Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse Practice Exam

Amnesia in a stroke patient is primarily linked to damage of which vessel?

1. Carotid artery

2. Anterior cerebral arteries

3. Vertebrobasilar artery

4. Middle cerebral artery

The correct answer is: Vertebrobasilar artery

Amnesia in stroke patients is often associated with damage to parts of the brain that are critical for memory processing. The vertebrobasilar artery supplies blood to the posterior part of the brain, including areas such as the medulla, pons, and cerebellum. It also supplies the occipital lobes and parts of the temporal lobes, which are crucial for memory functions. Damage in this vascular territory can lead to various neurological deficits, including issues with memory and amnesia, particularly if the hippocampus or related structures are affected. In contrast, while the carotid artery primarily supports structures in the anterior circulation (such as the frontal and parietal lobes), and the anterior cerebral arteries focus on the medial portions of those lobes, their involvement in memory processing is less significant than that associated with the vertebrobasilar territory. The middle cerebral artery supplies a large portion of the lateral aspect of the brain, which, although important, isn't as directly linked to amnesic syndromes as the regions supplied by the vertebrobasilar circulation.