A 70-Year-Old Man Is Brought to the Emergency Department Due

question 9

Multiple Choice

A 70-year-old man is brought to the emergency department due to sudden-onset weakness in his right arm and leg.  Although he can speak, he cannot pronounce words clearly.  Blood pressure is 170/96 mm Hg and pulse is 80/min.  The patient is alert and oriented.  Neurologic examination shows 3/5 strength in both right upper and lower extremities.  When the patient is asked to stick out his tongue, it deviates to the left.  Sensory examination shows no abnormalities.  Which of the following is the most likely location of this patient's brain injury?

• A)Left lateral medulla
• B)Left medial medulla
• C)Left precentral gyrus
• D)Right lateral medulla
• E)Right medial medulla
• F)Right precentral gyrus

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Definitions:

Axons

Long, threadlike parts of a nerve cell along which impulses are conducted from the cell body to other cells.

Dendrites

The branched projections from the neuron's cell body that receive neural impulses from other neurons and transmit them towards the cell body.

Sulci

Grooves or furrows on the surface of the brain.

Brain Matter

Tissue making up the brain, categorized into gray matter (neuron cell bodies and dendrites) and white matter (myelinated axon tracts).