Question 1

Alzheimer's disease is a dementia characterized as:

Accepted Answer

Alzheimer's disease is a type of cortical dementia, which means it affects the outer layer of the brain. It is also a progressive disease, meaning symptoms worsen over time, and currently no cure or reversal exists, making it irreversible.

Question 2

Dementia refers to:

Accepted Answer

Dementia is characterized by a cluster of behavioral symptoms that indicate a syndrome of impairment within higher cognitive functioning.

Question 3

Fluid intelligence involves:

Accepted Answer

Fluid intelligence involves the ability to solve new problems and think abstractly, rather than relying solely on previously learned information or experiences. Memory (option A) and factual information (option D) are more closely related to crystallized intelligence, which involves knowledge accumulated over time. Digit span (option C) is a measure of short-term memory, but not necessarily related to fluid intelligence.

Question 4

Crystallized intelligence:

Accepted Answer

Crystallized intelligence is formed by accumulating knowledge and skills over time. It includes specialized information learned through experiences, education, and training. It is often contrasted with fluid intelligence, which is more flexible and involves problem-solving and adapting to new situations. While crystallized intelligence may show some declines in old age, it is generally considered to be more stable and less subject to the effects of aging than fluid intelligence. It is not fully developed by age 20 and can continue to grow and expand throughout adulthood.

Question 5

A 65-year-old male with a college degree and a managerial position would be expected to perform better on tests of ____ than an aged peer who dropped out of high school and held mostly manual labor jobs.

Accepted Answer

General information and vocabulary tests are often correlated with education and occupational status. Therefore, someone with a college degree and a managerial position would have likely been exposed to more information and have a larger vocabulary than someone who dropped out of high school and held mostly manual labor jobs. Visuospatial ability, mental calculation, and short-term memory may not necessarily be influenced by education or occupation status.

Question 6

Depression can mimic dementia.

Accepted Answer

Depression can cause symptoms such as forgetfulness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating, which can be mistaken for symptoms of dementia. However, with proper diagnosis and treatment, these symptoms can often be reversed or improved.

Question 7

Senile plaques contain beta-amyloid

Accepted Answer

Senile plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, are composed of deposits of beta-amyloid protein.

Question 8

Neurofibrillary tangles have all of the following qualities except:

Accepted Answer

Neurofibrillary tangles are made of tau proteins and resemble twisted pairs of ropes, and they may be present in normal aging. However, they do not contain beta-amyloid. Beta-amyloid plaques are a separate pathology typically associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Question 9

____ is associated with cognitive declines in fluid intelligence.

Accepted Answer

White matter low attenuation is associated with cognitive declines in fluid intelligence.

Question 10

Predictable decline in normal aging occurs in the following domains:

Accepted Answer

Normal aging is associated with a predictable decline in cognitive functions such as new learning, abstract reasoning, and behavioral slowing. While there may also be declines in other domains such as vocabulary or graphomotor skills, these are not necessarily universal or as consistently observed as the domains listed in option A. Option B is incorrect because graphomotor impairment is not necessarily a domain of decline in normal aging. Option C is incorrect because vocabulary is not consistently associated with decline in normal aging. Option D is incorrect because while behavioral slowing and graphomotor impairment may be observed in normal aging, new learning is a more consistently observed decline.

Question 11

Retrieval cues greatly enhance memory in individuals with Alzheimer's disease.

Accepted Answer

Retrieval cues can help individuals with Alzheimer's disease to some extent, but the disease significantly impairs memory, making it difficult for retrieval cues to greatly enhance memory as it progresses.

Question 12

Diagnostic criteria for dementia include:

Accepted Answer

The diagnostic criteria for dementia include a loss of intellectual functioning as well as multiple areas of cognitive impairment, such as memory, language, and perceptual-motor skills. This is differentiated from cognitive impairment due to other causes, such as delirium or depression, which may only affect one area of functioning. Additionally, the symptoms must represent a decline from the individual's previous level of functioning.

Question 13

Sense of smell is impaired in Alzheimer's disease.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that the sense of smell is often impaired in individuals with Alzheimer's disease. This may be attributed to damage in the brain regions responsible for processing olfactory information.

Question 14

Chromosome 21 was implicated with the observance of the comorbidity of Alzheimer's and:

Accepted Answer

Down's syndrome is caused by trisomy of chromosome 21, meaning there is an extra copy of this chromosome. Individuals with Down's syndrome also have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life, suggesting a link between the two conditions.

Question 15

The study by Johansson et al (1991)on normal aging in Sweden found:

Accepted Answer

The study found stability in cognitive and functional abilities in the majority of the people. While some decline was noted, it was not a significant amount overall.

Question 16

Which of the following statistics is true about the aging baby boomer population?

Accepted Answer

A) The elderly do buy 25% of prescription drugs, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service.

B) Approximately 10% of individuals 65 and older reside in specialized settings such as nursing homes or assisted living facilities, according to the National Institute on Aging.

C) The elderly do account for over 40% of hospitalization days in acute care settings, according to a study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.

Question 17

Cortical dementia is to ____ as subcortical dementia is to ____.

Accepted Answer

Cortical dementia is associated with gray matter (cortex) alterations, while subcortical dementia is associated with white matter (subcortical regions) alterations.

Question 18

Changes in brain anatomy associated with normal aging include:

Accepted Answer

Cortical atrophy, or the shrinking of the brain's outer layer, is a normal part of aging. This can lead to decreased cognitive function and memory loss. None of the other choices listed are associated with normal aging.

Question 19

Which area of neuropsychological functioning is affected by normal aging?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which area of neuropsychological functioning is affected...

Question 20

Alzheimer's disease is a subcortical dementia.

Accepted Answer

Alzheimer's disease is a cortical dementia, as it primarily affects the cerebral cortex of the brain. Subcortical dementias, on the other hand, affect the structures beneath the cortex.

Quiz 14: Normal Aging and Dementia: Alzheimers Disease