CLINICAL NEUROANATOMY
MADE RIDICULOUSLY SIMPLE
6TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)STEPHEN
GOLDBERG, M.D.
TEST BANK
) Reference
Ch. 1 — CNS vs PNS: lesion classification
Stem
A patient develops numbness and weakness after a traumatic
injury to a spinal nerve in the lumbar region. Imaging shows no
damage to the spinal cord itself. The deficit follows the
distribution of a single mixed nerve.
Which structure is most likely injured?
,Options
A. A cerebral cortex neuron
B. A peripheral nerve
C. The posterior horn of the spinal cord
D. The thalamus
Correct Answer
B. A peripheral nerve
Rationales
Correct: A spinal nerve is part of the peripheral nervous system
and contains both sensory and motor fibers. A single mixed
nerve injury produces deficits confined to that nerve’s
distribution.
A: Cortical lesions usually produce broader contralateral
deficits, not a single mixed-nerve pattern.
C: Posterior horn lesions primarily affect sensory processing
within the cord, not a named mixed peripheral nerve.
D: Thalamic lesions cause central sensory deficits, not an
isolated peripheral nerve distribution.
Teaching Point
Single-nerve deficits localize to the PNS, not the CNS.
Citation
Goldberg, S. (2022). Clinical Neuroanatomy Made Ridiculously
Simple (6th ed.). Ch. 1.
2) Reference
,Ch. 1 — Gray matter vs white matter
Stem
A lesion in a patient’s spinal cord disrupts myelinated ascending
and descending pathways but spares most neuronal cell bodies.
The neurologic deficits are due mainly to impaired conduction
through long tracts.
Which region is primarily affected?
Options
A. Gray matter
B. White matter
C. Dorsal root ganglion
D. Peripheral nerve terminal
Correct Answer
B. White matter
Rationales
Correct: White matter contains myelinated axons that form
ascending and descending tracts. Damage here disrupts
communication over distance, which is exactly what long-tract
signs reflect.
A: Gray matter contains neuronal cell bodies, synapses, and
local circuits rather than the major long tracts.
C: Dorsal root ganglia contain sensory cell bodies outside the
CNS, not tract bundles.
D: Peripheral terminals are not the major site of long-tract
conduction in the spinal cord.
, Teaching Point
White matter carries tracts; gray matter processes signals
locally.
Citation
Goldberg, S. (2022). Clinical Neuroanatomy Made Ridiculously
Simple (6th ed.). Ch. 1.
3) Reference
Ch. 1 — Afferent vs efferent organization
Stem
A patient steps on a nail and immediately withdraws the foot.
The spinal circuitry that carries the pain signal into the cord is
distinct from the pathway that produces the motor response.
Which term best describes the sensory limb entering the spinal
cord?
Options
A. Efferent
B. Afferent
C. Somatic motor
D. Autonomic output
Correct Answer
B. Afferent
Rationales
Correct: Afferent fibers carry information toward the CNS,
MADE RIDICULOUSLY SIMPLE
6TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)STEPHEN
GOLDBERG, M.D.
TEST BANK
) Reference
Ch. 1 — CNS vs PNS: lesion classification
Stem
A patient develops numbness and weakness after a traumatic
injury to a spinal nerve in the lumbar region. Imaging shows no
damage to the spinal cord itself. The deficit follows the
distribution of a single mixed nerve.
Which structure is most likely injured?
,Options
A. A cerebral cortex neuron
B. A peripheral nerve
C. The posterior horn of the spinal cord
D. The thalamus
Correct Answer
B. A peripheral nerve
Rationales
Correct: A spinal nerve is part of the peripheral nervous system
and contains both sensory and motor fibers. A single mixed
nerve injury produces deficits confined to that nerve’s
distribution.
A: Cortical lesions usually produce broader contralateral
deficits, not a single mixed-nerve pattern.
C: Posterior horn lesions primarily affect sensory processing
within the cord, not a named mixed peripheral nerve.
D: Thalamic lesions cause central sensory deficits, not an
isolated peripheral nerve distribution.
Teaching Point
Single-nerve deficits localize to the PNS, not the CNS.
Citation
Goldberg, S. (2022). Clinical Neuroanatomy Made Ridiculously
Simple (6th ed.). Ch. 1.
2) Reference
,Ch. 1 — Gray matter vs white matter
Stem
A lesion in a patient’s spinal cord disrupts myelinated ascending
and descending pathways but spares most neuronal cell bodies.
The neurologic deficits are due mainly to impaired conduction
through long tracts.
Which region is primarily affected?
Options
A. Gray matter
B. White matter
C. Dorsal root ganglion
D. Peripheral nerve terminal
Correct Answer
B. White matter
Rationales
Correct: White matter contains myelinated axons that form
ascending and descending tracts. Damage here disrupts
communication over distance, which is exactly what long-tract
signs reflect.
A: Gray matter contains neuronal cell bodies, synapses, and
local circuits rather than the major long tracts.
C: Dorsal root ganglia contain sensory cell bodies outside the
CNS, not tract bundles.
D: Peripheral terminals are not the major site of long-tract
conduction in the spinal cord.
, Teaching Point
White matter carries tracts; gray matter processes signals
locally.
Citation
Goldberg, S. (2022). Clinical Neuroanatomy Made Ridiculously
Simple (6th ed.). Ch. 1.
3) Reference
Ch. 1 — Afferent vs efferent organization
Stem
A patient steps on a nail and immediately withdraws the foot.
The spinal circuitry that carries the pain signal into the cord is
distinct from the pathway that produces the motor response.
Which term best describes the sensory limb entering the spinal
cord?
Options
A. Efferent
B. Afferent
C. Somatic motor
D. Autonomic output
Correct Answer
B. Afferent
Rationales
Correct: Afferent fibers carry information toward the CNS,
