D116 WGU ADVANCED PHARMACOLOGY STUDY
GUIDE
LATEST ACTUAL COMPLETE REAL EXAM
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT VERIFIED ANSWERS/
ALREADY GRADED A+
Neuropharmacology - ANS✔✔-Studies how drugs influence the nervous system to
modify behavior, cognition, and physiological function.
Molecular Neuropharmacology - ANS✔✔-Interactions at receptor and signaling level.
Behavioral Neuropharmacology - ANS✔✔-How drugs affect behavior and mental states.
Acetylcholine (ACh) - ANS✔✔-Major neurotransmitter involved in memory, attention,
and autonomic regulation.
Dopamine (DA) - ANS✔✔-Major neurotransmitter involved in reward, motivation, and
motor control.
Serotonin (5-HT) - ANS✔✔-Major neurotransmitter involved in mood, sleep, pain, and
gastrointestinal function.
Norepinephrine (NE) - ANS✔✔-Major neurotransmitter involved in arousal, stress,
attention, and blood pressure.
GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) - ANS✔✔-Major neurotransmitter providing inhibitory tone
and seizure control.
Glutamate - ANS✔✔-Major neurotransmitter involved in learning, memory, and
excitotoxicity.
Cholinergic Drugs - ANS✔✔-Drugs that affect acetylcholine receptors, including
agonists, anticholinesterases, and anticholinergics.
Dopaminergic Agents - ANS✔✔-Drugs that target dopamine pathways, including
agonists, reuptake inhibitors, and antagonists.
Serotonergic Agents - ANS✔✔-Drugs that affect serotonin levels, including SSRIs,
SNRIs, and various agonists and antagonists.
GABAergic Agents - ANS✔✔-Drugs that enhance GABA activity, including GABA-A
agonists and GABA analogs.
Glutamatergic Modulators - ANS✔✔-Drugs that modulate glutamate activity, including
NMDA antagonists and AMPA modulators.
Parkinson's Disease - ANS✔✔-Characterized by decreased dopamine in the substantia
nigra, treated with levodopa and dopamine agonists.
Alzheimer's Disease - ANS✔✔-Characterized by decreased acetylcholine and amyloid
& tau accumulation, treated with cholinesterase inhibitors.
Epilepsy - ANS✔✔-Characterized by excess neuronal firing, treated with GABA
enhancers and sodium channel blockers.
Depression - ANS✔✔-Characterized by decreased monoamines (5-HT, NE, DA),
treated with SSRIs and SNRIs.
Anxiety - ANS✔✔-Characterized by a hyperactive limbic system, treated with SSRIs
and benzodiazepines.
, D116 WGU ADVANCED PHARMACOLOGY STUDY
GUIDE
LATEST ACTUAL COMPLETE REAL EXAM
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT VERIFIED ANSWERS/
ALREADY GRADED A+
Schizophrenia - ANS✔✔-Characterized by increased dopamine in the mesolimbic
pathway, treated with D2 antagonists.
Migraine - ANS✔✔-Characterized by vascular and serotonin dysregulation, treated with
triptans and beta blockers.
Multiple Sclerosis - ANS✔✔-Characterized by autoimmune demyelination, treated with
immunomodulators and steroids.
Antipsychotics - ANS✔✔-Watch for extrapyramidal symptoms, QT prolongation, and
increased prolactin.
SSRIs/SNRIs - ANS✔✔-Watch for sexual dysfunction and serotonin syndrome.
MAOIs - ANS✔✔-Watch for hypertensive crisis when consuming tyramine foods.
Anticholinergics - ANS✔✔-Watch for dry mouth, urinary retention, and confusion,
especially in the elderly.
Levodopa - ANS✔✔-Watch for dyskinesias and hallucinations.
Benzodiazepines - ANS✔✔-Watch for dependence, withdrawal, and sedation.
BALSA - ANS✔✔-Mnemonic for Parkinson's: Bromocriptine, Amantadine, Levodopa,
Selegiline, Antimuscarinics
BAD TRIP - ANS✔✔-Mnemonic for serotonin syndrome: Benzos, Agitation,
Diaphoresis, Tachycardia, Reflexes ↑, Incoordination, Pyrexia
Direct Muscarinic Agonists - ANS✔✔-Drugs that bind directly to muscarinic receptors
and activate them.
