Chapter 4: Concepts of Psychobiology

Multiple Choice

Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

 

____       1)  A depressed client states, “I have a chemical imbalance in my brain. I have no control over my behavior. Medications are my only hope to feel normal again.” Which nursing response is appropriate?

A.	“Medications only address biological factors. Environmental and interpersonal factors must also be considered.”
B.	“Because biological factors are the sole cause of depression, medications will improve your mood.”
C.	“Environmental factors have been shown to exert the most influence in the development of depression.”
D.	“Researchers have been unable to demonstrate a link between nature (biology and genetics) and nurture (environment).”

 

 

____       2.   A client diagnosed with major depressive disorder asks, “What part of my brain controls my emotions?” Which nursing response is appropriate?

A.	“The occipital lobe governs perceptions, judging them as positive or negative.”
B.	“The parietal lobe has been linked to depression.”
C.	“The medulla regulates key biological and psychological activities.”
D.	“The limbic system is largely responsible for one’s emotional state.”

 

 

____       3.   Which part of the nervous system should a nurse identify as playing a major role during stressful situations?

A.	Peripheral nervous system
B.	Somatic nervous system
C.	Sympathetic nervous system
D.	Parasympathetic nervous system

 

 

____       4.   Which client statement reflects an understanding of the effect of circadian rhythms on psychopathology?

A.	“When I dream about my mother’s horrible train accident, I become hysterical.”
B.	“I get really irritable during my menstrual cycle.”
C.	“I’m a morning person. I get my best work done in the a.m.”
D.	“Every February, I tend to experience periods of sadness.”

 

 

____       5.   Which types of adoption studies should a nurse recognize as providing useful information for the psychiatric community?

A.	Studies in which children with mentally ill biological parents are raised by adoptive parents who were mentally healthy
B.	Studies in which children with mentally healthy biological parents are raised by adoptive parents who were mentally ill
C.	Studies in which monozygotic twins from mentally ill parents were raised separately by different adoptive parents
D.	Studies in which monozygotic twins were raised together by mentally ill biological parents
E.	All of the above

 

 

____       6.   Six months after her husband and children were killed in a car accident, a client is diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. The nurse should recognize that this situation validates which study perspective?

A.	The study of neuroendocrinology
B.	The study of psychoimmunology
C.	The study of diagnostic technology
D.	The study of neurophysiology

 

 

____       7.   A withdrawn client diagnosed with schizophrenia expresses little emotion and refuses to attend group therapy. What altered component of the nervous system should a nurse recognize as being responsible for this behavior?

A.	Dendrites
B.	Axons
C.	Neurotransmitters
D.	Synapses

 

 

____       8.   An instructor is teaching nursing students about neurotransmitters. Which term best explains the process of how neurotransmitters released into the synaptic cleft may return to the presynaptic neuron?

A.	Regeneration
B.	Reuptake
C.	Recycling
D.	Retransmission

 

 

____       9.   A nurse concludes that a restless, agitated client is manifesting a “fight-or-flight” response. The nurse should associate this response with which neurotransmitter?

A.	Acetylcholine
B.	Dopamine
C.	Serotonin
D.	Norepinephrine

 

 

____     10.   A client is admitted to a psychiatric unit with the diagnosis of catatonic schizophrenia. Which of the client’s neurotransmitters should a nurse expect to be elevated?

A.	Serotonin
B.	Dopamine
C.	Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
D.	Histamine

 

 

____     11.   A client’s wife of 34 years dies unexpectedly. The client cries often and becomes socially isolated. The client’s therapist encourages open discussion of feelings, proper nutrition, and exercise. What is the best rationale for the therapist’s advice?

A.	The therapist is using an interpersonal approach.
B.	The client has an alteration in neurotransmitters.
C.	It is routine practice to remind clients about nutrition, exercise, and rest.
D.	The client is susceptible to illness due to effects of stress on the immune system.

 

 

____     12.   Which mental illness should a nurse identify as being associated with a decrease in prolactin hormone level?

