What are the typical signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease?

• A. Dementia, behavioral changes, emotional upset, and possible posture and motor changes due to neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques in the brain.
• B. Tremors, rigidity, and a stooped, shuffling posture due to dopamine depletion.
• C. Paresthesias, weakness of certain muscles, vertigo, incoordination, and double vision from demyelination.
• D. Prodrome with aura followed by unilateral headache and photophobia.

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is how Alzheimer’s disease typically presents clinically. Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by dementia—meaning widespread and worsening problems with memory, thinking, and everyday function—along with changes in behavior and mood. As the disease advances, people may develop emotional upset and eventually motor or postural changes due to brain pathology, including neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques that build up in the brain and cause neuronal loss. This combination of cognitive decline plus behavioral/emotional symptoms—and the potential late appearance of movement problems—best matches the typical course of Alzheimer's disease.

The other options describe patterns that fit different conditions: tremors and rigidity with shuffling posture point to Parkinson disease; sensory disturbances with weakness and coordination problems suggest a demyelinating process like multiple sclerosis; an aura followed by unilateral headache and photophobia fits migraine with aura.