ABRET EXAM PREP QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
What is the name of the artifact that appears as a prominent R wave w/ positivity over
the left post quad of the head and can resemble spikes?
a) lateral eye movement artifact
b) respiration artifact
c) ECG artifact
d) chewing artifact - Answer- c
Sweat artifact
a) eliminated w/ 15Hz HFF
b) slow deflection
c) spike
d) associated w/ EKG - Answer- b
Sweat artifact is severely obscuring the EEG. What is the FIRST step you take?
a) cool the pt down
b) turn the sensitivity down
c) turn the LFF to 5Hz
d) place a rolled up towel under the head - Answer- a
What is the value of recording a pt's max awake state?
a) evaluate background amp
b) ID background freq
c) distinguish slowing from drowsiness
d) evaluate reactivity of the background - Answer- c
Which of the following represents an abnormal EEG pattern?
a) well-formed posterior dom rhythm of 17Hz
b) alpha squeak
c) alpha volt amp of 20uV in O1 and 28uV in O2
d) alpha freq of 9Hz in O1 and 11.5Hz in O2 - Answer- d
ADA
a) arrythmic delta activity
b) abnormal delta amp
c) abnormal delta activity
d) - Answer- a
Which of the following should not be seen in the moral awake adult?
,a) no alpha background
b) delta
c) wicket spikes
d) 14Hz - Answer- b
When the post background doesn't attenuate w/ eye opening it is referred to as -
Answer- Bancaud phenomenon
EEG w/ very tense and anxious pt shows
a) usually widespread alpha
b) widespread low volt
activity
c) unusually high alp alpha
d) burst of rhythmic slow over posterior regions - Answer- b
By which of the following ages should EEG differentiation of the four stages of non-REM
sleep be ID-able in a child both at term?
a) 2 years
b) 6 months
c) 1 week
d) 1 month - Answer- b
Which of the following is the most likely dom posterior rhythm in an awake 5 m/o infant?
a) 3Hz
b) 8Hz
c) 7Hz
d) 5Hz - Answer- d
By 1 year of age the dom background rhythm should be
a) 3-4Hz
b) 7-8Hz
c) 5-6Hz
d) 1-2Hz - Answer- c
Which encepalopathic EEG pattern is most commonly associated w/ children?
a) FIRDA
b) OIRDA
c) GIRDA
d) TIRDA - Answer- b
If an 8 y/o child develops high volt bilateral delta activity max in the posterior regions
during HV, it most likely indicates
a) increased intracranial pressure
b) norml HV response
c) gen sz disorder
d) metabolic encephalopathy - Answer- b
,A posterior dom rhythm reactive to eye cosure first appears around
a) 3-6mon
b)0-3mon
c) 6-12mon
d) 12-18mon - Answer- a
Sleep spindles should be synchronous by
a) 5 years
b) 2 years
c) 6 months
d) 2 months - Answer- b
Infantile spasms
a) electrodecremental
b) focal sharp waves
c) slow spike and wave
d) FIRDA - Answer- a
Compared to recordings from adult patients, pediatric EEG recordings have amplitudes
that are
a) less variable
b) higher
c) lower
d) similar - Answer- b
High volt theta or delta waves, commonly seen in children 8-14 years, accentuated by
HV
a) hypnagogic hypersynchrony
b) occipital slow transcients
c) posterior slow waves of youth
d) POSTS - Answer- c
Asynchrony of sleep spindles is abnormal after:
A. 5 yr
B. 4 mo
C. 2 yr
D. this is never an abnormal finding - Answer- c
Compared to recordings from adult pts, vertex waves in pediatric EEG recordings are
generally
a) present in stage 3 sleep
b) sharper
c) less frequent
d) lower amp - Answer- b
, The interictal EEG of children with a history of untreated febrile seizures usually is
a) normal
b) diffusely paroxysmal
c) excessively fast
d) asynchronous and slow - Answer- a
This neonate pattern is associated with interburst intervals that are less than 25 uV in
amplitude and are expected up to 34 weeks postmenstrual age
a) trace discontinu
b) trace alternant
c) encoches frontales
d) delta brush - Answer- a
At what age do encoches frontales first appear
A. 29-31 weeks CA
B. 24-27 weeks CA
C. 4 months
D. 34-37 weeks GA - Answer- d
If the EEG of a full term newborn w/ asphyxia shows nonreactivity and periods of severe
attenuation w/ bursts of mixed activity every 10-20sec, which of the following is MOST
likely indicated?
a) normal quiet sleep pattern for that age
b) severe cortical injury due to hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
c) medication effects due to therapeutic loading w/ phenobarbital
d) transient effects which will probably normalize in 2 weeks - Answer- b
In a normal 28week pre-term infant, the EEG should show what type of pattern?
a) hypnagogic hypersynchrony
b) vertex waves and sleep spindles
c) trace discontinu
d) hypsarrhythmia - Answer- c
Which of the following is most likely to be the finding in a full term neonate w/ sz?
a) trace discontinu
b) generalized spike and sharp waves
c) asymmetrical beta
d) focal spike and sharp waves - Answer- d
In a 38 week CA infant, which of the following would be considered abnormal?
