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WILKES UNIVERSITY
NSG 552
EXAM 1
CERTIFICATION / COURSE EXAM
2026/2027
PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
EXAM PRACTICE QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWERS
PLUS DETAILED RATIONALES
# ✓ i ■
145 CORRECT DETAILED LATEST
PRACTICE ANSWERS RATIONALES 2026/2027
QUESTIONS CONTENT
NURSING
,Wilkes University NSG 552 Exam 1 (pdf) | 2026/2027 |
Psychopharmacology Q&A | Nursing
A patient with depression mentions to the nurse, My mother says depression is a
chemical disorder. What does she mean? The nurses response is based on the
theory that depression primarily involves which of the following
neurotransmitters?
A. Cortisol and GABA
B. COMT and glutamate
C. Monamine and glycine
D. Serotonin and norepinephrine
Correct Answer: D. Serotonin and norepinephrine
Expert Rationale: The monoamine hypothesis of depression posits that depression results
from a deficiency in serotonin and norepinephrine (and dopamine) in the synaptic cleft.
Antidepressants work by increasing these neurotransmitters. Cortisol is associated with
stress response, GABA with anxiety, and COMT/glutamate with other pathways — not the
primary theory of depression.
A patient has experienced a stroke (cerebral vascular accident) that has resulted in
damage to the Broca area. Which evaluation does 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 patients blood pressure
D. Comparing the patients grip strength in both hands
Correct Answer: B. Asking the patient to recite the alphabet
Expert Rationale: Broca's area (left frontal lobe) controls expressive speech/motor speech.
Damage causes expressive aphasia — the patient understands but cannot produce fluent
speech. Asking the patient to recite the alphabet assesses speech production. Picking up a
spoon tests motor function, BP is unrelated, and grip strength tests motor strength.
,The patient diagnosed with schizophrenia asks why psychotropic medications are
always prescribed by the doctor. The nurses answer will be based on information
that the therapeutic action of psychotropic drugs is the result of their effect on:
A. The temporal lobe; especially Wernickes area
B. Dendrites and their ability to transmit electrical impulses
C. The regulation of neurotransmitters especially dopamine
D. The peripheral nervous system sensitivity to the psychotropic medications
Correct Answer: C. The regulation of neurotransmitters especially dopamine
Expert Rationale: Psychotropic medications, especially antipsychotics, work primarily by
regulating neurotransmitters — particularly dopamine (dopamine hypothesis of
schizophrenia). They block dopamine receptors in mesolimbic/mesocortical pathways.
Wernicke's area is for receptive speech, dendrites transmit impulses, and the PNS is not
the primary target.
A student nurse mutters that it seems entirely unnecessary to have to struggle
with understanding the anatomy and physiology of the neurologic system. The
mentor would base a response on the understanding that it is:
A. Necessary but generally for psychiatric nurses who focus primarily on behavioral
interventions
B. A complex undertaking that advance practice psychiatric nurses frequently use in their
practice
C. Important primarily for the nursing assessment of patients with brain trauma caused
cognitive symptoms
D. Necessary for planning psychiatric care for all patients especially those experiencing
psychiatric disorders
Correct Answer: D. Necessary for planning psychiatric care for all patients especially
those experiencing psychiatric disorders
Expert Rationale: Neurologic anatomy and physiology is foundational for all psychiatric
nursing practice, as psychiatric disorders have neurobiologic bases and psychotropic
, medications act on the nervous system. It is not limited to behavioral interventions, brain
trauma, or advanced practice nurses only.
A patient asks the nurse, My wife has breast cancer. Could it be caused by her
chronic depression? Which response is supported by research data?
A. Too much stress has been proven to cause all kinds of cancer.
B. There have been no research studies done on stress and disease yet.
C. Stress does cause the release of factors that suppress the immune system.
D. There appears to be little connection between stress and diseases of the body
Correct Answer: C. Stress does cause the release of factors that suppress the immune
system.
Expert Rationale: Research supports that chronic stress leads to elevated cortisol and
catecholamines, which suppress immune function (decreased NK cell activity, lymphocyte
proliferation). This may indirectly increase cancer risk. Stress has not been proven to cause
all cancers, studies do exist, and there is a connection between stress and disease.
A patient who has a parietal lobe injury is being evaluated for psychiatric
rehabilitation needs. Of the aspects of functioning listed, which will the nurse
identify as a focus of nursing intervention?
A. Expression of emotion
B. Detecting auditory stimuli
C. Receiving visual images
D. Processing associations
Correct Answer: D. Processing associations
Expert Rationale: The parietal lobe integrates sensory information and processes
associations (e.g., spatial awareness, body position, sensory interpretation). The frontal
lobe handles emotion expression, temporal lobe detects auditory stimuli, and occipital lobe
receives visual images.
