EPPP: Examination for Professional Practice in
Psychology Comprehensive Review 2026 !!
Question 1
Which neurotransmitter is primarily associated with the reward pathway and implicated in
schizophrenia when overactive in the mesolimbic pathway?
A) Serotonin
B) Dopamine
C) GABA
D) Glutamate
ANSWER: B
Rationale:
A) Serotonin regulates mood and sleep, targeted by SSRIs, not the primary reward pathway.
B) Dopamine is correct; the dopamine hypothesis links mesolimbic overactivity to positive symptoms of
schizophrenia.
C) GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter, linked to anxiety, not the reward pathway.
D) Glutamate is excitatory; while involved in schizophrenia, it is not the primary reward pathway
neurotransmitter.
Question 2
Which brain structure is most critical for the formation of new explicit memories?
A) Amygdala
B) Hippocampus
C) Cerebellum
D) Basal ganglia
ANSWER: B
Rationale:
,A) The amygdala is primarily involved in emotional processing and fear conditioning, not explicit
memory formation.
B) The hippocampus is correct; it is essential for consolidating information from short-term to long-term
explicit memory.
C) The cerebellum is primarily responsible for motor control, coordination, and procedural memory.
D) The basal ganglia are involved in motor control and habit formation, not explicit memory.
Question 3
The "master gland" of the endocrine system, which regulates the function of other endocrine glands, is
the:
A) Thyroid gland
B) Adrenal gland
C) Pituitary gland
D) Pineal gland
ANSWER: C
Rationale:
A) The thyroid gland regulates metabolism but is controlled by the pituitary.
B) The adrenal gland produces stress hormones but is regulated by the pituitary.
C) The pituitary gland is correct; it secretes hormones that control the thyroid, adrenals, and gonads.
D) The pineal gland produces melatonin for sleep regulation and does not control other glands.
Question 4
Typical antipsychotic medications primarily exert their therapeutic effects by:
A) Blocking serotonin receptors
B) Antagonizing dopamine D2 receptors
C) Enhancing GABA activity
D) Inhibiting norepinephrine reuptake
ANSWER: B
Rationale:
A) Blocking serotonin receptors is a mechanism of atypical antipsychotics, not typical ones.
B) Antagonizing dopamine D2 receptors is correct; this is the primary mechanism of typical
antipsychotics like haloperidol.
,C) Enhancing GABA activity is the mechanism of benzodiazepines used for anxiety.
D) Inhibiting norepinephrine reuptake is a mechanism of some antidepressants, not antipsychotics.
Question 5
Huntington's disease is inherited through which genetic pattern?
A) Autosomal recessive
B) X-linked recessive
C) Autosomal dominant
D) Mitochondrial
ANSWER: C
Rationale:
A) Autosomal recessive requires two copies of the gene, which is not the case for Huntington's.
B) X-linked recessive affects males more frequently and is not the pattern for Huntington's.
C) Autosomal dominant is correct; only one copy of the mutated gene is needed to cause the disease.
D) Mitochondrial inheritance is passed only from the mother, which does not apply to Huntington's.
Question 6
Which sleep stage is most strongly associated with vivid dreaming and memory consolidation?
A) Stage 1 NREM
B) Stage 2 NREM
C) Stage 3 NREM
D) REM sleep
ANSWER: D
Rationale:
A) Stage 1 NREM is the lightest sleep stage with minimal dreaming.
B) Stage 2 NREM involves sleep spindles and K-complexes but not vivid dreaming.
C) Stage 3 NREM is deep, restorative sleep with very little dreaming.
D) REM sleep is correct; it is characterized by high brain activity, vivid dreaming, and memory
consolidation.
Question 7
, Long-term potentiation (LTP), a cellular mechanism for learning and memory, primarily involves which
neurotransmitter?
A) Acetylcholine
B) Glutamate
C) Dopamine
D) Endorphins
ANSWER: B
Rationale:
A) Acetylcholine is involved in muscle activation and attention, not the primary neurotransmitter for
LTP.
B) Glutamate is correct; it binds to NMDA receptors to induce LTP in the hippocampus.
C) Dopamine is involved in reward and motivation, not the primary mechanism of LTP.
D) Endorphins are involved in pain relief and pleasure, not synaptic plasticity for memory.
Question 8
The amygdala is a brain structure most critically involved in:
A) Motor coordination
B) Language comprehension
C) Emotional processing, particularly fear
D) Visual processing
ANSWER: C
Rationale:
A) Motor coordination is primarily managed by the cerebellum.
B) Language comprehension is localized to Wernicke's area in the temporal lobe.
C) Emotional processing, particularly fear, is correct; the amygdala is central to the fear response.
D) Visual processing occurs in the occipital lobe.
Question 9
Damage to Broca's area in the frontal lobe typically results in:
A) Inability to comprehend spoken language
B) Fluent but meaningless speech
Psychology Comprehensive Review 2026 !!
