NBEO Neuroscience Practice Test

Optic nerve glioma is a glial tumor that arises from the optic nerve itself, so it is an intrinsic tumor of the nerve. This fits why the statement is true: the growth originates within the nerve rather than being a separate mass in the orbit. It most often presents in children and is frequently associated with neurofibromatosis type 1. Because the tumor grows inside the optic nerve, early manifestations can include optic disc edema due to swelling, and with time the nerve can become atrophic with pallor. The other options don’t hold: it isn’t the most common benign orbital tumor in adults, disc edema can occur, and pallor is not a pattern specifically characteristic of a temporal pallor association.