Cognitive disorders (dementia) Practice Questions

Question 1

A group of neurologists develop a new blood test for Alzheimer's. They are optimistic about the test, as they have found that for any given patient, the test repeatedly produces very similar results. However, they find that the new test results are not necessarily consistent with the gold standard of diagnosis. How would this new test most accurately be described?

Accepted Answer

Reliable

Answer

Valid and reliable

Answer

Valid

Answer

Biased

Answer

Neither valid nor reliable

Question 2

A 15-year-old female presents to her family physician for an annual school physical exam and check-up. She is accompanied by her mother to the visit and is present in the exam room. The patient has no complaints, and she does not have any past medical problems. She takes no medications. The patient reports that she remains active, exercising 5 times a week, and eats a healthy and varied diet. Which of the following would be the best way for the physician to obtain a more in-depth social history, including sexual history and use of alcohol, tobacco, or recreational drugs?

Accepted Answer

Ask the mother to step outside into the hall for a portion of the visit

Answer

Disallow the mother to be present in the examination room throughout the entirety of the visit

Answer

Give the patient a social history questionnaire to fill out in the exam room

Answer

Ask the patient the questions directly, with her mother still in the exam room

Answer

Speak softly to the patient so that the mother does not hear and the patient is not embarrassed

Question 3

A 66-year-old man is brought into the emergency department by his daughter for a change in behavior. Yesterday the patient seemed more confused than usual and was asking the same questions repetitively. His symptoms have not improved over the past 24 hours, thus the decision to bring him in today. Last year, the patient was almost completely independent but he then suffered a "series of falls," after which his ability to care for himself declined. After this episode he was no longer able to cook for himself or pay his bills but otherwise had been fine up until this episode. The patient has a past medical history of myocardial infarction, hypertension, depression, diabetes mellitus type II, constipation, diverticulitis, and peripheral neuropathy. His current medications include metformin, insulin, lisinopril, hydrochlorothiazide, sodium docusate, atorvastatin, metoprolol, fluoxetine, and gabapentin. On exam you note a confused man who is poorly kept. He has bruises over his legs and his gait seems unstable. He is alert to person and place, and answers some questions inappropriately. The patient's pulse is 90/minute and his blood pressure is 170/100 mmHg. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

Accepted Answer

Vascular dementia

Answer

Normal aging

Answer

Lewy body dementia

Answer

Pseudodementia (depression-related cognitive impairment)

Answer

Alzheimer's dementia

Question 4

A geriatric investigator is evaluating the consistency of Alzheimer dementia diagnoses based on clinical symptoms. Patients with known chart diagnoses of Alzheimer dementia were evaluated by multiple physicians during a fixed time interval. Each evaluator was blinded to the others' assessments. The extent to which the diagnosis by one physician was replicated by another clinician examining the same patient is best described by which of the following terms?

Accepted Answer

Precision

Answer

Validity

Answer

Specificity

Answer

Predictive value

Answer

Sensitivity

Question 5

A 77-year-old woman is brought to the physician for gradually increasing confusion and difficulty walking for the past 4 months. Her daughter is concerned because she has been forgetful and seems to be walking more slowly. She has been distracted during her weekly bridge games and her usual television shows. She has also had increasingly frequent episodes of urinary incontinence and now wears an adult diaper daily. She has hyperlipidemia and hypertension. Current medications include lisinopril and atorvastatin. Her temperature is 36.8°C (98.2°F), pulse is 84/min, respirations are 15/min, and blood pressure is 139/83 mmHg. She is confused and oriented only to person and place. She recalls 2 out of 3 words immediately and 1 out of 3 after five minutes. She has a broad-based gait and takes short steps. Sensation is intact and muscle strength is 5/5 throughout. Laboratory studies are within normal limits. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis in this patient?

Accepted Answer

Normal pressure hydrocephalus

Answer

Pseudodementia

Answer

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Answer

Frontotemporal dementia

Answer

Dementia with Lewy-bodies

Question 6

A 76-year-old man is brought to his geriatrician by his daughter, who reports that he has been "losing his memory." While the patient previously performed all household duties by himself, he has recently had several bills that were unpaid. He also called his daughter on several occasions after getting lost while driving and having "accidents" before getting to the toilet. On exam, the patient is conversant and alert to person, place, and time, though his gait is wide-based and slow. Which of the following diagnostic procedures would be most appropriate to confirm the suspected diagnosis in this patient?

