Which statement aligns with peripheral neuropathy?

• A. Radiculopathy often has symmetric proximal weakness
• B. Peripheral neuropathy shows nerve-specific deficits in a defined nerve distribution
• C. Radiculopathy always spares reflexes
• D. Peripheral neuropathy never affects reflexes

Answer: (B)

Peripheral nerves carry signals to specific regions, so when they’re damaged, the deficits line up with the territory of that nerve. In peripheral neuropathy you see nerve-specific deficits in a defined nerve distribution—sensory loss or weakness that follows the path of a particular peripheral nerve, and in polyneuropathy you often get a distal, stocking-glove pattern because many nerves are involved. This pattern is what distinguishes peripheral neuropathy from radiculopathy, which originates at the nerve roots and tends to follow dermatomal and myotomal patterns rather than a single peripheral nerve’s distribution. That clear nerve-distribution correspondence is why this option best describes peripheral neuropathy. Reflex changes can occur in neuropathy, and radiculopathy can affect reflexes too, so the other statements don’t fit as well.