Advanced Pharmacology Psychopharmacology for the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Midterm Exam

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NR 546 Advanced Pharmacology Psychopharmacology

for the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Midterm Exam



1. Which of the following is considered the pleasure center of the brain?

A. Cortico-striatal-thalamic-cortical loop

B. Mesolimbic dopamine pathway

C. Mesocortical dopamine pathway

D. None of the above

:Ans>> B. Mesolimbic dopamine pathway

2. A 35-year-old cigarette smoker would like to quit but is nervous because she

typically craves a cigarette approximately every 2 hrs. The craving and

withdrawal are due to :Ans>>

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A. Desensitization of nicotinic receptors

B. Resensitization of nicotinic receptors

C. Desensitization of muscarinic receptors

D. Resensitization of muscarinic receptors

:Ans>> D. Resensitization of muscarinicreceptors

3. The reactive reward system signals the immediate prospect of pleasure orpain

and triggers drug-seeking behavior.

A. True

B. False

:Ans>> True

4. What role does the amygdala play in substance abuse?

A. Releases phasic bursts of dopamine to the nucleus accumbens when drugsof abuse

are present

B. Communicates to the ventral tegmental area when cues related to drugs ofabuse

are present

C. Site of binding for most drugs of abuse

D. A and B

E. A, B, and C

:Ans>> B. Communicates to the ventral tegmental area when cues relatedto drugs of

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abuse are present

5. A 45-year-old patient has tried unsuccessfully to quit smoking several times over

the past ten years. Nicotine's actions at which receptors are considered primarily

responsible for its reinforcing effects?

A. Alpha 4 beta 2 postsynaptic receptors in the ventral tegmental area

B. Alpha 7 postsynaptic receptors in the prefrontal cortex C. A and B

D. Neither A nor B

:Ans>> A. Alpha 4 beta 2 postsynaptic receptors in the ventral tegmentalarea

6. A 35-year-old cigarette smoker would like to quit but is nervous because she

typically craves a cigarette approximately every 2 hrs. The craving and

withdrawal are due to

:Ans>>

A. Desensitization of nicotinic receptors

B. Resensitization of nicotinic receptors

C. Desensitization of muscarinic receptors

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D. Resensitization of muscarinic receptors pu pu pu




B. Resensitization
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pu receptors
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:Ans>> B.Resensitization of nicotinic receptors
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7. A 44-year-old patient has schizophrenia and comorbid alcohol abuse disor- der.
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pu Alcohol has what effect on GABA and glutamate in the ventral tegmentalarea?
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A. Increases GABA and decreases glutamate pu pu pu pu




B. Increases both GABA and glutamate pu pu pu pu




C. Decreases GABA and increases glutamate pu pu pu pu




D. Decreases both GABA and glutamate pu pu pu pu




:Ans>> A. Increases GABA and decreasesglutamate
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8. A 26-year-old patient with ADHD has recently entered a drug rehabilitation
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center following arrest for possession of cocaine. The cocaine use in this patient
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pu may be an attempt at self-medication for ADHD symptoms because
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it inhibits the dopamine transporter (but is not itself taken up into the neuronby the
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pu transporter). Thus, cocaine has the same action at the dopamine trans- porter as
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:Ans>>

A. Cocaine has the same actions at the dopamine transporter as amphetamine
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B. Cocaine has the same actions at the dopamine transporter as
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methylphenidate
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