Pilocarpine - ANS✔✔-Used for glaucoma and xerostomia (dry mouth).
Bethanechol - ANS✔✔-Used for urinary retention and postoperative ileus.
Carbachol - ANS✔✔-Used for glaucoma (rarely used).
Methacholine - ANS✔✔-Used as a diagnostic test for bronchial hyperreactivity.
Cevimeline - ANS✔✔-Used for xerostomia in Sjögren's syndrome.
Muscarine - ANS✔✔-Found in some poisonous mushrooms (not used clinically).
Indirect Muscarinic Agonists - ANS✔✔-Cholinesterase Inhibitors that inhibit
acetylcholinesterase, increasing endogenous acetylcholine levels.
Neostigmine - ANS✔✔-Used for myasthenia gravis and postoperative ileus.
Physostigmine - ANS✔✔-Used for anticholinergic toxicity (e.g., atropine overdose).
Donepezil - ANS✔✔-Used for Alzheimer's disease.
Rivastigmine - ANS✔✔-Used for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's dementia.
Pyridostigmine - ANS✔✔-Used for myasthenia gravis.
Edrophonium - ANS✔✔-Historically used in diagnosis of myasthenia gravis.
Key Muscarinic Effects - ANS✔✔-SLUDGE-M: Salivation, Lacrimation, Urination,
Diarrhea, Gastrointestinal motility, Emesis, Miosis (pupil constriction), bradycardia,
bronchoconstriction.
, D116 WGU ADVANCED PHARMACOLOGY STUDY
GUIDE
LATEST ACTUAL COMPLETE REAL EXAM
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT VERIFIED ANSWERS/
ALREADY GRADED A+
Anticholinergic Drugs - ANS✔✔-Medications that block the action of acetylcholine (ACh)
at muscarinic receptors.
Mechanism of Action of Anticholinergics - ANS✔✔-Most are muscarinic antagonists that
competitively inhibit ACh at muscarinic receptors (M1-M5).
Benztropine - ANS✔✔-Used for Parkinson's disease and drug-induced EPS.
Trihexyphenidyl - ANS✔✔-Used for Parkinson's disease.
Scopolamine - ANS✔✔-Used for motion sickness (transdermal patch).
Ipratropium - ANS✔✔-Used for COPD and asthma (short-acting).
Tiotropium - ANS✔✔-Used for COPD (long-acting).
Aclidinium - ANS✔✔-Used for COPD.
Umeclidinium - ANS✔✔-Used for COPD.
Oxybutynin - ANS✔✔-Used for overactive bladder and urinary incontinence.
Tolterodine - ANS✔✔-Used for overactive bladder.
Solifenacin - ANS✔✔-Used for overactive bladder.
Dicyclomine - ANS✔✔-Used for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Hyoscyamine - ANS✔✔-Used for GI spasms.
Atropine - ANS✔✔-Used for bradycardia, organophosphate poisoning, and pre-op
secretion reduction.
Anticholinergic Syndrome - ANS✔✔-High doses or overdose can cause toxicity: 'Dry as
a bone', 'Blind as a bat', 'Hot as a hare', 'Red as a beet', 'Mad as a hatter', 'Full as a
flask'.
Direct-Acting Cholinergic Agonists - ANS✔✔-Drugs that bind directly to and activate
cholinergic receptors.
Bethanechol (Direct) - ANS✔✔-Muscarinic receptor type, used for urinary retention and
neurogenic bladder.
Pilocarpine (Direct) - ANS✔✔-Muscarinic receptor type, used for glaucoma and
xerostomia.
Cevimeline (Direct) - ANS✔✔-Muscarinic (M3) receptor type, used for xerostomia in
Sjögren's syndrome.
Carbachol (Direct) - ANS✔✔-Muscarinic & Nicotinic receptor type, used for glaucoma.
Methacholine (Direct) - ANS✔✔-Muscarinic receptor type, used for bronchial challenge
test (asthma diagnosis).
Nicotine (Direct) - ANS✔✔-Nicotinic (Nn, Nm) receptor type, used for smoking cessation
(patch/gum).
Varenicline (Direct) - ANS✔✔-Nicotinic partial agonist, used for smoking cessation.
Indirect-Acting Cholinergic Agonists - ANS✔✔-Cholinesterase Inhibitors that inhibit
acetylcholinesterase, enhancing cholinergic signaling.
