WGU D574 Neuropsychology Exam
Question 1
A patient sustains a traumatic brain injury and later shows impaired judgment, disinhibition, and
personality change with relatively preserved intellectual functioning. Which brain region is most
likely affected?
A. Orbitofrontal cortex
B. Primary visual cortex
C. Cerebellar cortex
D. Primary auditory cortex
Answer:
A
Rationale:
The orbitofrontal cortex is critical for social judgment, impulse control, and personality
regulation; damage often produces disinhibition despite preserved general intellect.
Question 2
A researcher wants to determine whether a new memory intervention works better than an
existing standard treatment. Which statistical concept indicates that an observed difference
between groups is unlikely to be due to chance alone?
A. Effect size only
B. Statistical significance (e.g., p-value below a set threshold)
C. Reliability coefficient
D. Standard deviation alone
Answer:
B
Rationale:
Statistical significance, typically indicated by a p-value below a predetermined threshold (e.g.,
.05), suggests that an observed difference is unlikely to have occurred by chance alone.
Question 3
A patient reports a persistent inability to smell following a traumatic brain injury involving
shearing of the olfactory nerve fibers at the cribriform plate. This condition is known as:
, A. Anosmia
B. Ageusia
C. Anosognosia
D. Astereognosis
Answer:
A
Rationale:
Anosmia refers to the loss of the sense of smell, which can result from shearing of olfactory
nerve fibers as they pass through the cribriform plate during head trauma.
Question 4
Which best distinguishes effect size from statistical significance in interpreting research findings?
A. Effect size indicates the magnitude of a difference or relationship, while significance
indicates whether the finding is likely due to chance
B. They are interchangeable terms
C. Effect size is only relevant in qualitative research
D. Statistical significance always implies a large effect size
Answer:
A
Rationale:
Effect size quantifies the magnitude of an observed difference or relationship, whereas statistical
significance addresses whether that finding is likely attributable to chance, and the two provide
complementary information.
Question 5
A 72-year-old with a history of hypertension presents with a stepwise decline in cognition, each
episode following a distinct vascular event. Which type of dementia is most consistent with this
pattern?
A. Alzheimer's disease
B. Vascular dementia
C. Frontotemporal dementia
D. Dementia with Lewy bodies
Answer:
B
Rationale:
,Vascular dementia is classically associated with a stepwise decline in cognition corresponding to
discrete vascular events, distinguishing it from the gradual decline typical of Alzheimer's disease.
Question 6
A 6-year-old shows significant difficulty with reading accuracy and fluency despite adequate
intelligence, instruction, and sensory function. This presentation is most consistent with:
A. Specific learning disorder with impairment in reading (dyslexia)
B. Autism spectrum disorder
C. Traumatic brain injury
D. Wernicke's aphasia
Answer:
A
Rationale:
Dyslexia is a specific learning disorder involving persistent difficulty with accurate or fluent word
recognition despite adequate cognitive ability and instruction.
Question 7
Which class of medications, including donepezil, is commonly used to slow symptomatic
cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease by inhibiting the breakdown of acetylcholine?
A. Cholinesterase inhibitors
B. SSRIs
C. Benzodiazepines
D. Dopamine agonists
Answer:
A
Rationale:
Cholinesterase inhibitors, such as donepezil, block the enzyme that degrades acetylcholine,
increasing its availability to partially offset cholinergic deficits in Alzheimer's disease.
Question 8
Which of the following is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system,
essential for synaptic plasticity mechanisms such as LTP?
A. Glutamate
B. GABA
C. Glycine
, D. Histamine
Answer:
A
Rationale:
Glutamate is the principal excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS and is critical for synaptic
plasticity processes, including long-term potentiation.
Question 9
A 55-year-old patient develops sudden right-sided weakness and difficulty speaking.
Neuroimaging shows an area of restricted diffusion consistent with acute infarction. Which
imaging finding would most strongly support ischemic rather than hemorrhagic stroke?
A. Hyperdense area on noncontrast CT immediately after onset
B. Restricted diffusion on diffusion-weighted MRI without evidence of blood products
C. Diffuse cerebral atrophy
D. Bilateral symmetric white matter lesions
Answer:
B
Rationale:
Diffusion-weighted MRI showing restricted diffusion without blood products is characteristic of
acute ischemic stroke, whereas hemorrhage typically appears hyperdense on CT.
Question 10
Which neurotransmitter is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the adult central nervous
system?
A. Glutamate
B. GABA
C. Acetylcholine
D. Dopamine
Answer:
B
Rationale:
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mature
central nervous system, reducing the likelihood of postsynaptic firing.
