WBR0155
| Author | [[PageAuthor::Rim Halaby, M.D. [1]]] |
|---|---|
| Exam Type | ExamType::USMLE Step 1 |
| Main Category | MainCategory::Pathology |
| Sub Category | SubCategory::Neurology |
| Prompt | [[Prompt::A 37-year-old man with Down syndrome is brought to the family's physician for cognitive decline. The family reports that the patient’s memory has been deteriorating for the last year. He cannot recall the names of his brothers and sisters and often has difficulty finding words. He is unable to find his way back home and gets lost when a member of his family does not assist him. The presence of which of the following neuropathologic changes is most likely in this patient?]] |
| Answer A | AnswerA::Neurofibrillary tangles |
| Answer A Explanation | AnswerAExp::Neurofibrillary tangles are pathological protein aggregates found within neurons in cases of Alzheimer's disease. Patient’s with Down syndrome have a high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease at an early age. |
| Answer B | AnswerB::Pick bodies |
| Answer B Explanation | [[AnswerBExp::Pick bodies are silver-staining, spherical aggregations of tau protein in neurons associated with Pick's disease, a subtype of frontotemporal lobar degeneration. The symptoms of Pick’s disease include memory deterioration in addition to mood and personality changes.]] |
| Answer C | AnswerC::Negri bodies |
| Answer C Explanation | [[AnswerCExp::Negri bodies are eosinophilic, sharply outlined, pathognomonic inclusion bodies (2–10 µm in diameter) found in the cytoplasm of certain nerve cells containing the virus of rabies. Rabies cause acute encephalitis, and it is generally preceded by an animal bite.]] |
| Answer D | AnswerD::Lewy bodies |
| Answer D Explanation | [[AnswerDExp::Lewy bodies are abnormal aggregates of protein that develop inside nerve cells. The main disease associated with the presence of Lewy bodies is Parkinson's disease. Lewy bodies are also present in neurons in dementia with Lewy bodies and the Lewy body variant of Alzheimer's disease.]] |
| Answer E | AnswerE::Spongioform changes |
| Answer E Explanation | [[AnswerEExp::Spongiform change in the gray matter is the pathologic hallmark of Creutzfold Jacob disease. It is characterized by the presence of many round vacuoles from one to 50 µm, in all six cortical layers in the cerebral cortex or with diffuse involvement of the cerebellar molecular layer. These vacuoles appear glassy or eosinophilic and may coalesce. Neuronal loss and gliosis are also seen in CJD.]] |
| Right Answer | RightAnswer::A |
| Explanation | [[Explanation::Patient’s with Down syndrome have a high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease at an early age, and this patient's symptoms are highly consistent with the disease. Neurofibrillary tangles are pathological protein aggregates found within neurons in cases of Alzheimer's disease. Tangles are formed by hyperphosphorylation of a microtubule-associated protein called tau, causing it to aggregate in an insoluble form. Educational Objective: Neurofibrillary tangles are pathological protein aggregates found within neurons in cases of Alzheimer's disease. |
| Approved | Approved::Yes |
| Keyword | WBRKeyword::Down syndrome, WBRKeyword::Mental retardation, WBRKeyword::Retardation, WBRKeyword::Intellectual disability, WBRKeyword::Neurodegeneration, WBRKeyword::Alzheimer's disease, WBRKeyword::Alzheimer, WBRKeyword::Dementia, WBRKeyword::Alzheimer disease, WBRKeyword::Cognitive, WBRKeyword::Cognitive decline, WBRKeyword::Neuropathology, WBRKeyword::Brain, WBRKeyword::Neurofibrillary tangles, WBRKeyword::Chromosome |
| Linked Question | Linked:: |
| Order in Linked Questions | LinkedOrder:: |