Timed, please hurry. Enlarged brain ventricles are presumed to signify: A. An excess of dopamine activity. B. Frontal lobe abnormalities. C. Development of brain tissue. D. A deterioration of brain tissue.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answer: D. A deterioration of brain tissue
Explanation:
Enlarged brain ventricles are typically associated with a loss or deterioration of brain tissue, not its growth. The ventricles are fluid-filled spaces in the brain that contain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Under normal conditions, they help cushion the brain, remove waste, and transport nutrients. However, when brain tissue shrinks or deteriorates, these ventricles may appear enlarged because the surrounding brain matter is reduced.
This condition can be observed in certain neurological and psychiatric disorders. For example, studies on individuals with schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease have shown a link between enlarged ventricles and brain atrophy. In these cases, the brain loses gray and white matter, which leads to more space being filled by the fluid in the ventricles.
The other options are not supported by clinical or imaging evidence in relation to ventricular enlargement:
- Option A refers to dopamine activity, which is more associated with chemical imbalances in conditions like Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia, but not directly with ventricular size.
- Option B suggests frontal lobe abnormalities. While such abnormalities can occur in many conditions that also show ventricular enlargement, the enlarged ventricles themselves do not signify a frontal lobe abnormality directly.
- Option C, development of brain tissue, is the opposite of what enlarged ventricles imply. If brain tissue were developing or growing, the ventricles would likely decrease in size due to less space.
In conclusion, when clinicians or researchers observe enlarged ventricles in a brain scan, they often interpret this as a sign of brain tissue loss. This is why Option D, deterioration of brain tissue, is the correct answer.