WILKES UNIVERSITY
NSG 552
EXAM 1
CERTIFICATION / COURSE EXAM
2026/2027
PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
EXAM PRACTICE QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWERS
PLUS DETAILED RATIONALES
# ✓ i ■
145 CORRECT DETAILED LATEST
PRACTICE ANSWERS RATIONALES 2026/2027
QUESTIONS CONTENT
NURSING
,Wilkes University NSG 552 Exam 1 (pdf) | 2026/2027 |
Psychopharmacology Q&A | Nursing
A patient with depression mentions to the nurse, My mother says depression is a
chemical disorder. What does she mean? The nurses response is based on the
theory that depression primarily involves which of the following
neurotransmitters?
A. Cortisol and GABA
B. COMT and glutamate
C. Monamine and glycine
D. Serotonin and norepinephrine
Correct Answer: D. Serotonin and norepinephrine
Expert Rationale: The monoamine hypothesis of depression posits that depression results
from a deficiency in serotonin and norepinephrine (and dopamine) in the synaptic cleft.
Antidepressants work by increasing these neurotransmitters. Cortisol is associated with
stress response, GABA with anxiety, and COMT/glutamate with other pathways — not the
primary theory of depression.
A patient has experienced a stroke (cerebral vascular accident) that has resulted in
damage to the Broca area. Which evaluation does 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 patients blood pressure
D. Comparing the patients grip strength in both hands
Correct Answer: B. Asking the patient to recite the alphabet
Expert Rationale: Broca's area (left frontal lobe) controls expressive speech/motor speech.
Damage causes expressive aphasia — the patient understands but cannot produce fluent
speech. Asking the patient to recite the alphabet assesses speech production. Picking up a
spoon tests motor function, BP is unrelated, and grip strength tests motor strength.
,The patient diagnosed with schizophrenia asks why psychotropic medications are
always prescribed by the doctor. The nurses answer will be based on information
that the therapeutic action of psychotropic drugs is the result of their effect on:
A. The temporal lobe; especially Wernickes area
B. Dendrites and their ability to transmit electrical impulses
C. The regulation of neurotransmitters especially dopamine
D. The peripheral nervous system sensitivity to the psychotropic medications
Correct Answer: C. The regulation of neurotransmitters especially dopamine
Expert Rationale: Psychotropic medications, especially antipsychotics, work primarily by
regulating neurotransmitters — particularly dopamine (dopamine hypothesis of
schizophrenia). They block dopamine receptors in mesolimbic/mesocortical pathways.
Wernicke's area is for receptive speech, dendrites transmit impulses, and the PNS is not
the primary target.
A student nurse mutters that it seems entirely unnecessary to have to struggle
with understanding the anatomy and physiology of the neurologic system. The
mentor would base a response on the understanding that it is:
A. Necessary but generally for psychiatric nurses who focus primarily on behavioral
interventions
B. A complex undertaking that advance practice psychiatric nurses frequently use in their
practice
C. Important primarily for the nursing assessment of patients with brain trauma caused
cognitive symptoms
D. Necessary for planning psychiatric care for all patients especially those experiencing
psychiatric disorders
Correct Answer: D. Necessary for planning psychiatric care for all patients especially
those experiencing psychiatric disorders
Expert Rationale: Neurologic anatomy and physiology is foundational for all psychiatric
nursing practice, as psychiatric disorders have neurobiologic bases and psychotropic
, medications act on the nervous system. It is not limited to behavioral interventions, brain
trauma, or advanced practice nurses only.
A patient asks the nurse, My wife has breast cancer. Could it be caused by her
chronic depression? Which response is supported by research data?
A. Too much stress has been proven to cause all kinds of cancer.
B. There have been no research studies done on stress and disease yet.
C. Stress does cause the release of factors that suppress the immune system.
D. There appears to be little connection between stress and diseases of the body
Correct Answer: C. Stress does cause the release of factors that suppress the immune
system.
Expert Rationale: Research supports that chronic stress leads to elevated cortisol and
catecholamines, which suppress immune function (decreased NK cell activity, lymphocyte
proliferation). This may indirectly increase cancer risk. Stress has not been proven to cause
all cancers, studies do exist, and there is a connection between stress and disease.
A patient who has a parietal lobe injury is being evaluated for psychiatric
rehabilitation needs. Of the aspects of functioning listed, which will the nurse
identify as a focus of nursing intervention?
A. Expression of emotion
B. Detecting auditory stimuli
C. Receiving visual images
D. Processing associations
Correct Answer: D. Processing associations
Expert Rationale: The parietal lobe integrates sensory information and processes
associations (e.g., spatial awareness, body position, sensory interpretation). The frontal
lobe handles emotion expression, temporal lobe detects auditory stimuli, and occipital lobe
receives visual images.
