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NR 546 Advanced Pharmacology Psychopharmacology Midterm Exam Review

HEAL100 Health Care — exam and revision material · Other

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Health Care exam material, 27 pages. Originally published on StudyMerit.

Pages
27
Academic year
2025/2026
Language
English

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NR546 – Advanced Pharmacology: Psychopharmacology for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Exam Study Guide – Midterm Exam Exam Format: Non-Cumulative exam Question Type: Multiple Choice Number of Questions : 75 Number of Points: 150 points Time Allotted: 90 Minutes Testing Timeframe: The final exam will be available starting on Wednesday of Week 4 at 12:01 am MT until Saturday of Week 4 at 11:59 pm MT. Exam Coverage Week 1: Content Areas: 1. Introduction to Psychopharmacology 2. Unique Prescribing Considerations 3. Symptom-Based Selection of Medications 4. Medication Adherence 5. Ethical/Legal Considerations 6. Neuroscientific Basis for Behavior o Informed consent o Compliance o Off-label prescribing 7. Genetics and Epigenetics Key Concepts to Study: ● Functional Neuroanatomy : covered in both the course Explore section and readings o Brain anatomy and physiology. o Link symptoms to affected brain areas (e.g., inability to copy a word or drawing → what part of the brain is affected). Gray matter : ● Consists of the cerebellum, cerebrum, brain stem, and the butterfly-shaped portion of the central spinal cord ● Contains neural cell bodies, axon terminals, dendrites , and all nerve synapses ● Working area of the brain, linked to learning ● Changes are linked to psychiatric diagnoses (alzheimers, schizophrenia, MDD) Downloaded by Aisyln Vaughn (samuelkingstone40@gmail.com) lOMoARcPSD|14174986

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White matter: ● Contains nerve fibers that connect neurons from different regions into functional circuits ● “Transit system” ● Breaks in these circuits within the brain affect behavior ● Damage to myelin (coating on neuronal axons) impact sensory and motor function and cognition ● Abnormalities associated with autism and vascular dementia Frontal lobes (action); Very tips of frontal lobe involved in planning a motor movement The frontal lobes are associated with movement (motor control), intelligence, abstract thinking, the ability to organize, personality, behavior, and emotional control. Traumatic brain injuries can result in personality changes, difficulty controlling emotions, and other cognitive functions. Parietal lobe (concerned w/ the ‘where’; right parietal - keeps us alert to what is going on around us) The middle part of the brain, responsible for proprioception, is the home of the somatic senses . This part of the brain helps a person to identify spatial awareness/relationships, interpret pain and touch in the body, and identify and give meaning to objects. Damage to the anterior portion of the parietal lobe may cause astereognosis (the loss of the ability to recognize objects via the sense of touch). This may be experienced by patients with post-cerebral vascular accidents. Temporal lobe (concerned w/ the ‘what’; object identification) The temporal lobe is located on the side of the brain and is involved in short-term memory, speech, processing auditory signals (superior temporal gyrus) , and recognizing smells . It identifies “what” things are – object identification . It contains the limbic system, amygdala, and hippocampus. There are multiple pathways within the temporal lobe that affect object identification and language comprehension , including the ability to understand semantics. A dominant temporal lobe lesion can present as Wernicke’s aphasia. Temporal lobe disorders include dementia, affective disorders, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD). Occipital lobe (Primary visual area) This is the back part of the brain and controls visual processing. Damage to this lobe results in the inability to form visual memories . Bilateral lobe damage results in the inability to recognize items by sight, even though vision is normal. Occipital lobe seizures can cause hallucinations, such as lines of color. Central sulcus This separates the frontal lobe from the parietal lobe. Lateral sulcus This separates the parietal lobe from the temporal cortex. Precentral gyrus (Human Primary Motor Cortex) Contains neurons that send axons to the spinal cord. Dexterity and speech; hands, fingers, lips, tongue. Downloaded by Aisyln Vaughn (samuelkingstone40@gmail.com) lOMoARcPSD|14174986

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Postcentral gyrus Receives information from the skin; primary somatosensory cortex ( touch ) Corpus callosum This controls the communication between the two brain hemispheres. The corpus callosum is involved in attention, impulse control, and emotion regulation. It integrates impulses from both sides of the brain. It is said that Albert Einstein had a very large corpus callosum. Persons with an underdeveloped or missing corpus callosum may have intellectual impairment. Hippocampus This is located deep in the temporal lobes and is involved in anxiety and memory , and shifting short-term to long-term memory . Hippocampal function is impaired in schizophrenia and dementia. There is ongoing research into the role the hippocampus plays in anxiety and decision-making. May play a role in PTSD. Early physical/emotional abuse may cause changes in this area. - In a position to compare information about current state of world w/ information from past and to determine whether we are currently experiencing is familiar or not - Dysfunction can lead to inappropriate levels of anxiety when there is no danger around (panic disorder/PTSD) Amygdala (key in the formation of fear) This is located deep in the temporal lobes and is involved in emotional regulation and perception of odors . All smells travel directly to the amygdala. Cooking smells can elicit memories of childhood events and holidays. A traumatic event can result in the formation of the fear response, causing the fight-or-flight reflex within the autonomic nervous system and affecting the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which leads to the release of stress hormones (e.g., cortisol). The amygdala is also involved in the interpretation of facial expressions and sexual stimuli. Thalamus This is an egg-shaped structure involved in sensory organ and motor command processing (from the frontal cortex & basal ganglia) . All sensory systems except for the olfaction process through the thalamus, which is responsible for processing all external information. The thalamus has been associated with symptoms related to schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). - Hypothalamus ( head ganglion of sympathetic nervous system ): influences ‘fight or flight’ reaction Basal ganglia A group of structures involved in voluntary motor movements, cognition, and emotion . Basal ganglia movement disorders include Parkinson's disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and Tourette syndrome. The striatum is a group of structures that includes the caudate, putamen, and nucleus accumbens. The dorsal striatum contains the caudate nucleus and the putamen. The ventral striatum contains the nucleus accumbens. Both are involved in facilitating voluntary movement. Downloaded by Aisyln Vaughn (samuelkingstone40@gmail.com) lOMoARcPSD|14174986

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