NR546
MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE
WEEKS 1-4 ON NEUROANATOMY
& PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY 2026
UPDATE WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS.
, NR546 Week 1 Study Guide
1. Functional Neuroanatomy
Reference: Pliszka, Chapters 1, 2, 7, 8
Key Brain Regions and Functions:
Brain Region Function Damage Results In
Frontal lobe Executive function, judgment, Poor decision-making,
(PFC) planning, working memory disinhibition
Broca’s area Expressive language Expressive aphasia
(frontal) (can’t speak)
Inability to copy
Spatial awareness, sensory
Parietal lobe drawings or orient in
integration
space
Occipital Visual field deficits,
Visual processing
lobe cortical blindness
Auditory processing, memory
Temporal Receptive aphasia,
(hippocampus), Wernicke’s area
lobe memory loss
(language comprehension)
Motor regulation, procedural Movement disorders
Basal ganglia (e.g., Parkinson’s,
memory
Huntington’s)
Cerebellum Balance, coordination Ataxia, gait instability
Emotional
Amygdala Emotion, fear response dysregulation, reduced
fear
Hippocampus Memory encoding Anterograde amnesia
Corpus
Connects hemispheres Split-brain phenomena
callosum
2. Epigenetics & Gene Expression
, Reference: Canvas Explore Section
• Epigenetics refers to heritable changes in gene function without
changes in the DNA sequence.
• Environmental factors (e.g., trauma, stress, toxins, nutrition) can
activate or silence genes via:
o DNA methylation
o Histone modification
• Example: Childhood trauma may alter glucocorticoid receptor
expression, increasing lifelong anxiety or PTSD risk.
Key takeaway: Mental illness is not just inherited genetically; it can be
"switched on/off" by environment.
3. Ethical Principles in Mental Health
Reference: Canvas Explore Section
Key Ethical Principles:
• Autonomy: Respect for the individual's right to make decisions.
• Informed Consent:
o Requires competence, voluntariness, information
disclosure, and understanding.
• Beneficence: Act in the patient’s best interest.
• Nonmaleficence: Do no harm.
• Justice: Fair and equitable treatment.
In psychiatric care, special attention is needed for decisional
capacity, coercion, and the right to refuse treatment.
4. CYP450 System & Pharmacogenomics
Reference: Stahl, Ch. 2; Canvas Explore Section
What is CYP450?
• A family of liver enzymes responsible for drug metabolism.
MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE
WEEKS 1-4 ON NEUROANATOMY
& PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY 2026
UPDATE WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS.
, NR546 Week 1 Study Guide
1. Functional Neuroanatomy
Reference: Pliszka, Chapters 1, 2, 7, 8
Key Brain Regions and Functions:
Brain Region Function Damage Results In
Frontal lobe Executive function, judgment, Poor decision-making,
(PFC) planning, working memory disinhibition
Broca’s area Expressive language Expressive aphasia
(frontal) (can’t speak)
Inability to copy
Spatial awareness, sensory
Parietal lobe drawings or orient in
integration
space
Occipital Visual field deficits,
Visual processing
lobe cortical blindness
Auditory processing, memory
Temporal Receptive aphasia,
(hippocampus), Wernicke’s area
lobe memory loss
(language comprehension)
Motor regulation, procedural Movement disorders
Basal ganglia (e.g., Parkinson’s,
memory
Huntington’s)
Cerebellum Balance, coordination Ataxia, gait instability
Emotional
Amygdala Emotion, fear response dysregulation, reduced
fear
Hippocampus Memory encoding Anterograde amnesia
Corpus
Connects hemispheres Split-brain phenomena
callosum
2. Epigenetics & Gene Expression
, Reference: Canvas Explore Section
• Epigenetics refers to heritable changes in gene function without
changes in the DNA sequence.
• Environmental factors (e.g., trauma, stress, toxins, nutrition) can
activate or silence genes via:
o DNA methylation
o Histone modification
• Example: Childhood trauma may alter glucocorticoid receptor
expression, increasing lifelong anxiety or PTSD risk.
Key takeaway: Mental illness is not just inherited genetically; it can be
"switched on/off" by environment.
3. Ethical Principles in Mental Health
Reference: Canvas Explore Section
Key Ethical Principles:
• Autonomy: Respect for the individual's right to make decisions.
• Informed Consent:
o Requires competence, voluntariness, information
disclosure, and understanding.
• Beneficence: Act in the patient’s best interest.
• Nonmaleficence: Do no harm.
• Justice: Fair and equitable treatment.
In psychiatric care, special attention is needed for decisional
capacity, coercion, and the right to refuse treatment.
4. CYP450 System & Pharmacogenomics
Reference: Stahl, Ch. 2; Canvas Explore Section
What is CYP450?
• A family of liver enzymes responsible for drug metabolism.
