What best describes a transient ischemic attack (TIA)?

• A. Temporary nerve pain
• B. Cerebral hemorrhage with deficits
• C. Mini stroke, no permanent damage
• D. Stroke that resolves within hours

Answer: (C)

A transient ischemic attack is a brief episode of neurologic dysfunction caused by a temporary reduction in blood flow to parts of the brain, spinal cord, or retina, without resulting in acute brain tissue injury. Because the interruption in blood flow is fleeting, there is no lasting damage, so the symptoms resolve and no permanent neurological deficits remain. This is why it’s often described as a “mini stroke”—the symptoms mimic a stroke but do not cause lasting injury.

The other descriptions don’t fit because a transient nerve pain isn’t a focal neurologic deficit from vascular insufficiency, and a cerebral hemorrhage with deficits represents a hemorrhagic stroke, which involves bleeding rather than transient ischemia. While a true ischemic stroke can sometimes improve quickly, it involves tissue injury detectable on imaging; TIAs, by definition, show no infarction and leave no lasting deficits.