Question

A patient presents with slowly progressive muscle weakness, fasciculations of arm muscles and tongue, and difficulty swallowing and becomes wheelchair-bound. The diagnosis is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Postmortem studies of this patient's central nervous system would reveal:

A. Nigrostriatal depigmentation and atrophy
B. Frontal and temporal lobe atrophy
C. Anterior horn cell degeneration
D. Corpus callosum thinning and atrophy
E. Dorsal column volume loss

Answer 1

Postmortem studies of a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) would reveal degeneration of anterior horn cells, which results in a progressive decline in voluntary muscle control, leading to muscle weakness, loss of coordination, and paralysis.

Step-by-step explanation:

A patient presenting with symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), including muscle weakness, fasciculations, and difficulty swallowing, will exhibit certain pathologies upon postmortem examination of the central nervous system. One of the primary findings would be the degeneration of anterior horn cells, which are the lower motor neurons (LMNs) of the spinal cord responsible for the initiation of voluntary muscle control. The correct answer to the question is C. Anterior horn cell degeneration. ALS causes a decline in voluntary muscle control over time due to the degeneration of these motor neurons. As the disease progresses, the lateral portion of the spine, which controls muscle movement, hardens; signals to the muscles are disrupted, leading to muscle weakening, loss of coordination, and eventually paralysis.