Neurodegeneration: frontotemporal dementia: practice question

A Pathology question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

Try it

Pathology · Neurodegeneration: frontotemporal dementia

Sample item

A 58-year-old man has had disinhibition, apathy and compulsive eating for 2 years with relative preservation of memory. MRI shows knife-edge atrophy of the frontal and anterior temporal lobes. Neuropathological examination would show which feature?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Round silver-staining tau-positive intraneuronal inclusions

Pick disease, a form of frontotemporal lobar degeneration, shows circumscribed lobar atrophy with Pick bodies (round, tau-positive, argyrophilic inclusions) and ballooned Pick cells. Behaviour and language are impaired early, memory late.

Option by option

  • A. Spongiform change with prion protein

    Spongiform change characterises Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with rapid course and myoclonus.

  • B. Lewy bodies composed of alpha-synuclein

    Lewy bodies characterise Parkinson disease and Lewy body dementia with visual hallucinations.

  • C. Round silver-staining tau-positive intraneuronal inclusions (correct)

    Pick bodies are tau-positive round inclusions in frontotemporal degeneration.

  • D. Neuritic plaques with amyloid beta

    Amyloid plaques with tangles characterise Alzheimer disease with early memory loss.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More Pathology questions

Questions about this Pathology question

What is the answer to this Pathology question?

The best answer is C, Round silver-staining tau-positive intraneuronal inclusions. Pick disease, a form of frontotemporal lobar degeneration, shows circumscribed lobar atrophy with Pick bodies (round, tau-positive, argyrophilic inclusions) and ballooned Pick cells.

Why is "Spongiform change with prion protein" not the answer?

Spongiform change characterises Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with rapid course and myoclonus.

Why is "Lewy bodies composed of alpha-synuclein" not the answer?

Lewy bodies characterise Parkinson disease and Lewy body dementia with visual hallucinations.

Why is "Neuritic plaques with amyloid beta" not the answer?

Amyloid plaques with tangles characterise Alzheimer disease with early memory loss.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Neurodegeneration: frontotemporal dementia in Pathology. Behaviour and language are impaired early, memory late.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Neurodegeneration: frontotemporal dementia?

Learn each disease as a bundle: cause, key histology, markers, and the clinical hallmark. Then use the flashcards and the other Pathology questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.