Organic mental disorders: procedural memory: practice question

A Psychiatry 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

Psychiatry · Organic mental disorders: procedural memory

Sample item

After bilateral medial temporal lobe resection, a patient cannot remember any event since surgery, yet over several days his speed on a mirror-drawing task steadily improves, although he denies ever having done it. Which memory function is preserved?

ALearning new factsBProcedural memoryCEpisodic memory for new eventsDRecall of conversations from the day before

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

The answer and the reasoning

B. Procedural memory

Medial temporal and hippocampal lesions impair the formation of new declarative (episodic and semantic) memories while procedural skill learning, which depends on the basal ganglia and cerebellum, is spared. This was shown in the classic patient H.M.

Option by option

A. Learning new facts
New factual learning is a declarative function and is lost.
B. Procedural memory (correct)
Correct. Skills improve through procedural memory even without conscious recall.
C. Episodic memory for new events
Forming new episodic memories requires the hippocampus and is lost.
D. Recall of conversations from the day before
Recall of recent conversations is episodic and is lost.

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.

Questions about this Psychiatry question

What is the answer to this Psychiatry question?

The best answer is B, Procedural memory. Medial temporal and hippocampal lesions impair the formation of new declarative (episodic and semantic) memories while procedural skill learning, which depends on the basal ganglia and cerebellum, is spared.

Why is "Learning new facts" not the answer?

New factual learning is a declarative function and is lost.

Why is "Episodic memory for new events" not the answer?

Forming new episodic memories requires the hippocampus and is lost.

Why is "Recall of conversations from the day before" not the answer?

Recall of recent conversations is episodic and is lost.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Organic mental disorders: procedural memory in Psychiatry. This was shown in the classic patient H.M.

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 Organic mental disorders: procedural memory?

Learn each diagnosis by its core features and its first-line treatment. Then use the flashcards and the other Psychiatry 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.