N S G 5 3 0 EXAM 4·
A D VA N C E D
P AT H O P H Y S I O L O G Y
Exam4
Practice Examination
One hundred applied multiple-choice questions with
detailed answer rationales covering intracranial
pressure, traumatic brain injury, cerebrovascular
disease, seizure disorders, neurodegeneration,
demyelinating disease, spinal cord injury, and headache
syndromes.
100 Questions · Answers and Rationales Included
2026 Updated Edition · Independent practice resource
aligned with the Wilkes University NSG 530 course
curriculum
,2 0 2 6 · U P D AT E D P D F
,NSG 530 - Advanced Pathophysiology Exam 4 Practice Examination
NSG 530 Advanced Pathophysiology
Exam 4 Practice Examination - Neurological Pathophysiology
2026 Updated Edition | 100 Questions | Answers and
Rationales Included
Instructions: Each of the 100 questions or incomplete statements below is
followed by four suggested answers or completions. Choose the single best
answer for each item. The correct answer and a rationale explaining the
underlying pathophysiologic mechanism appear immediately after each
question, including why the strongest distractor is incorrect. Questions are
presented as one continuous examination without section divisions. This
document is an independent practice resource intended for self-assessment and
review of neurologic pathophysiology; it is not an official university
examination and does not reproduce proprietary test content.
1. A student nurse asks why a neuron's resting membrane potential is
negative. Which mechanism best explains the resting potential of
approximately -70 mV?
A. Extracellular accumulation of negatively charged chloride ions
B. Active transport of sodium out of the cell by the Na+/K+ pump alone
C. High resting permeability to potassium through leak channels
D. Continuous opening of voltage-gated sodium channels at rest
Answer: C. RATIONALE: At rest, the membrane is far more permeable to
potassium than to sodium because of abundant potassium leak channels, so
potassium diffuses down its concentration gradient out of the cell and leaves
behind unpaired intracellular anions, producing the negative resting potential.
Option A describes the pump that maintains the gradients, but the pump itself
contributes only a small direct electrical effect; the negative potential is
generated mainly by passive potassium efflux.
2. A client receives a local anesthetic that blocks nerve conduction. Which
ionic event of the action potential is directly prevented by this blockade?
A. Rapid influx of sodium through voltage-gated channels
B. Efflux of potassium through leak channels
1
, NSG 530 - Advanced Pathophysiology Exam 4 Practice Examination
C. Active extrusion of calcium from the axoplasm
D. Recycling of neurotransmitter by reuptake transporters
Answer: A. RATIONALE: Depolarization of the action potential depends on
the rapid, voltage-gated influx of sodium ions, and local anesthetics block
these voltage-gated sodium channels so the rising phase of the action potential
cannot occur. Potassium efflux (Option A) governs repolarization and is not
the target of anesthetic blockade.
2
A D VA N C E D
P AT H O P H Y S I O L O G Y
Exam4
Practice Examination
One hundred applied multiple-choice questions with
detailed answer rationales covering intracranial
pressure, traumatic brain injury, cerebrovascular
disease, seizure disorders, neurodegeneration,
demyelinating disease, spinal cord injury, and headache
syndromes.
100 Questions · Answers and Rationales Included
2026 Updated Edition · Independent practice resource
aligned with the Wilkes University NSG 530 course
curriculum
,2 0 2 6 · U P D AT E D P D F
,NSG 530 - Advanced Pathophysiology Exam 4 Practice Examination
NSG 530 Advanced Pathophysiology
Exam 4 Practice Examination - Neurological Pathophysiology
2026 Updated Edition | 100 Questions | Answers and
Rationales Included
Instructions: Each of the 100 questions or incomplete statements below is
followed by four suggested answers or completions. Choose the single best
answer for each item. The correct answer and a rationale explaining the
underlying pathophysiologic mechanism appear immediately after each
question, including why the strongest distractor is incorrect. Questions are
presented as one continuous examination without section divisions. This
document is an independent practice resource intended for self-assessment and
review of neurologic pathophysiology; it is not an official university
examination and does not reproduce proprietary test content.
1. A student nurse asks why a neuron's resting membrane potential is
negative. Which mechanism best explains the resting potential of
approximately -70 mV?
A. Extracellular accumulation of negatively charged chloride ions
B. Active transport of sodium out of the cell by the Na+/K+ pump alone
C. High resting permeability to potassium through leak channels
D. Continuous opening of voltage-gated sodium channels at rest
Answer: C. RATIONALE: At rest, the membrane is far more permeable to
potassium than to sodium because of abundant potassium leak channels, so
potassium diffuses down its concentration gradient out of the cell and leaves
behind unpaired intracellular anions, producing the negative resting potential.
Option A describes the pump that maintains the gradients, but the pump itself
contributes only a small direct electrical effect; the negative potential is
generated mainly by passive potassium efflux.
2. A client receives a local anesthetic that blocks nerve conduction. Which
ionic event of the action potential is directly prevented by this blockade?
A. Rapid influx of sodium through voltage-gated channels
B. Efflux of potassium through leak channels
1
, NSG 530 - Advanced Pathophysiology Exam 4 Practice Examination
C. Active extrusion of calcium from the axoplasm
D. Recycling of neurotransmitter by reuptake transporters
Answer: A. RATIONALE: Depolarization of the action potential depends on
the rapid, voltage-gated influx of sodium ions, and local anesthetics block
these voltage-gated sodium channels so the rising phase of the action potential
cannot occur. Potassium efflux (Option A) governs repolarization and is not
the target of anesthetic blockade.
2
