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A nurse is developing a plan of care for a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia. The nurse integrates knowledge of this disorder, identifying which neurotransmitter as being primarily involved?
- A. Acetylcholine
- B. Dopamine
- C. Norepinephrine
- D. Serotonin
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Schizophrenia is primarily associated with dopamine dysregulation, particularly in the mesolimbic pathway, contributing to symptoms like hallucinations. Acetylcholine, norepinephrine, and serotonin play roles in other disorders but are not primary in schizophrenia.
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When describing the various neurotransmitters, which of the following would the nurse identify as the primary cholinergic neurotransmitter?
- A. Dopamine
- B. Acetylcholine
- C. Norepinephrine
- D. Serotonin
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Acetylcholine is the primary cholinergic neurotransmitter, acting in the parasympathetic nervous system and at neuromuscular junctions. Dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin are monoamine neurotransmitters, not cholinergic.
Which of the following would a nursing instructor identify when describing the area of the brain involved with verbal language function, including areas for both receptive and expressive speech?
- A. Right hemisphere
- B. Parietal lobe
- C. Occipital lobe
- D. Left hemisphere
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The left hemisphere is primarily responsible for verbal language functions, including Broca?s area (expressive speech) and Wernicke?s area (receptive speech). The right hemisphere handles nonverbal functions, the parietal lobe processes sensory information, and the occipital lobe is involved in vision.
A nurse is teaching a medication class to a group of psychiatric patients. One of them asks the nurse why he has so much more trouble learning now when he?s in his 60s than he did when he was younger. Which of the following concepts would the nurse integrate into the response?
- A. The extrapyramidal motor system
- B. The amygdala
- C. Neuroplasticity
- D. Psychoneuroimmunology
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Neuroplasticity refers to the brain?s ability to adapt and form new neural connections, which declines with age, impacting learning and memory. The nurse would explain that reduced neuroplasticity in older age makes learning more challenging. The extrapyramidal motor system affects movement, the amygdala regulates emotions, and psychoneuroimmunology involves immune-brain interactions, none of which directly address learning difficulties.
A nurse is involved in gathering information about the inheritance of mental disorders using population genetics. Which of the following would the nurse be least likely to be evaluating?
- A. Concordance rates
- B. Occurrence in first-degree relatives
- C. Risk factor analysis
- D. Adoptions studies
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Population genetics studies inheritance patterns using concordance rates, first-degree relative occurrences, and adoption studies to isolate genetic vs. environmental factors. Risk factor analysis, while relevant to epidemiology, is less specific to genetic inheritance studies.
When describing neuronal transmission, an instructor describes the area where the electrical intracellular signal becomes a chemical one. The instructor is describing which of the following?
- A. Soma
- B. Synaptic cleft
- C. Terminal
- D. Receptor site
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The synaptic cleft is where the electrical signal (action potential) triggers the release of neurotransmitters, converting the signal to a chemical one. The soma is the cell body, the terminal releases neurotransmitters, and the receptor site binds them.