A.	Major depression
B.	Schizophrenia
C.	Anorexia nervosa
D.	Alzheimer’s disease

 

 

____     13.   Which cerebral structure should a nursing instructor describe to students as the “emotional brain”?

A.	The cerebellum
B.	The limbic system
C.	The cortex
D.	The left temporal lobe

 

 

____     14.   A nurse understands that the abnormal secretion of growth hormone may play a role in which illness?

A.	Acute mania
B.	Schizophrenia
C.	Anorexia nervosa
D.	Alzheimer’s disease

 

 

____     15.   A client is admitted to an emergency department experiencing memory deficits and decreased motor function. What alteration in brain chemistry should a nurse correlate with the presentation of these symptoms?

A.	Abnormal levels of serotonin
B.	Decreased levels of dopamine
C.	Increased levels of norepinephrine
D.	Decreased levels of acetylcholine

 

 

____     16.   A nurse should recognize that a decrease in norepinephrine levels would play a significant role in which mental illness?

A.	Mania
B.	Schizophrenia
C.	Anxiety
D.	Depression

 

 

____     17.   Which client diagnosis should a nurse associate with a decrease in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)?

A.	Alzheimer’s disease
B.	Schizophrenia
C.	Panic disorder
D.	Depression

 

 

____     18.   A nurse should expect that an increase in dopamine activity might play a significant role in the development of which mental illness?

A.	Schizophrenia
B.	Depression
C.	Body dysmorphic disorder
D.	Parkinson’s disease

 

 

____     19.   A nursing instructor is teaching about the monoamine category of neurotransmitters. Which student statement indicates that learning about the function of norepinephrine has occurred?

A.	Norepinephrine functions to regulate movement, coordination, and emotions.
B.	Norepinephrine functions to regulate mood, cognition, and perception.
C.	Norepinephrine functions to regulate arousal, libido, and appetite.
D.	Norepinephrine functions to regulate pain, inflammatory response, and wakefulness.

 

 

____     20.   A student nurse is studying the effect of the drug isocarboxazid (Marplan) on neurobiology. The student should recognize that the neurotransmitter serotonin is catabolized by which enzyme?

A.	Glycosyltransferase
B.	Peptidase
C.	Polymerase
D.	Monoamine oxidase

 

 

____     21.   During a sleep study, a delta rhythm has been recorded for a client experiencing sleep apnea. The nurse recognizes the characteristic that is associated with this rhythm. What stage of sleep activity would be documented?

A.	Delta rhythm is a period of dozing occurring in stage 1 of sleep activity.
B.	Delta rhythm is a period of deep and restful sleep occurring in stage 3 of sleep activity.
C.	Delta rhythm is a period of relaxed waking occurring in stage 0 of sleep activity.
D.	Delta rhythm is a period of dreaming occurring in stage 2 of sleep activity.

 

 

Multiple Response

Identify one or more choices that best complete the statement or answer the question.

 

____     22.   Which of the following information should a nurse include when explaining causes of anorexia nervosa to a client? (Select all that apply.)

A.	There is a possible correlation between abnormal secretion of growth hormone and anorexia nervosa.
B.	There is a possible correlation between antidiuretic hormone levels and anorexia nervosa.
C.	There is a possible correlation between low levels of gonadotropin and anorexia nervosa.
D.	There is a possible correlation between increased levels of prolactin and anorexia nervosa.
E.	There is a possible correlation between altered levels of oxytocin and anorexia nervosa.

 

 

____     23.   Which of the following symptoms should a nurse associate with increased levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in a newly admitted client? (Select all that apply.)

A.	Depression
B.	Fatigue
C.	Increased libido
D.	Mania
E.	Hyperexcitability

 

 

____     24.   Which of the following symptoms should a nurse expect to assess in a client experiencing elevated levels of thyroid hormone? (Select all that apply.)

A.	Emotional lability
B.	Depression
C.	Insomnia
D.	Restlessness
E.	Apathy