Deck 19: Neurodegenerative Disorders

Question 1

Which statement about the "MitoPark" mouse model is false?

A) Substantia nigra cells die because of deficiencies in cellular respiration.
B) Mice exhibit behavioral outcomes that resemble PD.
C) MPP⁺ is transported into substantia nigra cells via the transporter.
D) Treatment with l-DOPA reversed the observed behavioral changes.

Answer 1

Substantia nigra cells die because of deficiencies in cellular respiration.

Question 2

Pharmacological treatments for Parkinson's disease include all of the following except drugs that

A) prevent motor complications.
B) prevent clinical progression of the disease.
C) prevent the initial stages of neuronal degeneration.
D) treat a particular symptom.

Answer 2

prevent the initial stages of neuronal degeneration.

Question 3

Antipsychotic drugs are sometimes used for treating which symptom(s) in individuals with Parkinson's disease?

A) Resting tremor
B) Difficulty initiating movement
C) Hallucinations or delusions caused by DA agonists
D) Depression

Answer 3

Hallucinations or delusions caused by DA agonists

Question 4

Which statement about mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is false?

A) Consuming more than 2,100 calories a day increases the risk of MCI for people over age 70.
B) MCI invariably leads to Alzheimer's disease.
C) People with MCI have trouble performing more than one task at a time.
D) With MCI, difficult tasks take longer and longer to perform.

Question 5

Which statement about apolipoprotein E is true?

A) Its receptor may be increased in the brains of AD patients.
B) The ApoE gene is a risk gene with only a minor influence on disease development.
C) ApoE is normally involved in moving excess cholesterol from the blood to the liver.
D) Early onset AD is not linked to the E4 form of the gene.

Question 6

Which statement about the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is false?

A) It is a diagnosis of elimination.
B) Amyvid can be used in conjunction with PET scans to tag beta-amyloid and confirm AD.
C) Amyloid plaques can occur in individuals without AD.
D) Other causes of dementia including stroke, vitamin deficiency, and chronic infection are ruled out before a diagnosis is made.

Question 7

Multiple drugs that act as _______ are currently in use for the treatment of AD.

A) NMDA receptor agonists
B) NMDA receptor antagonists
C) cholinesterase inhibitors
D) acetylcholine receptor agonists

Question 8

An increase in the levels of Bacteroidetes and reductions in two other bacteria (Firmicutes and Actinobacteria) have been implicated in

A) Parkinson's disease.
B) Huntington's disease.
C) Alzheimer's disease.
D) ALS.

Question 9

Which statement about ALS is false?

A) Death is caused by respiratory failure as motor neurons controlling this process are lost.
B) Protein aggregates known as spheroids are present in degenerating neurons.
C) Abnormal eye movements may serve as a marker for the disease prior to other symptoms.
D) Both hereditary and nonhereditary cases have been seen but genes have not been identified.

Question 10

Two very different approaches that are currently being used to treat ALS are _______ and _______.

A) DA agonists; GLU agonists
B) GLU antagonists; free radical scavengers
C) GLU agonists; free radical scavengers increasing neurotransmission in motor control centers of the brain
D) DA antagonists; stem cell therapies to produce new motor neurons

Question 11

Which of the following is not considered a potential risk factor of MS?

A) In utero exposure to the influenza virus
B) Living in an extremely cold climate before age 15
C) Having a first-degree relative with MS
D) Previous incidence of infectious disease, including mononucleosis

Question 12

Explain why the nature of the disorder accounts for the fact that patients with ALS display primarily motor problems.