answer

Withdraw ventilation support and mark time of death

Answer

Electroencephalogram

Answer

Repeat examination in several hours

Question 9

An 87-year-old male presents to his neurologist for a follow-up visit. He is being followed for an inoperable tumor near his skull. He reports that he recently noticed that food has started to lose its taste. He also notes increasing difficulty with swallowing. He has a history of myocardial infarction, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and presbycusis. He takes aspirin, metoprolol, metformin, glyburide, atorvastatin, lisinopril, and hydrochlorothiazide. On examination, the patient is a frail-appearing male sitting in a wheelchair. He is oriented to person, place, and time. Gag reflex is absent on the right side. A taste evaluation is performed which demonstrates a decreased ability to detect sour and bitter substances on the right posterior tongue. The nerve responsible for this patient’s loss of taste sensation also has which of the following functions?

Accepted Answer

Parasympathetic innervation to the parotid gland

Answer

Somatic sensory innervation to the roof of the pharynx

Answer

Parasympathetic innervation to the trachea

Answer

Somatic sensory innervation to the lower lip

Answer

Parasympathetic innervation to the submandibular gland

Question 10

Where does the only cranial nerve without a thalamic relay nucleus enter the skull?

Accepted Answer

Cribriform plate

Answer

Superior orbital fissure

Answer

Internal auditory meatus

Answer

Foramen rotundum

Answer

Jugular foramen

Brainstem nuclei

Study Resources

Lessons

Questions

Flashcards

Lessons

Medulla oblongata nuclei

Pontine nuclei

Midbrain nuclei

Cranial nerve nuclei

Reticular formation

Ascending sensory pathways in brainstem

Descending motor pathways in brainstem

Vestibular nuclei complex

Vital centers in brainstem

Brainstem lesions and clinical correlations

Practice Questions

Flashcards

About Brainstem nuclei for USMLE

Lessons in Brainstem nuclei

Master Brainstem nuclei