Iran Specialty Board Neurology study guide
Iran Specialty Board Neurology · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Iran Specialty Board Examination in Neurology (بورد تخصصی نورولوژی) is the national certifying assessment that physicians in Iran sit after completing neurology residency, and passing it is what allows a neurologist to practice as a specialist and to be recognized for hospital appointments and academic posts. It is aimed at residents near the end of training and at repeat candidates, and it tests the whole breadth of clinical neurology rather than a single subspecialty: vascular disease, epilepsy, neuromuscular and demyelinating disorders, movement disorders, headache, neuro-oncology, infection, cognitive decline, neuro-ophthalmology, spinal cord problems and the basic and critical-care neuroscience that underlies them. The Iran Specialty Board Neurology study guide has 12 sections and about 2,480 words.
01Cerebrovascular disease and stroke
The exam tests rapid localization, reperfusion decisions, hemorrhagic stroke control, and secondary prevention. Treat stroke as a time-critical syndrome: ABCs, glucose, NIHSS, noncontrast CT, vascular imaging, and ECG.
230 words, about 1 min02Epilepsy and electroencephalography
The exam tests seizure classification, EEG pattern recognition, status epilepticus management, and antiseizure medication selection. Focal onset, generalized onset, and unknown onset are classified by semiology and EEG.
211 words, about 1 min03Neuromuscular disorders, peripheral neuropathy, and electromyography
The exam tests anatomic localization, nerve conduction study patterns, needle EMG interpretation, and emergency neuromuscular care. Distinguish demyelinating from axonal neuropathy: demyelination shows slowed conduction, prolonged distal latency, conduction block, or temporal dispersion; axonal loss shows reduced amplitudes.
216 words, about 1 min04Demyelinating and neuroimmunologic disorders
The exam tests MRI dissemination criteria, antibody syndromes, acute immunotherapy, and maintenance choices in MS, NMOSD, MOGAD, and autoimmune encephalitis. MS requires dissemination in space and time, supported by CSF oligoclonal bands and typical lesions.
207 words, about 1 min05Movement disorders and neurodegenerative disease
The exam tests recognition of parkinsonism, tremor, chorea, dystonia, ataxia, and atypical neurodegenerative syndromes. Parkinson disease typically has asymmetric resting tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity, and levodopa responsiveness.
197 words, under 1 min06Headache and facial pain
The exam tests primary headache diagnosis, secondary headache red flags, trigeminal neuralgia, and emergency treatment. Use SNOOP10 red flags: systemic symptoms, neurologic deficit, sudden onset, older age, pattern change, positional features, papilledema, pregnancy, painful eye, and trauma.
219 words, about 1 min07Neuro-oncology
The exam tests tumor localization, imaging interpretation, histologic grading, and oncologic emergencies. Glioblastoma is IDH-wildtype and high grade, with ring enhancement and necrosis; IDH-mutant and 1p/19q-codeleted oligodendroglioma has a better prognosis.
197 words, under 1 min08Neuroinfectious disease and neuroimmunology
The exam tests CSF interpretation, empiric treatment, and overlap between infection and autoimmunity. Bacterial meningitis requires urgent antibiotics and dexamethasone; do not delay antibiotics for lumbar puncture if signs of raised ICP are present.
207 words, about 1 min09Cognitive and behavioral neurology, dementia, and neuropsychiatry
The exam tests dementia subtypes, delirium recognition, behavioral syndromes, and reversible causes. Alzheimer disease causes progressive episodic memory loss with hippocampal atrophy; CSF or PET biomarkers support amyloid pathology.
193 words, under 1 min10Neuro-ophthalmology, neuro-otology, and cranial nerve disorders
The exam tests pupil and visual pathway localization, diplopia, nystagmus, hearing loss, and cranial nerve palsies. A painful third nerve palsy with pupil involvement suggests compressive aneurysm and needs urgent vascular imaging.
220 words, about 1 min11Spinal cord, radiculopathy, and neurorehabilitation
The exam tests cord localization, red flags, radicular pain, and rehabilitation principles. Cervical myelopathy causes hand clumsiness, gait disturbance, hyperreflexia, and sphincter change.
196 words, under 1 min12Neuroscience foundations, neurogenetics, neuroimaging, and critical care neurology
The exam tests neuroanatomy, genetic inheritance, imaging selection, and neurocritical care. Localize lesions by pathways: corticospinal weakness, dorsal column proprioception, spinothalamic pain/temperature, and cranial nerve nuclei.
187 words, under 1 min