ARRT Practice Questions for Patient Care Related

Review ARRT Practice Questions for Patient Care related questions and content

An adult patient who experiences the loss of his/her gag reflex following a closed-head and suspected spinal injury may have suffered an injury to which of the following cranial nerves?

  • A. Cranial nerve X (vagus)
  • B. Cranial nerve III (oculomotor)
  • C. Cranial nerve XII (hypoglossal)
  • D. Cranial nerve IX (glossopharyngeal)
Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: Cranial nerve X (vagus). The vagus nerve is responsible for the gag reflex. A loss of gag reflex in a patient with a closed-head and spinal injury indicates damage to the vagus nerve. The other choices are incorrect because: B (oculomotor) is responsible for eye movement, C (hypoglossal) is responsible for tongue movement, and D (glossopharyngeal) is responsible for swallowing and taste sensation. None of these cranial nerves are directly related to the gag reflex.