NR 546 / NR546 Final Exam 2023 (Accurate Answers Graded A)

NR 546 / NR546 Actual Final Exam 2023 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 Answer- B. Mesolimbic dopamine pathway 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 Answer- D. Resensitization of muscarinic receptors The reactive reward system signals the immediate prospect of pleasure or pain and triggers drug-seeking behavior. A. True B. False Answer- 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 Answer- B. 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 Answer- A. 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 B. Resensitization of nicotinic receptors Answer- B. 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 Answer- A. Increases GABA and decreases glutamate A 26-year-old patient with ADHD has recently entered a drug rehabilitation center following an 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 the dopamine transporter as methylphenidate C. A and B Answer- B. 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 Answer- C. 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 Answer- A. 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 Answer- D. 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 A. Dopamine in the prefrontal cort Answer- 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 Answer- A. Intracellularly Transport of monoamines requires energy, which is supplied by a: A. Calcium pump B. Potassium pump C. Sodium pump Answer- c. Sodium Pump 14. 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 transudction when an inverse agonist is bound to the receptor D. Signal transduction when no agonist or inverse agonist is bound to the recep Answer- D. Signal transduction when no agonist or inverse agonist is bound to the recep A partial agonist has what effect on neurotransmission? A. Net agonism when neurotransmission is deficient B. Net antagonism when neurotransmission is excessive C. A and B D. Neither A nor B Answer- C. A and B receptor with four transmembrane regions changes conformation as GABA binds. Which system is this process describing? A. Presynaptic transporter B. Ligand-gated ion channel C. Voltage-sensitive ion chann Answer- B. Ligand-gated ion channel The known receptor sites for ligand-gated ion channels are: A. Inside the channel B. Outside the channel C. Both inside and outside the channel D. Ligand-gated ion channels do not have receptor sites Answer- C. Both inside and outside the channel receptor will stop responding to an agonist: A. When the agonist stops binding to it B. When the receptor becomes desensitized C. When the receptor becomes inactivated D. A and C E. A, B, and C Answer- E. A, B, and C