a) frontal sharp transients
b) trace alternant
c) delta brushes
d) left hemisphere volt suppression - Answer- d
AND ANSWERS
What is the name of the artifact that appears as a prominent R wave w/ positivity over
the left post quad of the head and can resemble spikes?
a) lateral eye movement artifact
b) respiration artifact
c) ECG artifact
d) chewing artifact - Answer- c
Sweat artifact
a) eliminated w/ 15Hz HFF
b) slow deflection
c) spike
d) associated w/ EKG - Answer- b
Sweat artifact is severely obscuring the EEG. What is the FIRST step you take?
a) cool the pt down
b) turn the sensitivity down
c) turn the LFF to 5Hz
d) place a rolled up towel under the head - Answer- a
What is the value of recording a pt's max awake state?
a) evaluate background amp
b) ID background freq
c) distinguish slowing from drowsiness
d) evaluate reactivity of the background - Answer- c
Which of the following represents an abnormal EEG pattern?
a) well-formed posterior dom rhythm of 17Hz
b) alpha squeak
c) alpha volt amp of 20uV in O1 and 28uV in O2
d) alpha freq of 9Hz in O1 and 11.5Hz in O2 - Answer- d
ADA
a) arrythmic delta activity
b) abnormal delta amp
c) abnormal delta activity
d) - Answer- a
Which of the following should not be seen in the moral awake adult?
,a) no alpha background
b) delta
c) wicket spikes
d) 14Hz - Answer- b
When the post background doesn't attenuate w/ eye opening it is referred to as -
Answer- Bancaud phenomenon
EEG w/ very tense and anxious pt shows
a) usually widespread alpha
b) widespread low volt
activity
c) unusually high alp alpha
d) burst of rhythmic slow over posterior regions - Answer- b
By which of the following ages should EEG differentiation of the four stages of non-REM
sleep be ID-able in a child both at term?
a) 2 years
b) 6 months
c) 1 week
d) 1 month - Answer- b
Which of the following is the most likely dom posterior rhythm in an awake 5 m/o infant?
a) 3Hz
b) 8Hz
c) 7Hz
d) 5Hz - Answer- d
By 1 year of age the dom background rhythm should be
a) 3-4Hz
b) 7-8Hz
c) 5-6Hz
d) 1-2Hz - Answer- c
Which encepalopathic EEG pattern is most commonly associated w/ children?
a) FIRDA
b) OIRDA
c) GIRDA
d) TIRDA - Answer- b
If an 8 y/o child develops high volt bilateral delta activity max in the posterior regions
during HV, it most likely indicates
a) increased intracranial pressure
b) norml HV response
c) gen sz disorder
d) metabolic encephalopathy - Answer- b
,A posterior dom rhythm reactive to eye cosure first appears around
a) 3-6mon
b)0-3mon
c) 6-12mon
d) 12-18mon - Answer- a
Sleep spindles should be synchronous by
a) 5 years
b) 2 years
c) 6 months
d) 2 months - Answer- b
Infantile spasms
a) electrodecremental
b) focal sharp waves
c) slow spike and wave
d) FIRDA - Answer- a
Compared to recordings from adult patients, pediatric EEG recordings have amplitudes
that are
a) less variable
b) higher
c) lower
d) similar - Answer- b
High volt theta or delta waves, commonly seen in children 8-14 years, accentuated by
HV
a) hypnagogic hypersynchrony
b) occipital slow transcients
c) posterior slow waves of youth
d) POSTS - Answer- c
Asynchrony of sleep spindles is abnormal after:
A. 5 yr
B. 4 mo
C. 2 yr
D. this is never an abnormal finding - Answer- c
Compared to recordings from adult pts, vertex waves in pediatric EEG recordings are
generally
a) present in stage 3 sleep
b) sharper
c) less frequent
d) lower amp - Answer- b
, The interictal EEG of children with a history of untreated febrile seizures usually is
a) normal
b) diffusely paroxysmal
c) excessively fast
d) asynchronous and slow - Answer- a
This neonate pattern is associated with interburst intervals that are less than 25 uV in
amplitude and are expected up to 34 weeks postmenstrual age
a) trace discontinu
b) trace alternant
c) encoches frontales
d) delta brush - Answer- a
At what age do encoches frontales first appear
A. 29-31 weeks CA
B. 24-27 weeks CA
C. 4 months
D. 34-37 weeks GA - Answer- d
If the EEG of a full term newborn w/ asphyxia shows nonreactivity and periods of severe
attenuation w/ bursts of mixed activity every 10-20sec, which of the following is MOST
likely indicated?
a) normal quiet sleep pattern for that age
b) severe cortical injury due to hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
c) medication effects due to therapeutic loading w/ phenobarbital
d) transient effects which will probably normalize in 2 weeks - Answer- b
In a normal 28week pre-term infant, the EEG should show what type of pattern?
a) hypnagogic hypersynchrony
b) vertex waves and sleep spindles
c) trace discontinu
d) hypsarrhythmia - Answer- c
Which of the following is most likely to be the finding in a full term neonate w/ sz?
a) trace discontinu
b) generalized spike and sharp waves
c) asymmetrical beta
d) focal spike and sharp waves - Answer- d
In a 38 week CA infant, which of the following would be considered abnormal?
a) frontal sharp transients
b) trace alternant
c) delta brushes
d) left hemisphere volt suppression - Answer- d
