PAT 201 PRACTICE ACTUAL EXAM
PAPER 2026 QUESTIONS WITH
ANSWERS GRADED A+
◍ What is Pain?.
Answer: Adaptive and protective mechanism; among physical, cognitive,
spiritual, emotional, and environmental factors.Associated with actual or
potential tissue damage.
◍ primary brain injury.
Answer: original trauma
◍ What is pain transduction?.
Answer: converting pain stimulus to electrical signal transmitted to the
central nervous system.
◍ What happens in pain transduction?.
Answer: 1. nociceptors activates due to physical, chemical, and thermal
changes.2. causing ion channels (sodium, calcium, and potassium) to open
on nociceptors.3. creating electrical impulses that travels through axons of 2
primary nociceptors where it is transmitted to the spinal cord, cortex,
thalamus, and brainstem.
◍ What is pain transmission?.
Answer: conduction of pain impulses along alpha and c fibres into the dorsal
horn of the spinal cord.
◍ What happens in pain transmission?.
Answer: 1. forms synapses with excitatory and inhibitory interneurons in the
substantia gelatinosa of the dorsal horn.2. forms synapses with projecting
neurons across the midline of the spinal cord, where it ascends to the brain
through 2 spinothalamic tracts.3. carries fast and slow impulses and is
, connected to reticular formation, hypothalamus, thalamus, and the limbic
system.4. impulses are then projected to the somatosensory cortex for
interpretation, location, and intensity of pain.
◍ What is pain perception?.
Answer: conscious awareness of pain.
◍ secondary brain injury.
Answer: consequence of alterations in cerebral blood flow, intracranial
pressure, and oxygen delivery
◍ Where does pain perception occur primarily?.
Answer: cerebral cortex, limbic system, and reticular formation.
◍ cerebral hypoxia.
Answer: impaired oxygen supply while maintaining adequate blood flow
(perfusion); decreased oxygen levels in all brain tissue
◍ What is pain perception influenced by?.
Answer: genes, culture, sex, age, health, and past pain experiences.
◍ cerebral ischemia.
Answer: impaired blood flow to brain; interferes with delivery of oxygen
and glucose and removal of metabolic wastes = death of neurons
◍ What are the 3 systems that produces pain perception?.
Answer: 1. sensory-discriminatory system2. affective-motivational system3.
cognitive-evaluative system
◍ What is the sensory-discriminatory system?.
Answer: determines the identity, presence, character, location, and intensity
of pain; mediated by the somatosensory cortex.
◍ types of ischemia.
Answer: focal, global
◍ What is the affective-motivational system?.
Answer: determines the individual's avoidance behaviour of pain as well as
their emotional response; mediated by the limbic system, reticular
, formation, and the brainstem.
◍ focal cerebral ischemia.
Answer: specific region/area of brain not adequately perfused (i.e. stroke)
◍ What is the cognitive-evaluative system?.
Answer: determines the learned behaviour and past experiences of pain, as
well as the modulation of perception; mediated by the cerebral cortex.
◍ global cerebral ischemia.
Answer: blood flow to entire brain is compromised (i.e. hypovolemia, MI,
HF)
◍ What are Alpha-delta fibres?.
Answer: large myelinated fibres that transmits fast and sharp pain that is
highly localized such as a pin prick.
◍ cerebral infarction.
Answer: death of brain cells due to lack of adequate blood supply to brain
cells deprives them of oxygen and vital nutrients; could be ischemic or
hemorrhagic
◍ risk factors for stroke.
Answer: - poorly controlled or uncontrolled HTN- smoking- insulin
resistance and diabetes- polycythemia, thrombocythemia, sickle cell disease-
high total cholesterol, low HDL, elevated lipoprotein(a)- obesity- physical
inactivity- congestive heart disease, peripheral vascular disease- AF- family
hx and genetics- sleep apnea- depression- chlamydia pneumoniae infection-
postmenopausal hormone therapy- high sodium intake; low potassium
intake- hyperhomocysteinemia
◍ ischemic stroke.
Answer: obstructed blood flow to cerebral artery
◍ hemorrhagic stroke.
