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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.
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The nurse is caring for a patient who has experienced damage to the parietal lobes of the brain. The nurse anticipates that the patient will have difficulty with which of the following?
- A. Perceiving sensory input
- B. Calculating a math problem
- C. Seeing objects in front of him
- D. Speaking fluently
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The parietal lobes process sensory information, such as touch and spatial awareness. Damage can impair sensory perception. Calculating math problems involves the frontal and parietal lobes but is less specific, seeing objects relates to the occipital lobe, and fluent speech involves Broca?s area.
A nurse is reading a journal article about psychoneuroimmunology. Which information would the nurse most likely find? Select all that apply.
- A. Neurotoxin?s role in receptor site damage
- B. Hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis disruption
- C. Static activity of natural killer cells in response to stress
- D. Hypothalamic damage leading to immune dysfunction
- E. Interruption in the typical circadian rhythm cycle
Correct Answer: B,D,E
Rationale: Psychoneuroimmunology studies interactions between the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. Hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis disruption (B), hypothalamic damage leading to immune dysfunction (D), and circadian rhythm interruptions (E) are relevant, as they link stress and brain function to immune responses. Neurotoxins (A) are less central, and natural killer cells are not static (C) but increase with stress.
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.
The nurse is assessing a patient experiencing anxiety and observes increased sweating and gooseflesh. The nurse understands that these are the result of which substance?
- A. Acetylcholine
- B. Norepinephrine
- C. Serotonin
- D. Histamine
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Norepinephrine, part of the sympathetic nervous system, triggers physiological responses like sweating and gooseflesh during anxiety (fight-or-flight response). Acetylcholine is parasympathetic, serotonin regulates mood, and histamine is involved in allergic responses.
A patient with depression tells the nurse that he is to have a test that involves the recording of an electroencephalogram (EEG) throughout the night. The nurse most likely identifies this testing as which of the following?
- A. Sleep deprivation EEG
- B. Polysomnography
- C. Evoked potentials
- D. Functional magnetic resonance imaging
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Polysomnography involves overnight EEG recording to assess sleep patterns, often used in depression to evaluate sleep disturbances. Sleep deprivation EEG requires staying awake, evoked potentials test sensory responses, and fMRI measures brain activity, not sleep.