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Synopsis of Psychiatry Exam 1/ Actual Exam Questions with Correct Detailed Answers/ Graded A+
- The nature of an endophenotype is biologically defined on which of the following?
- Neuropsychological
- Cognitive
- Neurophysiological
- Biochemical
- All of the above - ANSWER - E
(The nature of an endophenotype is biologically defined on the basis of neuropsychological, cognitive, neurophysiological, neuroanatomical, biochemical, and brain data. Endophenotype is an internal phenotype, which is a set of objective characteristics of an individual that are not visible to the unaided eye. A given phenotype would not be limited to a patient with a particular diagnosis; for instance, schizophrenia might also be found in patients with other diagnoses, such as depression or bipolar disorder.)
- Research efforts have demonstrated that there are no electroencephalographic (EEG) abnormalities
associated with the use of which psychopharmacological agent?
- Olanzapine
- Clozapine
- Risperidone
- Pherphenazine
- Quetiapine - ANSWER - E
(Electroencephalographic (EEG) abnormalities have been reported with the use of clozapine (47 percent), olanzapine (38.5 percent), trifluoperazine and mesoridazine (about 35 percent), risperidone (28 percent), fluphenazine and thiothixene (just above 20 percent), pherphenazine, chlorpromazine and thioridazine (just about 10 percent), and haloperidol (just below 10 percent). There were, however, no abnormalities observed with quetiapine or loxapine. The clinical significance of EEG abnormalities associated with psychopharmacological agents, particularly in the absence of any indications of seizures or encephalopathic effects, remain an open research question.)
- Which of the following morphological regions is a part of the neuron?
- Cell body
- Dendrites 1 / 2
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- Axon
- Axon terminals
- All of the above - ANSWER - E
(The human brain contains approximately 100 billion nerve cells or neurons. In general, neurons are composed of four morphologically identified regions: (1) the cell body or soma, which contains the nucleus and can be considered the metabolic center of the neuron; (2) the dendrites, which are processes that arise from the cell body, branch extensively, and serve as the major recipient zones of input from other neurons; (3) the axon, which is a single process that arises from a specialized portion of the cell body (the axon hillock) and conveys information to other neurons; and (4) the axon terminals, which are fine branches near the end of the axon and that form contacts (synapses) generally with the dendrites or the cell bodies of other neurons, release neurotransmitters, and provide a mechanism for interneuronal communication. Most neurons in the human brain are considered to be multipolar in that they give rise to a single axon and several dendritic processes.)
- A reduced density of interneurons in layer 2 of the prefrontal cortex has been observed among
patients with:
- Bipolar disorder
- Major depression
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Panic disorder - ANSWER - D
(Research has shown that in a significant number of patients with schizophrenia, the prefrontal cortex exhibits a reduced density of interneurons in layer 2. Additionally, these patients show an upregulation of GABAA receptor binding, a potential functional compensation, as well as a relative deficiency of nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-expressing neurons. These observations have led to the hypothesis that schizophrenia is due to reduced GABAergic activity. The origin of GABA interneurons from the ganglionic eminences and their association with specific patterning genes raises new genetic models of disease causation and possible strategies for disease intervention.)
- The cell bodies of the serotonergic neurons are located in what region of the brain?
- Midline raphe nuclei of the brainstem
- Midbrain substania nigra and ventral tegmental area
- Locus ceruleus and the lateral tegmental noradrenergic nuclei
- The tuberomamillary nucleus of the posterior hypothalamus
- The basal forebrain complex and the mesopontine complex - ANSWER - A
(The cell bodies of the serotonergic neurons are located in the midline raphe nuclei of the brainstem. The dopamine neurons are located in the midbrain substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental areas as well as in the periaqueductal gray, hypothalamus, olfactory bulb, retina, and kidney. The norepinephrine and epinephrine producing neurons are found in the pons and medulla in two major clusters: the locus ceruleus and the lateral tegmental noradrenergic nuclei. These neurons are also found in the adrenal medulla. Histaminergic cell bodies are located within the region of the posterior hypothalamus termed the tuberomammillary nucleus.)
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