Accepted Answer

Lumbar puncture

Answer

Warfarin

Answer

Donepezil

Answer

Carbidopa/Levodopa

Answer

Memantine

Question 7

A 28-year-old male presents to his primary care physician with complaints of intermittent abdominal pain and alternating bouts of constipation and diarrhea. His medical chart is not significant for any past medical problems or prior surgeries. He is not prescribed any current medications. Which of the following questions would be the most useful next question in eliciting further history from this patient?

Accepted Answer

"Can you tell me more about the symptoms you have been experiencing?"

Answer

"Does the diarrhea typically precede the constipation, or vice-versa?"

Answer

"Is the diarrhea foul-smelling?"

Answer

"Please rate your abdominal pain on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the worst pain of your life"

Answer

"Are the symptoms worse in the morning or at night?"

Question 8

A 72-year-old woman is brought to the physician by her son for an evaluation of cognitive decline. Her son reports that she has had increased difficulty finding her way back home for the last several months, despite having lived in the same city for 40 years. He also reports that his mother has been unable to recall the names of her relatives and been increasingly forgetting important family gatherings such as her grandchildren's birthdays over the last few years. The patient has hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus. She does not smoke or drink alcohol. Her current medications include enalapril and metformin. Her temperature is 37°C (98.6°F), pulse is 70/min, and blood pressure is 140/80 mm Hg. She is confused and oriented only to person and place. She recalls 2 out of 3 words immediately and 1 out of 3 after 5 minutes. Her gait and muscle strength are normal. Deep tendon reflexes are 2+ bilaterally. The remainder of the examination shows no abnormalities. Further evaluation is most likely to reveal which of the following findings?

Accepted Answer

Generalized cerebral atrophy

Answer

Myoclonic movements

Answer

Hallucinations

Answer

Urinary incontinence

Answer

Resting tremor

Question 9

A 78-year-old man is brought to the physician by his daughter for a follow-up examination. The daughter noticed that he has gradually become more forgetful and withdrawn over the last year. He frequently misplaces his car keys and forgets the names of his neighbors, whom he has known for 30 years. He has difficulty recalling his address and telephone number. He recently had an episode of urinary and fecal incontinence. Last week, his neighbor found him wandering the parking lot of the grocery store. He has hypertension and hyperlipidemia. He had smoked one pack of cigarettes daily for 40 years but quit 18 years ago. His current medications include hydrochlorothiazide and atorvastatin. He appears healthy; BMI is 23 kg/m2. His temperature is 37.2°C (99.0°F), pulse is 86/min, respirations are 14/min, and blood pressure is 136/84 mm Hg. Mini-mental state examination score is 19/30. He is not bothered by his forgetfulness. Cranial nerves II–XII are intact. He has 5/5 strength and full sensation to light touch in all extremities. His patellar, Achilles, and biceps reflexes are 2+ bilaterally. His gait is steady. MRI scan of the brain shows ventriculomegaly and prominent cerebral sulci. Which of the following is the most appropriate pharmacotherapy?

Accepted Answer

Donepezil

Answer

Acetazolamide

Answer

Sertraline

Answer

Memantine

Answer

Thiamine

Question 10

A 65-year-old woman comes to the physician for the evaluation of several episodes of urinary incontinence over the past several months. She reports that she was not able to get to the bathroom in time. During the past 6 months, her husband has noticed that she is starting to forget important appointments and family meetings. She has type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with metformin. The patient had smoked a pack of cigarettes daily for 45 years. Her vital signs are within normal limits. On mental status examination, she is confused and has short-term memory deficits. She walks slowly taking short, wide steps. Muscle strength is normal. Deep tendon reflexes are 2+ bilaterally. Which of the following is the most likely underlying cause of this patient's urinary incontinence?

Accepted Answer

Normal pressure hydrocephalus

Answer

Bacterial infection of the urinary tract

Answer

Detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia

Answer

Impaired detrusor contractility

Answer

Loss of sphincter function

Cognitive disorders (dementia)

Study Resources

Lessons

Questions

Flashcards

Lessons

Delirium etiology and management

Alzheimer's disease

Vascular dementia

Lewy body dementia

Frontotemporal dementia

Mild cognitive impairment

Neuropsychological testing

Cognitive assessment tools

Pharmacotherapy for cognitive disorders

Behavioral management in dementia

Caregiver support and education

Legal and ethical issues in dementia care

Preventive strategies for cognitive decline

Practice Questions

Flashcards

About Cognitive disorders (dementia) for USMLE

Lessons in Cognitive disorders (dementia)

Master Cognitive disorders (dementia)