2024 Neuro - Test Banks -
Brunner & Suddarth's
Textbook of Medical-
Surgical Nursing Chapter
65 - 70 with verified
answers and rationales
1. A patient is brought to the ER following a motor vehicle accident in which he sustained head
trauma. Preliminary assessment reveals a vision deficit in the patients left eye. The nurse should
associate this
abnormal finding with trauma to which of the following cerebral lobes?
A) Temporal
B) Occipital
C) Parietal
D) Frontal - ANSWERS-B
Feedback:
The posterior lobe of the cerebral hemisphere is responsible for visual interpretation. The
temporal lobe
contains the auditory receptive areas. The parietal lobe contains the primary sensory cortex,
and is
essential to an individuals awareness of the body in space, as well as orientation in space and
spatial
1
,relations. The frontal lobe functions in concentration, abstract thought, information storage or
memory, and motor function.
2. A patient scheduled for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has arrived at the radiology
department. The
nurse who prepares the patient for the MRI should prioritize which of the following actions?
A) Withholding stimulants 24 to 48 hours prior to exam
B) Removing all metal-containing objects
C) Instructing the patient to void prior to the MRI
D) Initiating an IV line for administration of contrast - ANSWERS-B
Feedback:
Patient preparation for an MRI consists of removing all metal-containing objects prior to the
examination. Withholding stimulants would not affect an MRI; this relates to an
electroencephalography
(EEG). Instructing the patient to void is patient preparation for a lumbar puncture. Initiating an
IV line
for administration of contrast would be done if the patient was having a CT scan with contrast.
3. A gerontologic nurse planning the neurologic assessment of an older adult is considering
normal, age related changes. Of what phenomenon should the nurse be aware?
A) Hyperactive deep tendon reflexes
B) Reduction in cerebral blood flow
C) Increased cerebral metabolism
D) Hypersensitivity to painful stimuli - ANSWERS-B
Feedback:
Reduction in cerebral blood flow (CBF) is a change that occurs in the normal aging process.
2
,Deep
tendon reflexes can be decreased or, in some cases, absent. Cerebral metabolism decreases as
the patient
advances in age. Reaction to painful stimuli may be decreased with age. Because pain is an
important
warning signal, caution must be used when hot or cold packs are used.
4. The nurse has admitted a new patient to the unit. One of the patients admitting orders is for
an
adrenergic medication. The nurse knows that this medication will have what effect on the
circulatory
system?
A) Thin, watery saliva
B) Increased heart rate
C) Decreased BP
D) Constricted bronchioles - ANSWERS-B
Feedback:
The term adrenergic refers to the sympathetic nervous system. Sympathetic effects include an
increased
rate and force of the heartbeat. Cholinergic effects, which correspond to the parasympathetic
division of
the autonomic nervous system, include thin, watery saliva, decreased rate and force of
heartbeat, and
decreased BP.
5. A nurse is assessing reflexes in a patient with hyperactive reflexes. When the patients foot is
abruptly
dorsiflexed, it continues to beat two to three times before settling into a resting position. How
3
, would the
nurse document this finding?
A) Rigidity
B) Flaccidity
C) Clonus
D) Ataxia - ANSWERS-C
Feedback:
When reflexes are very hyperactive, a phenomenon called clonus may be elicited. If the foot is
abruptly
dorsiflexed, it may continue to beat two to three times before it settles into a position of rest.
Rigidity is
an increase in muscle tone at rest characterized by increased resistance to passive stretch.
Flaccidity is
lack of muscle tone. Ataxia is the inability to coordinate muscle movements, resulting in
difficulty
walking, talking, and performing self-care activities.
6. The nurse is doing an initial assessment on a patient newly admitted to the unit with a
diagnosis of
cerebrovascular accident (CVA). The patient has difficulty copying a figure that the nurse has
drawn and
is diagnosed with visual-receptive aphasia. What brain region is primarily involved in this
deficit?