Answer: bleeding in brain due to HTN, tumors, coagulation disorders,
trauma, illicit drug use (cocaine)
PAPER 2026 QUESTIONS WITH
ANSWERS GRADED A+
◍ What is Pain?.
Answer: Adaptive and protective mechanism; among physical, cognitive,
spiritual, emotional, and environmental factors.Associated with actual or
potential tissue damage.
◍ primary brain injury.
Answer: original trauma
◍ What is pain transduction?.
Answer: converting pain stimulus to electrical signal transmitted to the
central nervous system.
◍ What happens in pain transduction?.
Answer: 1. nociceptors activates due to physical, chemical, and thermal
changes.2. causing ion channels (sodium, calcium, and potassium) to open
on nociceptors.3. creating electrical impulses that travels through axons of 2
primary nociceptors where it is transmitted to the spinal cord, cortex,
thalamus, and brainstem.
◍ What is pain transmission?.
Answer: conduction of pain impulses along alpha and c fibres into the dorsal
horn of the spinal cord.
◍ What happens in pain transmission?.
Answer: 1. forms synapses with excitatory and inhibitory interneurons in the
substantia gelatinosa of the dorsal horn.2. forms synapses with projecting
neurons across the midline of the spinal cord, where it ascends to the brain
through 2 spinothalamic tracts.3. carries fast and slow impulses and is
, connected to reticular formation, hypothalamus, thalamus, and the limbic
system.4. impulses are then projected to the somatosensory cortex for
interpretation, location, and intensity of pain.
◍ What is pain perception?.
Answer: conscious awareness of pain.
◍ secondary brain injury.
Answer: consequence of alterations in cerebral blood flow, intracranial
pressure, and oxygen delivery
◍ Where does pain perception occur primarily?.
Answer: cerebral cortex, limbic system, and reticular formation.
◍ cerebral hypoxia.
Answer: impaired oxygen supply while maintaining adequate blood flow
(perfusion); decreased oxygen levels in all brain tissue
◍ What is pain perception influenced by?.
Answer: genes, culture, sex, age, health, and past pain experiences.
◍ cerebral ischemia.
Answer: impaired blood flow to brain; interferes with delivery of oxygen
and glucose and removal of metabolic wastes = death of neurons
◍ What are the 3 systems that produces pain perception?.
Answer: 1. sensory-discriminatory system2. affective-motivational system3.
cognitive-evaluative system
◍ What is the sensory-discriminatory system?.
Answer: determines the identity, presence, character, location, and intensity
of pain; mediated by the somatosensory cortex.
◍ types of ischemia.
Answer: focal, global
◍ What is the affective-motivational system?.
Answer: determines the individual's avoidance behaviour of pain as well as
their emotional response; mediated by the limbic system, reticular
, formation, and the brainstem.
◍ focal cerebral ischemia.
Answer: specific region/area of brain not adequately perfused (i.e. stroke)
◍ What is the cognitive-evaluative system?.
Answer: determines the learned behaviour and past experiences of pain, as
well as the modulation of perception; mediated by the cerebral cortex.
◍ global cerebral ischemia.
Answer: blood flow to entire brain is compromised (i.e. hypovolemia, MI,
HF)
◍ What are Alpha-delta fibres?.
Answer: large myelinated fibres that transmits fast and sharp pain that is
highly localized such as a pin prick.
◍ cerebral infarction.
Answer: death of brain cells due to lack of adequate blood supply to brain
cells deprives them of oxygen and vital nutrients; could be ischemic or
hemorrhagic
◍ risk factors for stroke.
Answer: - poorly controlled or uncontrolled HTN- smoking- insulin
resistance and diabetes- polycythemia, thrombocythemia, sickle cell disease-
high total cholesterol, low HDL, elevated lipoprotein(a)- obesity- physical
inactivity- congestive heart disease, peripheral vascular disease- AF- family
hx and genetics- sleep apnea- depression- chlamydia pneumoniae infection-
postmenopausal hormone therapy- high sodium intake; low potassium
intake- hyperhomocysteinemia
◍ ischemic stroke.
Answer: obstructed blood flow to cerebral artery
◍ hemorrhagic stroke.
Answer: bleeding in brain due to HTN, tumors, coagulation disorders,
trauma, illicit drug use (cocaine)