GUIDE
LATEST ACTUAL COMPLETE REAL EXAM
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT VERIFIED ANSWERS/
ALREADY GRADED A+
Neuropharmacology - ANS✔✔-Studies how drugs influence the nervous system to
modify behavior, cognition, and physiological function.
Molecular Neuropharmacology - ANS✔✔-Interactions at receptor and signaling level.
Behavioral Neuropharmacology - ANS✔✔-How drugs affect behavior and mental states.
Acetylcholine (ACh) - ANS✔✔-Major neurotransmitter involved in memory, attention,
and autonomic regulation.
Dopamine (DA) - ANS✔✔-Major neurotransmitter involved in reward, motivation, and
motor control.
Serotonin (5-HT) - ANS✔✔-Major neurotransmitter involved in mood, sleep, pain, and
gastrointestinal function.
Norepinephrine (NE) - ANS✔✔-Major neurotransmitter involved in arousal, stress,
attention, and blood pressure.
GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) - ANS✔✔-Major neurotransmitter providing inhibitory tone
and seizure control.
Glutamate - ANS✔✔-Major neurotransmitter involved in learning, memory, and
excitotoxicity.
Cholinergic Drugs - ANS✔✔-Drugs that affect acetylcholine receptors, including
agonists, anticholinesterases, and anticholinergics.
Dopaminergic Agents - ANS✔✔-Drugs that target dopamine pathways, including
agonists, reuptake inhibitors, and antagonists.
Serotonergic Agents - ANS✔✔-Drugs that affect serotonin levels, including SSRIs,
SNRIs, and various agonists and antagonists.
GABAergic Agents - ANS✔✔-Drugs that enhance GABA activity, including GABA-A
agonists and GABA analogs.
Glutamatergic Modulators - ANS✔✔-Drugs that modulate glutamate activity, including
NMDA antagonists and AMPA modulators.
Parkinson's Disease - ANS✔✔-Characterized by decreased dopamine in the substantia
nigra, treated with levodopa and dopamine agonists.
Alzheimer's Disease - ANS✔✔-Characterized by decreased acetylcholine and amyloid
& tau accumulation, treated with cholinesterase inhibitors.
Epilepsy - ANS✔✔-Characterized by excess neuronal firing, treated with GABA
enhancers and sodium channel blockers.
Depression - ANS✔✔-Characterized by decreased monoamines (5-HT, NE, DA),
treated with SSRIs and SNRIs.
Anxiety - ANS✔✔-Characterized by a hyperactive limbic system, treated with SSRIs
and benzodiazepines.
, D116 WGU ADVANCED PHARMACOLOGY STUDY
GUIDE
LATEST ACTUAL COMPLETE REAL EXAM
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT VERIFIED ANSWERS/
ALREADY GRADED A+
Schizophrenia - ANS✔✔-Characterized by increased dopamine in the mesolimbic
pathway, treated with D2 antagonists.
Migraine - ANS✔✔-Characterized by vascular and serotonin dysregulation, treated with
triptans and beta blockers.
Multiple Sclerosis - ANS✔✔-Characterized by autoimmune demyelination, treated with
immunomodulators and steroids.
Antipsychotics - ANS✔✔-Watch for extrapyramidal symptoms, QT prolongation, and
increased prolactin.
SSRIs/SNRIs - ANS✔✔-Watch for sexual dysfunction and serotonin syndrome.
MAOIs - ANS✔✔-Watch for hypertensive crisis when consuming tyramine foods.
Anticholinergics - ANS✔✔-Watch for dry mouth, urinary retention, and confusion,
especially in the elderly.
Levodopa - ANS✔✔-Watch for dyskinesias and hallucinations.
Benzodiazepines - ANS✔✔-Watch for dependence, withdrawal, and sedation.
BALSA - ANS✔✔-Mnemonic for Parkinson's: Bromocriptine, Amantadine, Levodopa,
Selegiline, Antimuscarinics
BAD TRIP - ANS✔✔-Mnemonic for serotonin syndrome: Benzos, Agitation,
Diaphoresis, Tachycardia, Reflexes ↑, Incoordination, Pyrexia
Direct Muscarinic Agonists - ANS✔✔-Drugs that bind directly to muscarinic receptors
and activate them.
