Additional Stahl Exam 2026–2027 Exam
Questions and Verified Correct Answers
Which of the following has the secondary property of positive allosteric
modulation at nicotinic receptors?
A. Donepezil
B. Rivastigmine
C. Galantamine
D. Memantine CORRECT ANSWER C. Galantamine
34-year-old woman with posttraumatic stress disorder has been
treated with exposure therapy, with partial success. Her clinician is
considering an adjunct medication. The agent d-cycloserine could be
efficacious for reducing symptoms in anxiety disorders because it has
been shown to:
A. Increase glutamate neurotransmission during fear conditioning
B. Decrease glutamate neurotransmission during fear conditioning
C. Increase glutamate neurotransmission during fear extinction
D. Decrease glutamate neurotransmission during fear extinction
CORRECT ANSWER C. Increase glutamate neurotransmission during
fear extinction
A patient with generalized anxiety disorder is taking a benzodiazepine.
What role do benzodiazepines play in GABA neurotransmission?
A. Increase it via direct agonist actions
,B. Increase it via direct antagonist actions
C. Increase it via negative allosteric modulation
D. Increase it via positive allosteric modulation CORRECT ANSWER D.
Increase it via positive allosteric modulation
Which of the following is considered the pleasure center of the brain?
A. Cortico-striatal-thalamic-cortical loop
B. Mesolimbic dopamine pathway
C. Mesocortical dopamine pathway
D. None of the above CORRECT ANSWER B. Mesolimbic dopamine
pathway
A 45-year-old female presents with a hand-washing compulsion and an
obsession with air fresheners. Based on these symptoms, which of the
following is most likely to be true?
A. She may have been born with the catechol-O-methyltransferase
(COMT) Met genotype, leading to an increased risk of susceptibility to
worry and anxiety disorders.
B. She may have been born with the COMT Val genotype, leading to
an increased risk of susceptibility to worry and anxiety disorders.
CORRECT ANSWER A. She may have been born with the catechol-
Omethyltransferase (COMT) Met genotype, leading to an increased risk
of susceptibility to worry and anxiety disorde
,A 45-year-old female patient continues to maintain the re-experiencing
of her fear of the opposite sex, which began one year ago when she
was raped on her way to a parking garage. Which two brain regions are
involved in the reciprocal relationship resulting in this symptom?
A. Amygdala and hippocampus
B. Basal forebrain and amygdala
C. Hippocampus and nucleus accumbens
D. Hypothalamus and basal foreb CORRECT ANSWER . Amygdala and
hippocampus
A 35-year-old male Army veteran has been experiencing anxiety attacks
during which he has difficulty breathing and increased heart rate. His
symptom of difficulty breathing is hypothetically related to activation in
the: A. Hippocampus
B. Hypothalamus
C. Parabrachial nucleus
D. Periaqueductal gray CORRECT ANSWER C. Parabrachial nucleus
A 22-year-old man exhibits a fear response in reaction to unexpectedly
encountering a bear while hiking. The various expressions of fear are
hypothetically regulated by circuitry centered around the: A. Amygdala
B. Hippocampus
C. Prefrontal cortex
D. Thalamus CORRECT ANSWER A. Amygdala
, 24-year-old man was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder 2
years ago, and is now presenting with recurrent and spontaneous panic
attacks. These anxiety disorders are hypothetically associated with:
A. Unique circuitry for each disorder
B. Overlapping circuitry but unique neurotransmitters for each disorder
C. Overlapping circuity and neurotransmitters CORRECT ANSWER C.
Overlapping circuity and neurotransmitters
A 28-year-old woman presents with a depressive episode. She has
previously been hospitalized and treated for a manic episode, but is not
currently taking any medication.Which of the following have the best
evidence of efficacy to treat bipolar depression?
A. Lamotrigine, quetiapine
B. Quetiapine, olanzapine monotherapy
C. Olanzapine monotherapy, lithium
D. Lithium, valproate E. Valproate, lamotrigine CORRECT ANSWER A.
Lamotrigine, quetiapine
A 32-year-old man with bipolar disorder has had a partial response to
divalproex and is now being augmented with an atypical antipsychotic.
The effects of atypical antipsychotics in nonpsychotic mania may be
due to: A. Indirect effects on GABA release via D2 receptor antagonism
B. Indirect effects on glutamate release via serotonin 2A antagonism C.
Direct effects on voltage-sensitive sodium channels D. Direct effects on
voltage-sensitive calcium channels CORRECT ANSWER B. Indirect
effects on glutamate release via serotonin 2A antagonism
Questions and Verified Correct Answers
Which of the following has the secondary property of positive allosteric
modulation at nicotinic receptors?
