A 23-Year-Old Man Comes to the Emergency Department Due to a Sensation

question 13

Multiple Choice

A 23-year-old man comes to the emergency department due to a sensation of food being stuck in his throat.  His symptoms started 2 hours ago after eating fish at a local seafood restaurant.  He has tried swallowing multiple times to clear the food with no relief.  The patient has no difficulty with breathing.  He does not appear to be in significant distress on physical examination.  Laryngoscopy reveals a fish bone lodged in the left piriform recess.  During retrieval of the fish bone, a nerve is injured deep to the mucosa overlying the recess.  Which of the following is most likely to be impaired in this patient?

• A)Cough reflex
• B)Gag reflex
• C)Mastication
• D)Salivation
• E)Taste sensation

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Definitions:

Eye-Hand Coordination

The synchronized control of eye movement with hand movement, enabling tasks such as catching or hitting.

Vision Restored

The recovery of eyesight, either partially or fully, following a period of impairment or blindness.

Neural Feature Detectors

Neurons in the brain that respond selectively to specific features of stimuli, such as edges, angles, or movements.

Unpatterned Light

Light that lacks a discernible structure or order, often used in studies to examine visual processing and perception.