Question 1
Which neurotransmitter is primarily associated with the reward pathway and implicated in
schizophrenia when overactive in the mesolimbic pathway?
A) Serotonin
B) Dopamine
C) GABA
D) Glutamate
ANSWER: B
Rationale:
A) Serotonin regulates mood and sleep, targeted by SSRIs, not the primary reward pathway.
B) Dopamine is correct; the dopamine hypothesis links mesolimbic overactivity to positive symptoms of
schizophrenia.
C) GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter, linked to anxiety, not the reward pathway.
D) Glutamate is excitatory; while involved in schizophrenia, it is not the primary reward pathway
neurotransmitter.
Question 2
Which brain structure is most critical for the formation of new explicit memories?
A) Amygdala
B) Hippocampus
C) Cerebellum
D) Basal ganglia
ANSWER: B
Rationale:
,A) The amygdala is primarily involved in emotional processing and fear conditioning, not explicit
memory formation.
B) The hippocampus is correct; it is essential for consolidating information from short-term to long-term
explicit memory.
C) The cerebellum is primarily responsible for motor control, coordination, and procedural memory.
D) The basal ganglia are involved in motor control and habit formation, not explicit memory.
Question 3
The "master gland" of the endocrine system, which regulates the function of other endocrine glands, is
the:
A) Thyroid gland
B) Adrenal gland
C) Pituitary gland
D) Pineal gland
ANSWER: C
Rationale:
A) The thyroid gland regulates metabolism but is controlled by the pituitary.
B) The adrenal gland produces stress hormones but is regulated by the pituitary.
C) The pituitary gland is correct; it secretes hormones that control the thyroid, adrenals, and gonads.
D) The pineal gland produces melatonin for sleep regulation and does not control other glands.
Question 4
Typical antipsychotic medications primarily exert their therapeutic effects by:
A) Blocking serotonin receptors
B) Antagonizing dopamine D2 receptors
C) Enhancing GABA activity
D) Inhibiting norepinephrine reuptake
ANSWER: B
Rationale:
A) Blocking serotonin receptors is a mechanism of atypical antipsychotics, not typical ones.
B) Antagonizing dopamine D2 receptors is correct; this is the primary mechanism of typical
antipsychotics like haloperidol.
,C) Enhancing GABA activity is the mechanism of benzodiazepines used for anxiety.
D) Inhibiting norepinephrine reuptake is a mechanism of some antidepressants, not antipsychotics.
Question 5
Huntington's disease is inherited through which genetic pattern?
A) Autosomal recessive
B) X-linked recessive
C) Autosomal dominant
D) Mitochondrial
ANSWER: C
Rationale:
A) Autosomal recessive requires two copies of the gene, which is not the case for Huntington's.
B) X-linked recessive affects males more frequently and is not the pattern for Huntington's.
C) Autosomal dominant is correct; only one copy of the mutated gene is needed to cause the disease.
D) Mitochondrial inheritance is passed only from the mother, which does not apply to Huntington's.
Question 6
Which sleep stage is most strongly associated with vivid dreaming and memory consolidation?
A) Stage 1 NREM
B) Stage 2 NREM
C) Stage 3 NREM
D) REM sleep
ANSWER: D
Rationale:
A) Stage 1 NREM is the lightest sleep stage with minimal dreaming.
B) Stage 2 NREM involves sleep spindles and K-complexes but not vivid dreaming.
C) Stage 3 NREM is deep, restorative sleep with very little dreaming.
D) REM sleep is correct; it is characterized by high brain activity, vivid dreaming, and memory
consolidation.
Question 7
, Long-term potentiation (LTP), a cellular mechanism for learning and memory, primarily involves which
neurotransmitter?
A) Acetylcholine
B) Glutamate
C) Dopamine
D) Endorphins
ANSWER: B
Rationale:
A) Acetylcholine is involved in muscle activation and attention, not the primary neurotransmitter for
LTP.
B) Glutamate is correct; it binds to NMDA receptors to induce LTP in the hippocampus.
C) Dopamine is involved in reward and motivation, not the primary mechanism of LTP.
D) Endorphins are involved in pain relief and pleasure, not synaptic plasticity for memory.
Question 8
The amygdala is a brain structure most critically involved in:
A) Motor coordination
B) Language comprehension
C) Emotional processing, particularly fear
D) Visual processing
ANSWER: C
Rationale:
A) Motor coordination is primarily managed by the cerebellum.
B) Language comprehension is localized to Wernicke's area in the temporal lobe.
C) Emotional processing, particularly fear, is correct; the amygdala is central to the fear response.
D) Visual processing occurs in the occipital lobe.
Question 9
Damage to Broca's area in the frontal lobe typically results in:
A) Inability to comprehend spoken language
B) Fluent but meaningless speech
