PsychoPharm Stahl Questions
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 - ANSB. Mesolimbic dopamine pathway
The reactive reward system signals the immediate prospect of pleasure or pain and triggers
drug-seeking behavior.
A. True
B. False - ANSA. True
What role does the amygdala play in substance abuse?
A. Releases phasic bursts of dopamine to the nucleus accumbens when drugs of abuse are
present
B. Communicates to the ventral tegmental area when cues related to drugs of abuse are
present
C. Site of binding for most drugs of abuse
D. A and B E. A, B, and C - ANSB. Communicates to the ventral tegmental area when cues
related to drugs of abuse are present
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 - ANSA. Alpha 4 beta 2 postsynaptic receptors in the ventral tegmental
area
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:
A. Desensitization of nicotinic receptors
B. Resensitization of nicotinic receptors C. Desensitization of muscarinic receptors
D. Resensitization of muscarinic receptors - ANSB. Resensitization of nicotinic receptors
A 44-year-old patient has schizophrenia and comorbid alcohol abuse disorder. Alcohol has
what effect on GABA and glutamate in the ventral tegmental area?
A. Increases GABA and decreases glutamate
B. Increases both GABA and glutamate C. Decreases GABA and increases glutamate
D. Decreases both GABA and glutamate - ANSA. Increases GABA and decreases glutamate
A 26-year-old patient with ADHD has recently entered a drug rehabilitation center following
arrest for possession of cocaine. The cocaine use in this patient may be an attempt at
, self-medication for ADHD symptoms because it inhibits the dopamine transporter (but is not
itself taken up into the neuron by the transporter). Thus, cocaine has the same action at the
dopamine transporter as:
A. Cocaine has the same actions at the dopamine transporter as amphetamine B. Cocaine
has the same actions at - ANSB. Cocaine has the same actions at the dopamine transporter
as methylphenidate
Patrick is a 22-year-old male who recently experienced a psychotic-like episode after trying
MDMA ("ecstasy") while at a party. A key binding site for hallucinogens is the:
A. GABA-A receptor
B. Cannabinoid 1 receptor
C. Serotonin 2A receptor
D. Serotonin 2C receptor - ANSC. Serotonin 2A receptor
29-year-old patient is morbidly obese and reports that he is "addicted to food". Hunger
circuitry is connected to reward circuitry via dopaminergic projections from the hypothalamus
to the nucleus accumbens.
A. True
B. False - ANSA. True
Examples of neurotransmitters produced specifically as retrograde neurotransmitters (i.e.,
those that communicate from postsynaptic neuron to presynaptic neuron) include: A. GABA
B. Galanin
C. Histamine
D. Nitric oxide - ANSD. Nitric oxide
An example of volume neurotransmission is:
A. Dopamine in the prefrontal cortex
B. Dopamine in the striatum
C. Norepinephrine in the prefrontal cortex
D. Norepinephrine in the striatum - ANSA. Dopamine in the prefrontal cortex
In a G protein-linked signal transduction cascade, the second messenger can be
synthesized:
A. Intracellularly
B. Extracellularly
C. Either intra- or extracellularly - ANSA. Intracellularly
Transport of monoamines requires energy, which is supplied by a:
A. Calcium pump
B. Potassium pump
C. Sodium pump - ANSC. Sodium Pump
What is constitutive activity?
A. Signal transduction when an agonist is bound to the receptor
B. Signal transduction when an antagonist to the receptor
C. Signal transduction when an inverse agonist is bound to the receptor
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 - ANSB. Mesolimbic dopamine pathway
The reactive reward system signals the immediate prospect of pleasure or pain and triggers
drug-seeking behavior.
A. True
B. False - ANSA. True
What role does the amygdala play in substance abuse?
A. Releases phasic bursts of dopamine to the nucleus accumbens when drugs of abuse are
present
B. Communicates to the ventral tegmental area when cues related to drugs of abuse are
present
C. Site of binding for most drugs of abuse
D. A and B E. A, B, and C - ANSB. Communicates to the ventral tegmental area when cues
related to drugs of abuse are present
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 - ANSA. Alpha 4 beta 2 postsynaptic receptors in the ventral tegmental
area
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:
A. Desensitization of nicotinic receptors
B. Resensitization of nicotinic receptors C. Desensitization of muscarinic receptors
D. Resensitization of muscarinic receptors - ANSB. Resensitization of nicotinic receptors
A 44-year-old patient has schizophrenia and comorbid alcohol abuse disorder. Alcohol has
what effect on GABA and glutamate in the ventral tegmental area?
A. Increases GABA and decreases glutamate
B. Increases both GABA and glutamate C. Decreases GABA and increases glutamate
D. Decreases both GABA and glutamate - ANSA. Increases GABA and decreases glutamate
A 26-year-old patient with ADHD has recently entered a drug rehabilitation center following
arrest for possession of cocaine. The cocaine use in this patient may be an attempt at
, self-medication for ADHD symptoms because it inhibits the dopamine transporter (but is not
itself taken up into the neuron by the transporter). Thus, cocaine has the same action at the
dopamine transporter as:
A. Cocaine has the same actions at the dopamine transporter as amphetamine B. Cocaine
has the same actions at - ANSB. Cocaine has the same actions at the dopamine transporter
as methylphenidate
Patrick is a 22-year-old male who recently experienced a psychotic-like episode after trying
MDMA ("ecstasy") while at a party. A key binding site for hallucinogens is the:
A. GABA-A receptor
B. Cannabinoid 1 receptor
C. Serotonin 2A receptor
D. Serotonin 2C receptor - ANSC. Serotonin 2A receptor
29-year-old patient is morbidly obese and reports that he is "addicted to food". Hunger
circuitry is connected to reward circuitry via dopaminergic projections from the hypothalamus
to the nucleus accumbens.
A. True
B. False - ANSA. True
Examples of neurotransmitters produced specifically as retrograde neurotransmitters (i.e.,
those that communicate from postsynaptic neuron to presynaptic neuron) include: A. GABA
B. Galanin
C. Histamine
D. Nitric oxide - ANSD. Nitric oxide
An example of volume neurotransmission is:
A. Dopamine in the prefrontal cortex
B. Dopamine in the striatum
C. Norepinephrine in the prefrontal cortex
D. Norepinephrine in the striatum - ANSA. Dopamine in the prefrontal cortex
In a G protein-linked signal transduction cascade, the second messenger can be
synthesized:
A. Intracellularly
B. Extracellularly
C. Either intra- or extracellularly - ANSA. Intracellularly
Transport of monoamines requires energy, which is supplied by a:
A. Calcium pump
B. Potassium pump
C. Sodium pump - ANSC. Sodium Pump
What is constitutive activity?
A. Signal transduction when an agonist is bound to the receptor
B. Signal transduction when an antagonist to the receptor
C. Signal transduction when an inverse agonist is bound to the receptor
