ASPPB Neuropsychology 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A right-handed patient presents with fluent speech, impaired comprehension, and poor repetition. This profile is most consistent with:
- Broca's aphasia
- Transcortical sensory aphasia
- Wernicke's aphasia (Correct answer)
- Conduction aphasia
Correct answer: Wernicke's aphasia
Wernicke's aphasia features fluent but paraphasic speech, severely impaired auditory comprehension, and poor repetition due to left superior temporal gyrus damage.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes ecological validity in neuropsychological assessment?
- Using norms based on the patient's demographic group
- The degree to which test performance predicts real-world functional outcomes (Correct answer)
- Controlling for practice effects across testing sessions
- Ensuring that tests are culturally unbiased
Correct answer: The degree to which test performance predicts real-world functional outcomes
Ecological validity refers to how well neuropsychological test results predict everyday functioning in natural settings.
Question 3: The Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery includes which of the following tests?
- Category Test and Tactual Performance Test (Correct answer)
- CVLT and BVMT-R
- MoCA and MMSE
- WAIS-IV and WMS-IV
Correct answer: Category Test and Tactual Performance Test
The HRNB includes the Category Test, Tactual Performance Test, Seashore Rhythm Test, Speech-Sounds Perception Test, and Finger Oscillation Test.
Question 4: In the context of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), post-concussion symptoms typically resolve within:
- 1-2 days
- 7-10 days in most cases, up to 3 months (Correct answer)
- 6-12 months
- 2-3 years
Correct answer: 7-10 days in most cases, up to 3 months
Most individuals with mTBI recover within days to weeks, though a subset experiences persistent post-concussion syndrome lasting up to 3 months.
Question 5: Which of the following is a key feature that distinguishes frontotemporal dementia (FTD) from Alzheimer's disease?
- Early memory impairment
- Early personality changes and disinhibition (Correct answer)
- Visuospatial deficits
- Acetylcholinesterase deficiency
Correct answer: Early personality changes and disinhibition
FTD typically presents with early behavioral changes, personality alterations, and disinhibition rather than the memory-first presentation of Alzheimer's disease.
Question 6: The concept of 'diaschisis' in neuropsychology refers to:
- Gradual shrinkage of neurons after injury
- Remote functional depression in brain regions connected to a lesion site (Correct answer)
- Compensatory hypertrophy of intact brain regions
- Neurogenesis following cortical damage
Correct answer: Remote functional depression in brain regions connected to a lesion site
Diaschisis describes a reduction in activity in brain regions distant from but connected to the primary lesion, due to loss of afferent input.
Question 7: Which performance validity test (PVT) uses a forced-choice paradigm where even chance performance (50%) suggests poor effort?
- Digit Span
- Rey 15-Item Test
- Word Memory Test (WMT) (Correct answer)
- Reliable Digit Span
Correct answer: Word Memory Test (WMT)
The WMT uses a two-alternative forced-choice format; scores below chance on immediate recognition indicate active suppression of correct responses.
ASPPB Neuropsychology 4
A right-handed patient presents with fluent speech, impaired comprehension, and poor repetition.
This profile is most consistent with: