Test Bank for Stahl's Essential
Psychopharmacology, 5th Edition
**1. A patient with depression tells the nurse, "My mother says depression is a chemical disorder."
What is the best response based on the theory that depression primarily involves which
neurotransmitters?**
A) Cortisol and GABA
B) COMT and glutamate
C) Monoamine and glycine
D) Serotonin and norepinephrine
**Answer: D**
*Rationale:* Depression is thought to involve one or more neurotransmitters. Serotonin and
norepinephrine have been found to be important in the regulation of depression. There is no research
to support that the other options play a significant role in the development of depression .
**2. A patient has experienced a stroke that has resulted in damage to the Broca area. Which
evaluation would the nurse conduct to reinforce this diagnosis?**
A) Observing the patient pick up a spoon
B) Asking the patient to recite the alphabet
C) Monitoring the patient's blood pressure
D) Comparing the patient's grip strength in both hands
**Answer: B**
*Rationale:* Accidents or strokes that damage Broca's area may result in motor aphasia, or the
inability to speak. Fine motor skills, blood pressure control, and muscle strength are not controlled by
Broca's area of the left frontal lobe .
**3. The patient diagnosed with schizophrenia asks why psychotropic medications are prescribed. The
nurse's answer will be based on information that the therapeutic action of psychotropic drugs results
from their effect on what?**
A) The temporal lobe, especially Wernicke's area
B) Dendrites and their ability to transmit electrical impulses
, C) The regulation of neurotransmitters, especially dopamine
D) The peripheral nervous system sensitivity to psychotropic medications
**Answer: C**
*Rationale:* Medications used to treat psychiatric disorders operate in and around the synaptic cleft
and have action at the neurotransmitter level, especially in the case of schizophrenia, on dopamine.
Other options are not relevant to either schizophrenia or psychotropic medications .
**4. A nursing student is reviewing the process of neurotransmitter release. Which sequence
correctly describes the key steps in chemical neurotransmission, from the arrival of an action
potential to the generation of a postsynaptic potential?**
A) Docking → Priming → Fusion → Release → Diffusion → Receptor Binding
B) Fusion → Priming → Docking → Release → Receptor Binding
C) Priming → Docking → Fusion → Release → Diffusion
D) Docking → Fusion → Priming → Release → Receptor Binding
**Answer: A**
*Rationale:* The correct sequence is Docking → Priming → Fusion → Release → Diffusion → Receptor
Binding. Vesicles first dock at the membrane, then prime, fuse, release neurotransmitters, which then
diffuse across the synapse to bind receptors .
**5. A patient's synaptic terminals fail to release neurotransmitter despite normal action-potential
arrival. Which presynaptic mechanism is the most likely direct cause?**
A) Failure of voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channel opening leading to reduced intracellular Ca²⁺
B) Increased postsynaptic receptor internalization decreasing signal detection
C) Excessive monoamine oxidase activity in the synaptic cleft degrading neurotransmitter
D) Upregulation of postsynaptic second-messenger systems causing negative feedback
**Answer: A**
*Rationale:* Voltage-gated calcium channels must open to allow calcium influx, which triggers vesicle
fusion and neurotransmitter release. Failure at this step directly prevents release despite normal
action potentials .
---
## Chapter 2: Receptors and Neurotransmitter Systems
Psychopharmacology, 5th Edition
**1. A patient with depression tells the nurse, "My mother says depression is a chemical disorder."
What is the best response based on the theory that depression primarily involves which
neurotransmitters?**
A) Cortisol and GABA
B) COMT and glutamate
C) Monoamine and glycine
D) Serotonin and norepinephrine
**Answer: D**
*Rationale:* Depression is thought to involve one or more neurotransmitters. Serotonin and
norepinephrine have been found to be important in the regulation of depression. There is no research
to support that the other options play a significant role in the development of depression .
**2. A patient has experienced a stroke that has resulted in damage to the Broca area. Which
evaluation would the nurse conduct to reinforce this diagnosis?**
A) Observing the patient pick up a spoon
B) Asking the patient to recite the alphabet
C) Monitoring the patient's blood pressure
D) Comparing the patient's grip strength in both hands
**Answer: B**
*Rationale:* Accidents or strokes that damage Broca's area may result in motor aphasia, or the
inability to speak. Fine motor skills, blood pressure control, and muscle strength are not controlled by
Broca's area of the left frontal lobe .
**3. The patient diagnosed with schizophrenia asks why psychotropic medications are prescribed. The
nurse's answer will be based on information that the therapeutic action of psychotropic drugs results
from their effect on what?**
A) The temporal lobe, especially Wernicke's area
B) Dendrites and their ability to transmit electrical impulses
, C) The regulation of neurotransmitters, especially dopamine
D) The peripheral nervous system sensitivity to psychotropic medications
**Answer: C**
*Rationale:* Medications used to treat psychiatric disorders operate in and around the synaptic cleft
and have action at the neurotransmitter level, especially in the case of schizophrenia, on dopamine.
Other options are not relevant to either schizophrenia or psychotropic medications .
**4. A nursing student is reviewing the process of neurotransmitter release. Which sequence
correctly describes the key steps in chemical neurotransmission, from the arrival of an action
potential to the generation of a postsynaptic potential?**
A) Docking → Priming → Fusion → Release → Diffusion → Receptor Binding
B) Fusion → Priming → Docking → Release → Receptor Binding
C) Priming → Docking → Fusion → Release → Diffusion
D) Docking → Fusion → Priming → Release → Receptor Binding
**Answer: A**
*Rationale:* The correct sequence is Docking → Priming → Fusion → Release → Diffusion → Receptor
Binding. Vesicles first dock at the membrane, then prime, fuse, release neurotransmitters, which then
diffuse across the synapse to bind receptors .
**5. A patient's synaptic terminals fail to release neurotransmitter despite normal action-potential
arrival. Which presynaptic mechanism is the most likely direct cause?**
A) Failure of voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channel opening leading to reduced intracellular Ca²⁺
B) Increased postsynaptic receptor internalization decreasing signal detection
C) Excessive monoamine oxidase activity in the synaptic cleft degrading neurotransmitter
D) Upregulation of postsynaptic second-messenger systems causing negative feedback
**Answer: A**
*Rationale:* Voltage-gated calcium channels must open to allow calcium influx, which triggers vesicle
fusion and neurotransmitter release. Failure at this step directly prevents release despite normal
action potentials .
---
## Chapter 2: Receptors and Neurotransmitter Systems
