Certified Hospice and Palliative Assistant (CHPNA) Practice Test

Extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) are commonly associated with which condition?

1. Parkinson's disease

2. Alzheimer's disease

3. Multiple sclerosis

4. Huntington's disease

The correct answer is: Parkinson's disease

Extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) are a group of movement disorders that can occur as a result of certain neurological conditions or as side effects of medications, particularly antipsychotics. Parkinson's disease is primarily associated with EPS due to the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the basal ganglia, a key area of the brain responsible for regulating movement. In Parkinson's disease, the lack of dopamine leads to symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia (slowness of movement), and postural instability. These motor symptoms resemble EPS and highlight the condition's connection to extrapyramidal pathways. While Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and Huntington's disease can present with a range of motor and cognitive symptoms, they are not primarily characterized by EPS. Alzheimer's disease focuses more on cognitive decline, multiple sclerosis involves a range of neurological symptoms due to demyelination, and although Huntington's disease has some motor aspects, such as chorea, its pattern of movement disturbance is distinct from typical EPS. Thus, the presence of EPS is most closely linked with Parkinson's disease, making it the best answer to the question.