CNS CNS Neurorehabilitation and Recovery 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which principle of neuroplasticity most directly supports the use of repetitive task-specific training in stroke rehabilitation?
- Use it or lose it
- Use it and improve it
- Specificity (Correct answer)
- Transference
Correct answer: Specificity
The specificity principle states that training effects are most pronounced in the exact skills and tasks practiced during rehabilitation.
Question 2: A CNS specialist is evaluating a patient 3 months post-traumatic brain injury who has difficulty initiating movement despite intact motor strength. Which deficit is most likely?
- Apraxia
- Akinesia (Correct answer)
- Ataxia
- Astereognosis
Correct answer: Akinesia
Akinesia refers to the impairment of the ability to initiate voluntary movement and is common following TBI or basal ganglia injury.
Question 3: Which outcome measure is most appropriate for assessing functional independence across multiple activities of daily living in a neurological rehabilitation setting?
- Berg Balance Scale
- Functional Independence Measure (FIM) (Correct answer)
- Mini-Mental State Examination
- Barthel Index only
Correct answer: Functional Independence Measure (FIM)
The FIM assesses 18 items covering motor and cognitive domains of functional independence and is widely used in inpatient neurorehabilitation.
Question 4: Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) is most effective for which patient population?
- Patients with complete spinal cord injury
- Chronic stroke patients with mild-to-moderate upper extremity paresis (Correct answer)
- Patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome in the acute phase
- Patients with cerebellar ataxia
Correct answer: Chronic stroke patients with mild-to-moderate upper extremity paresis
CIMT forces use of the affected limb by restraining the unaffected limb, and evidence supports its use in stroke survivors with residual upper extremity motor function.
Question 5: A patient with multiple sclerosis reports fatigue that worsens throughout the day and interferes with rehabilitation. Which energy conservation strategy is BEST to recommend?
- Eliminate all physical activity
- Schedule demanding tasks in the early morning when energy is highest (Correct answer)
- Increase exercise intensity to build endurance
- Recommend napping after every therapy session
Correct answer: Schedule demanding tasks in the early morning when energy is highest
In MS-related fatigue, scheduling high-demand tasks during peak energy periods (typically morning) is a core energy conservation strategy.
Question 6: Which cognitive rehabilitation approach focuses on teaching patients compensatory strategies rather than restoring impaired functions?
- Restorative approach
- Compensatory approach (Correct answer)
- Neurostimulation approach
- Pharmacological approach
Correct answer: Compensatory approach
The compensatory approach teaches patients to use intact abilities or external aids to work around cognitive deficits rather than targeting the deficit directly.
CNS CNS Neurorehabilitation and Recovery 1
Which principle of neuroplasticity most directly supports the use of repetitive task-specific training in stroke rehabilitation?