NCAC I FINAL EXAMINATION TEST 2026
FULL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
⩥ agonist / antagonist. Answer: counteracts or inhibits neurotransmitter
effects on the post-synaptic cell
⩥ akathisia. Answer: restlessness - from mild anxiety to difficulty lying
or sitting still, to insomnia; often an extrapyramidal side-effect produced
by neuroleptic drugs
⩥ anorexia. Answer: loss of appetite
⩥ anticholinergic. Answer: acetlycholine blocker in the CNS and PNS
⩥ Antiemetic. Answer: aids in the prevention of nausea and vomiting
⩥ arrhythmia. Answer: atypical heart rhythm
⩥ arthralgia. Answer: joint pain
⩥ ataxia. Answer: loss of muscle coordination, especially voluntary
muscles
, ⩥ athetosis. Answer: continuous sinuously writing movements
(sometimes drug-induced)
⩥ augmenter (add-on) meds. Answer: medications prescribed to increase
the efficacy of a primary medication
⩥ autonomic. Answer: the portion of the nervous system outside
voluntary control (involuntary)
⩥ ballismus. Answer: violent flinging movements of one or more limbs
or body parts (typically more proximal than distal)
⩥ bradycardia. Answer: unusually slow heartbeat
⩥ bradyphrenia. Answer: slowness of thought
⩥ brain reward pathway. Answer: located in the limbic system, the
pathway follows the limbic striatum, including the nucleus accumbens
(NA) which is particularly targeted by drugs of abuse; other contributing
structures include the amygdala and the ventral tegmental area (VTA),
connected by the median forebrain bundle (MFB); drugs of abuse
increase dopamine neurotransmitter levels in the reward pathway,
inducing long-term dopamine production and receptor changes that
result in enduring cravings.
FULL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
⩥ agonist / antagonist. Answer: counteracts or inhibits neurotransmitter
effects on the post-synaptic cell
⩥ akathisia. Answer: restlessness - from mild anxiety to difficulty lying
or sitting still, to insomnia; often an extrapyramidal side-effect produced
by neuroleptic drugs
⩥ anorexia. Answer: loss of appetite
⩥ anticholinergic. Answer: acetlycholine blocker in the CNS and PNS
⩥ Antiemetic. Answer: aids in the prevention of nausea and vomiting
⩥ arrhythmia. Answer: atypical heart rhythm
⩥ arthralgia. Answer: joint pain
⩥ ataxia. Answer: loss of muscle coordination, especially voluntary
muscles
, ⩥ athetosis. Answer: continuous sinuously writing movements
(sometimes drug-induced)
⩥ augmenter (add-on) meds. Answer: medications prescribed to increase
the efficacy of a primary medication
⩥ autonomic. Answer: the portion of the nervous system outside
voluntary control (involuntary)
⩥ ballismus. Answer: violent flinging movements of one or more limbs
or body parts (typically more proximal than distal)
⩥ bradycardia. Answer: unusually slow heartbeat
⩥ bradyphrenia. Answer: slowness of thought
⩥ brain reward pathway. Answer: located in the limbic system, the
pathway follows the limbic striatum, including the nucleus accumbens
(NA) which is particularly targeted by drugs of abuse; other contributing
structures include the amygdala and the ventral tegmental area (VTA),
connected by the median forebrain bundle (MFB); drugs of abuse
increase dopamine neurotransmitter levels in the reward pathway,
inducing long-term dopamine production and receptor changes that
result in enduring cravings.