Question 11
Question 1
A patient sustains a traumatic brain injury and later shows impaired judgment, disinhibition, and
personality change with relatively preserved intellectual functioning. Which brain region is most
likely affected?
A. Orbitofrontal cortex
B. Primary visual cortex
C. Cerebellar cortex
D. Primary auditory cortex
Answer:
A
Rationale:
The orbitofrontal cortex is critical for social judgment, impulse control, and personality
regulation; damage often produces disinhibition despite preserved general intellect.
Question 2
A researcher wants to determine whether a new memory intervention works better than an
existing standard treatment. Which statistical concept indicates that an observed difference
between groups is unlikely to be due to chance alone?
A. Effect size only
B. Statistical significance (e.g., p-value below a set threshold)
C. Reliability coefficient
D. Standard deviation alone
Answer:
B
Rationale:
Statistical significance, typically indicated by a p-value below a predetermined threshold (e.g.,
.05), suggests that an observed difference is unlikely to have occurred by chance alone.
Question 3
A patient reports a persistent inability to smell following a traumatic brain injury involving
shearing of the olfactory nerve fibers at the cribriform plate. This condition is known as:
, A. Anosmia
B. Ageusia
C. Anosognosia
D. Astereognosis
Answer:
A
Rationale:
Anosmia refers to the loss of the sense of smell, which can result from shearing of olfactory
nerve fibers as they pass through the cribriform plate during head trauma.
Question 4
Which best distinguishes effect size from statistical significance in interpreting research findings?
A. Effect size indicates the magnitude of a difference or relationship, while significance
indicates whether the finding is likely due to chance
B. They are interchangeable terms
C. Effect size is only relevant in qualitative research
D. Statistical significance always implies a large effect size
Answer:
A
Rationale:
Effect size quantifies the magnitude of an observed difference or relationship, whereas statistical
significance addresses whether that finding is likely attributable to chance, and the two provide
complementary information.
Question 5
A 72-year-old with a history of hypertension presents with a stepwise decline in cognition, each
episode following a distinct vascular event. Which type of dementia is most consistent with this
pattern?
A. Alzheimer's disease
B. Vascular dementia
C. Frontotemporal dementia
D. Dementia with Lewy bodies
Answer:
B
Rationale:
,Vascular dementia is classically associated with a stepwise decline in cognition corresponding to
discrete vascular events, distinguishing it from the gradual decline typical of Alzheimer's disease.
Question 6
A 6-year-old shows significant difficulty with reading accuracy and fluency despite adequate
intelligence, instruction, and sensory function. This presentation is most consistent with:
A. Specific learning disorder with impairment in reading (dyslexia)
B. Autism spectrum disorder
C. Traumatic brain injury
D. Wernicke's aphasia
Answer:
A
Rationale:
Dyslexia is a specific learning disorder involving persistent difficulty with accurate or fluent word
recognition despite adequate cognitive ability and instruction.
Question 7
Which class of medications, including donepezil, is commonly used to slow symptomatic
cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease by inhibiting the breakdown of acetylcholine?
A. Cholinesterase inhibitors
B. SSRIs
C. Benzodiazepines
D. Dopamine agonists
Answer:
A
Rationale:
Cholinesterase inhibitors, such as donepezil, block the enzyme that degrades acetylcholine,
increasing its availability to partially offset cholinergic deficits in Alzheimer's disease.
Question 8
Which of the following is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system,
essential for synaptic plasticity mechanisms such as LTP?
A. Glutamate
B. GABA
C. Glycine
, D. Histamine
Answer:
A
Rationale:
Glutamate is the principal excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS and is critical for synaptic
plasticity processes, including long-term potentiation.
Question 9
A 55-year-old patient develops sudden right-sided weakness and difficulty speaking.
Neuroimaging shows an area of restricted diffusion consistent with acute infarction. Which
imaging finding would most strongly support ischemic rather than hemorrhagic stroke?
A. Hyperdense area on noncontrast CT immediately after onset
B. Restricted diffusion on diffusion-weighted MRI without evidence of blood products
C. Diffuse cerebral atrophy
D. Bilateral symmetric white matter lesions
Answer:
B
Rationale:
Diffusion-weighted MRI showing restricted diffusion without blood products is characteristic of
acute ischemic stroke, whereas hemorrhage typically appears hyperdense on CT.
Question 10
Which neurotransmitter is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the adult central nervous
system?
A. Glutamate
B. GABA
C. Acetylcholine
D. Dopamine
Answer:
B
Rationale:
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mature
central nervous system, reducing the likelihood of postsynaptic firing.
Question 11
