Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) Practice Exam

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Prepare for the PLAB Test with interactive quizzes and comprehensive study materials. Use flashcards and multiple choice questions, each with hints and detailed explanations. Start studying today!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

What symptom is typically associated with a true seizure rather than a pseudoseizure?

Postictal confusion
Prolonged duration
History of head trauma
Absence of tongue biting

The correct answer is: Postictal confusion

Postictal confusion is a symptom that is typically associated with a true seizure. After a generalized tonic-clonic seizure, for example, it is common for individuals to experience confusion, disorientation, and a lack of awareness of their surroundings, which can last from a few minutes to several hours. This phenomenon occurs because the brain requires time to recover from the excessive electrical activity that characterizes a seizure. In contrast, pseudoseizures, or psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, often do not lead to postictal confusion. Individuals may retain full awareness of their surroundings and can quickly return to a baseline state following a pseudoseizure episode. Understanding these differences is crucial for accurate diagnosis and treatment. It helps healthcare professionals differentiate between epileptic seizures and non-epileptic events, guiding appropriate management strategies.