Which of the following illnesses is sometimes accompanied by progressive deterioration in cognitive function?
A) Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS-Lou Gehrig disease)
B) Herpes simplex infection
C) Varicella-zoster virus reactivation
D) Parkinson's disease

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The best answer is Parkinson's disease. Even though many patients with Parkinson's disease have no decline in intellectual and social functioning, many suffer dementia, in addition to the disease's other prominent symptoms (masked facies, pill-rolling tremor, difficulty initiating movement, and a slow, shuffling gait). Herpes simplex infection is the cause of a rash that appears intermittently on the skin. Although the virus lives in nerve cells, where it remains dormant between outbreaks, it is not associated with chronic neurologic disease. Varicella-zoster virus (the cause of chickenpox and of shingles) also lives in a dormant state in sensory ganglia-but it has no known effect on cognition.

Which of the Following Illnesses Is Sometimes Accompanied by Progressive