Which pathophysiological process best describes Alzheimer's disease?
Abnormal tau proteins that damage the frontal lobe.
Blood vessels become damaged in the brain and interrupt blood flow.
Repeated traumatic brain injuries causing encephalopathy.
Amyloid plaques and tau tangles that damage the hippocampus.
The Correct Answer is D
Choice A reason: Abnormal tau proteins contribute to Alzheimer’s, forming neurofibrillary tangles, but damage is not limited to the frontal lobe. The hippocampus and other regions are primarily affected, leading to memory loss. This choice is too specific and incomplete, making it incorrect.
Choice B reason: Damaged blood vessels interrupting brain blood flow describe vascular dementia, not Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s involves neuronal degeneration from protein accumulation, not primarily vascular pathology, although vascular factors may contribute, making this choice incorrect for Alzheimer’s pathophysiology.
Choice C reason: Repeated traumatic brain injuries cause chronic traumatic encephalopathy, not Alzheimer’s. While trauma may increase Alzheimer’s risk, the primary pathology involves amyloid and tau proteins, not trauma-induced encephalopathy, making this choice incorrect for the disease’s core pathophysiology.
Choice D reason: Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by amyloid-beta plaques and tau protein tangles, which disrupt neuronal function, particularly in the hippocampus, leading to memory impairment. These protein aggregates cause synaptic loss and neurodegeneration, accurately describing the disease’s pathophysiology, making this the correct choice.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is ["A","B","C","F"]
Explanation
Choice A reason: Spinal cord injury causes immobility, leading to joint contractures as muscles shorten without movement. Lack of joint motion causes fibrosis, reducing flexibility, making this a correct complication of spinal cord injury.
Choice B reason: Blood clots (deep vein thrombosis) occur in spinal cord injury due to immobility, causing venous stasis. This promotes clot formation, increasing embolism risk, making this a correct complication of spinal cord injury.
Choice C reason: Autonomic dysreflexia is a life-threatening complication in spinal cord injury, particularly above T6, due to unopposed sympathetic responses to stimuli, causing hypertension, making this a correct complication.
Choice D reason: Polyuria is not typical; spinal cord injury often causes urinary retention due to impaired bladder innervation. Neurogenic bladder leads to incomplete emptying, not excessive urine, making this incorrect.
Choice E reason: Osteoarthritis is not directly caused by spinal cord injury. It results from joint wear, not neurological impairment. Immobility may cause other joint issues, but not osteoarthritis, making this incorrect.
Choice F reason: Constipation is common in spinal cord injury due to impaired autonomic control of bowel motility. Reduced peristalsis and immobility slow transit, making this a correct complication of spinal cord injury.
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A reason: Decreased hydrostatic pressure reduces fluid movement out of capillaries, favoring fluid return to the intravascular space. Low plasma proteins affect oncotic, not hydrostatic, pressure, causing fluid to leak into tissues, not return to vessels, making this incorrect.
Choice B reason: Increased hydrostatic pressure, as in heart failure, pushes fluid into the interstitial space. Low plasma proteins reduce oncotic pressure, not hydrostatic, leading to edema via a different mechanism, making this choice incorrect for the described scenario.
Choice C reason: Low plasma proteins, like albumin, decrease oncotic (osmotic) pressure, reducing the force pulling fluid into capillaries. This causes fluid to move from the intravascular to the interstitial space, leading to edema, making this the correct choice.
Choice D reason: Increased osmotic pressure would pull fluid into the intravascular space, as with high plasma protein levels. Low plasma proteins decrease oncotic pressure, causing fluid to leak into tissues, not return to vessels, making this choice incorrect.
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