A. Donepezil
B. Rivastigmine
C. Galantamine
D. Memantine CORRECT ANSWER C. Galantamine
34-year-old woman with posttraumatic stress disorder has been
treated with exposure therapy, with partial success. Her clinician is
considering an adjunct medication. The agent d-cycloserine could be
efficacious for reducing symptoms in anxiety disorders because it has
been shown to:
A. Increase glutamate neurotransmission during fear conditioning
B. Decrease glutamate neurotransmission during fear conditioning
C. Increase glutamate neurotransmission during fear extinction
D. Decrease glutamate neurotransmission during fear extinction
CORRECT ANSWER C. Increase glutamate neurotransmission during
fear extinction
A patient with generalized anxiety disorder is taking a benzodiazepine.
What role do benzodiazepines play in GABA neurotransmission?
A. Increase it via direct agonist actions
,B. Increase it via direct antagonist actions
C. Increase it via negative allosteric modulation
D. Increase it via positive allosteric modulation CORRECT ANSWER D.
Increase it via positive allosteric modulation
Which of the following is considered the pleasure center of the brain?
A. Cortico-striatal-thalamic-cortical loop
B. Mesolimbic dopamine pathway
C. Mesocortical dopamine pathway
D. None of the above CORRECT ANSWER B. Mesolimbic dopamine
pathway
A 45-year-old female presents with a hand-washing compulsion and an
obsession with air fresheners. Based on these symptoms, which of the
following is most likely to be true?
A. She may have been born with the catechol-O-methyltransferase
(COMT) Met genotype, leading to an increased risk of susceptibility to
worry and anxiety disorders.
B. She may have been born with the COMT Val genotype, leading to
an increased risk of susceptibility to worry and anxiety disorders.
CORRECT ANSWER A. She may have been born with the catechol-
Omethyltransferase (COMT) Met genotype, leading to an increased risk
of susceptibility to worry and anxiety disorde
,A 45-year-old female patient continues to maintain the re-experiencing
of her fear of the opposite sex, which began one year ago when she
was raped on her way to a parking garage. Which two brain regions are
involved in the reciprocal relationship resulting in this symptom?
A. Amygdala and hippocampus
B. Basal forebrain and amygdala
C. Hippocampus and nucleus accumbens
D. Hypothalamus and basal foreb CORRECT ANSWER . Amygdala and
hippocampus
A 35-year-old male Army veteran has been experiencing anxiety attacks
during which he has difficulty breathing and increased heart rate. His
symptom of difficulty breathing is hypothetically related to activation in
the: A. Hippocampus
B. Hypothalamus
C. Parabrachial nucleus
D. Periaqueductal gray CORRECT ANSWER C. Parabrachial nucleus
A 22-year-old man exhibits a fear response in reaction to unexpectedly
encountering a bear while hiking. The various expressions of fear are
hypothetically regulated by circuitry centered around the: A. Amygdala
B. Hippocampus
C. Prefrontal cortex
D. Thalamus CORRECT ANSWER A. Amygdala
, 24-year-old man was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder 2
years ago, and is now presenting with recurrent and spontaneous panic
attacks. These anxiety disorders are hypothetically associated with:
A. Unique circuitry for each disorder
B. Overlapping circuitry but unique neurotransmitters for each disorder
C. Overlapping circuity and neurotransmitters CORRECT ANSWER C.
Overlapping circuity and neurotransmitters
A 28-year-old woman presents with a depressive episode. She has
previously been hospitalized and treated for a manic episode, but is not
currently taking any medication.Which of the following have the best
evidence of efficacy to treat bipolar depression?
A. Lamotrigine, quetiapine
B. Quetiapine, olanzapine monotherapy
C. Olanzapine monotherapy, lithium
D. Lithium, valproate E. Valproate, lamotrigine CORRECT ANSWER A.
Lamotrigine, quetiapine
A 32-year-old man with bipolar disorder has had a partial response to
divalproex and is now being augmented with an atypical antipsychotic.
The effects of atypical antipsychotics in nonpsychotic mania may be
due to: A. Indirect effects on GABA release via D2 receptor antagonism
B. Indirect effects on glutamate release via serotonin 2A antagonism C.
Direct effects on voltage-sensitive sodium channels D. Direct effects on
voltage-sensitive calcium channels CORRECT ANSWER B. Indirect
effects on glutamate release via serotonin 2A antagonism
