APEA Neurology Practice Test

A progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement is best described by Parkinson's disease. It is a neurodegenerative condition characterized by the gradual loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra, which disrupts the nigrostriatal pathway and leads to motor symptoms such as resting tremor, rigidity, slowness of movement (bradykinesia), and postural instability. These features define a movement-dominant, progressively worsening picture. Delirium is an acute, fluctuating disturbance of consciousness and cognition, not a chronic neurodegenerative movement disorder. Alzheimer’s disease is primarily a dementia with early problems in memory and cognition, though it can progress to involve movement later; its hallmark is cognitive decline rather than the movement-centric presentation described here. Functional impairment is a broad term referring to decreased ability to perform tasks and does not name a specific progressive movement disorder.