Pilocarpine - ANS✔✔-Used for glaucoma and xerostomia (dry mouth).
Bethanechol - ANS✔✔-Used for urinary retention and postoperative ileus.
Carbachol - ANS✔✔-Used for glaucoma (rarely used).
Methacholine - ANS✔✔-Used as a diagnostic test for bronchial hyperreactivity.
Cevimeline - ANS✔✔-Used for xerostomia in Sjögren's syndrome.
Muscarine - ANS✔✔-Found in some poisonous mushrooms (not used clinically).
Indirect Muscarinic Agonists - ANS✔✔-Cholinesterase Inhibitors that inhibit
acetylcholinesterase, increasing endogenous acetylcholine levels.
Neostigmine - ANS✔✔-Used for myasthenia gravis and postoperative ileus.
Physostigmine - ANS✔✔-Used for anticholinergic toxicity (e.g., atropine overdose).
Donepezil - ANS✔✔-Used for Alzheimer's disease.
Rivastigmine - ANS✔✔-Used for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's dementia.
Pyridostigmine - ANS✔✔-Used for myasthenia gravis.
Edrophonium - ANS✔✔-Historically used in diagnosis of myasthenia gravis.
Key Muscarinic Effects - ANS✔✔-SLUDGE-M: Salivation, Lacrimation, Urination,
Diarrhea, Gastrointestinal motility, Emesis, Miosis (pupil constriction), bradycardia,
bronchoconstriction.
, D116 WGU ADVANCED PHARMACOLOGY STUDY
GUIDE
LATEST ACTUAL COMPLETE REAL EXAM
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT VERIFIED ANSWERS/
ALREADY GRADED A+
Anticholinergic Drugs - ANS✔✔-Medications that block the action of acetylcholine (ACh)
at muscarinic receptors.
Mechanism of Action of Anticholinergics - ANS✔✔-Most are muscarinic antagonists that
competitively inhibit ACh at muscarinic receptors (M1-M5).
Benztropine - ANS✔✔-Used for Parkinson's disease and drug-induced EPS.
Trihexyphenidyl - ANS✔✔-Used for Parkinson's disease.
Scopolamine - ANS✔✔-Used for motion sickness (transdermal patch).
Ipratropium - ANS✔✔-Used for COPD and asthma (short-acting).
Tiotropium - ANS✔✔-Used for COPD (long-acting).
Aclidinium - ANS✔✔-Used for COPD.
Umeclidinium - ANS✔✔-Used for COPD.
Oxybutynin - ANS✔✔-Used for overactive bladder and urinary incontinence.
Tolterodine - ANS✔✔-Used for overactive bladder.
Solifenacin - ANS✔✔-Used for overactive bladder.
Dicyclomine - ANS✔✔-Used for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Hyoscyamine - ANS✔✔-Used for GI spasms.
Atropine - ANS✔✔-Used for bradycardia, organophosphate poisoning, and pre-op
secretion reduction.
Anticholinergic Syndrome - ANS✔✔-High doses or overdose can cause toxicity: 'Dry as
a bone', 'Blind as a bat', 'Hot as a hare', 'Red as a beet', 'Mad as a hatter', 'Full as a
flask'.
Direct-Acting Cholinergic Agonists - ANS✔✔-Drugs that bind directly to and activate
cholinergic receptors.
Bethanechol (Direct) - ANS✔✔-Muscarinic receptor type, used for urinary retention and
neurogenic bladder.
Pilocarpine (Direct) - ANS✔✔-Muscarinic receptor type, used for glaucoma and
xerostomia.
Cevimeline (Direct) - ANS✔✔-Muscarinic (M3) receptor type, used for xerostomia in
Sjögren's syndrome.
Carbachol (Direct) - ANS✔✔-Muscarinic & Nicotinic receptor type, used for glaucoma.
Methacholine (Direct) - ANS✔✔-Muscarinic receptor type, used for bronchial challenge
test (asthma diagnosis).
Nicotine (Direct) - ANS✔✔-Nicotinic (Nn, Nm) receptor type, used for smoking cessation
(patch/gum).
Varenicline (Direct) - ANS✔✔-Nicotinic partial agonist, used for smoking cessation.
Indirect-Acting Cholinergic Agonists - ANS✔✔-Cholinesterase Inhibitors that inhibit
acetylcholinesterase, enhancing cholinergic signaling.