A) Temporal lobe
B) Parietal-occipital area
C) Inferior posterior frontal areas
D) Posterior frontal area - ANSWERS-B
4
Brunner & Suddarth's
Textbook of Medical-
Surgical Nursing Chapter
65 - 70 with verified
answers and rationales
1. A patient is brought to the ER following a motor vehicle accident in which he sustained head
trauma. Preliminary assessment reveals a vision deficit in the patients left eye. The nurse should
associate this
abnormal finding with trauma to which of the following cerebral lobes?
A) Temporal
B) Occipital
C) Parietal
D) Frontal - ANSWERS-B
Feedback:
The posterior lobe of the cerebral hemisphere is responsible for visual interpretation. The
temporal lobe
contains the auditory receptive areas. The parietal lobe contains the primary sensory cortex,
and is
essential to an individuals awareness of the body in space, as well as orientation in space and
spatial
1
,relations. The frontal lobe functions in concentration, abstract thought, information storage or
memory, and motor function.
2. A patient scheduled for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has arrived at the radiology
department. The
nurse who prepares the patient for the MRI should prioritize which of the following actions?
A) Withholding stimulants 24 to 48 hours prior to exam
B) Removing all metal-containing objects
C) Instructing the patient to void prior to the MRI
D) Initiating an IV line for administration of contrast - ANSWERS-B
Feedback:
Patient preparation for an MRI consists of removing all metal-containing objects prior to the
examination. Withholding stimulants would not affect an MRI; this relates to an
electroencephalography
(EEG). Instructing the patient to void is patient preparation for a lumbar puncture. Initiating an
IV line
for administration of contrast would be done if the patient was having a CT scan with contrast.
3. A gerontologic nurse planning the neurologic assessment of an older adult is considering
normal, age related changes. Of what phenomenon should the nurse be aware?
A) Hyperactive deep tendon reflexes
B) Reduction in cerebral blood flow
C) Increased cerebral metabolism
D) Hypersensitivity to painful stimuli - ANSWERS-B
Feedback:
Reduction in cerebral blood flow (CBF) is a change that occurs in the normal aging process.
2
,Deep
tendon reflexes can be decreased or, in some cases, absent. Cerebral metabolism decreases as
the patient
advances in age. Reaction to painful stimuli may be decreased with age. Because pain is an
important
warning signal, caution must be used when hot or cold packs are used.
4. The nurse has admitted a new patient to the unit. One of the patients admitting orders is for
an
adrenergic medication. The nurse knows that this medication will have what effect on the
circulatory
system?
A) Thin, watery saliva
B) Increased heart rate
C) Decreased BP
D) Constricted bronchioles - ANSWERS-B
Feedback:
The term adrenergic refers to the sympathetic nervous system. Sympathetic effects include an
increased
rate and force of the heartbeat. Cholinergic effects, which correspond to the parasympathetic
division of
the autonomic nervous system, include thin, watery saliva, decreased rate and force of
heartbeat, and
decreased BP.
5. A nurse is assessing reflexes in a patient with hyperactive reflexes. When the patients foot is
abruptly
dorsiflexed, it continues to beat two to three times before settling into a resting position. How
3
, would the
nurse document this finding?
A) Rigidity
B) Flaccidity
C) Clonus
D) Ataxia - ANSWERS-C
Feedback:
When reflexes are very hyperactive, a phenomenon called clonus may be elicited. If the foot is
abruptly
dorsiflexed, it may continue to beat two to three times before it settles into a position of rest.
Rigidity is
an increase in muscle tone at rest characterized by increased resistance to passive stretch.
Flaccidity is
lack of muscle tone. Ataxia is the inability to coordinate muscle movements, resulting in
difficulty
walking, talking, and performing self-care activities.
6. The nurse is doing an initial assessment on a patient newly admitted to the unit with a
diagnosis of
cerebrovascular accident (CVA). The patient has difficulty copying a figure that the nurse has
drawn and
is diagnosed with visual-receptive aphasia. What brain region is primarily involved in this
deficit?
A) Temporal lobe
B) Parietal-occipital area
C) Inferior posterior frontal areas
D) Posterior frontal area - ANSWERS-B
4
