Psychopharm Exam Study
Guide – Practice Questions
with Answers. GRADED A+.
Updated 2026/2027
The PMHNP is evaluating a 68-year-old man for symptoms of major depression.
While assessing the appearance of the patient, an obvious left-sided ptosis is
noted. Which cranial nerve is directly linked to this condition?
a. III
b. IV
c. V
d. VI - Ans✔✔-A
A 55-year-old woman has been referred for a psychiatric evaluation for a
change in personality, lack of impulse control, and increasingly reckless
decision-making. Which area of the brain would be responsible for these
symptoms?
a. Parietal lobe
b. Broca's area
c. Wernicke's area
d. Frontal lobe - Ans✔✔-D
,A patient was recently started on a dopamine antagonist, and complains of
breast tenderness and a milky discharge. What is the most likely explanation
for these symptoms?
a. Dopamine transmission in the nigrostriatal pathway
b. Dopamine transmission in the tuberoinfundibular pathway
c. Dopamine transmission in the mesolimbic pathway
d. Dopamine increases throughout the basal ganglia - Ans✔✔-B
A patient who was recently started on haloperidol for psychosis begins to
manifest hand tremor, and a shuffling gait. What is the most likely explanation
for these symptoms?
a. Dopamine transmission in the nigrostriatal pathway
b. Dopamine transmission in the tuberoinfundibular pathway
c. Dopamine transmission in the mesolimbic pathway
d. Dopamine increases throughout the basal ganglia - Ans✔✔-A
A 72-year-old man with a comorbid history of uncontrolled hypertension is
referred to the PMHNP for dementia secondary to depression. The mental
status exam reveals difficulty speaking fluently, inappropriate and confabulated
responses, incongruent affect, and poor judgment. A cerebrovascular accident
in which region of the brain would better explain these symptoms?
a. Parietal lobe
b. Wernicke's area
c. Broca's area
d. Occipital lobe - Ans✔✔-C
,Which region of the brain is associated with sensory integration, spatial
awareness, and conscious awareness of the opposite side of the body?
a. Occipital lobe
b. Wernicke's area
c. Broca's area
d. Parietal lobe - Ans✔✔-D
A patient appears internally preoccupied and responding to auditory
hallucination. This patient may have a pathology affecting which lobe of the
brain?
a. Temporal lobe
b. Occipital lobe
c. Parietal lobe
d. Cerebellum - Ans✔✔-A
A patient presents with atypical symptoms of psychosis that include
inconsistent auditory hallucinations without disorganization. What is the best
definition of an EEG and its utility?
a. Radiologic test utilizing magnets and radio waves to provide a detailed image
of the structures of the brain
b. Electrophysiologic test that depicts electrical activity on the surface of the
brain
c. A serum test to indicate nutritional deficiencies that inhibit the formation of
neurotransmitters
d. A neuropsychological test to distinguish psychosis from a psychosomatic
illness. - Ans✔✔-B
, Neurons that only travel from the body to the brain are called:
a. Sensory neurons
b. Motor neurons
c. Inter neurons
d. Astrocytes - Ans✔✔-A
The part of the neuron that takes in and receives messages is called:
a. Dendrite
b. Axon
c. Synapse
d. Node of Ranvier - Ans✔✔-A
What is the fatty layer that prevents interference and increases the speed of
impulse transmission along the axon?
a. Dendrite
b. Axon
c. Synapse
d. Myelin sheath - Ans✔✔-D
Which of the following receives messages and conducts impulses to the soma?
a. Dendrite
b. Axon
c. Synapse
d. Myelin sheath - Ans✔✔-A
Guide – Practice Questions
with Answers. GRADED A+.
Updated 2026/2027
The PMHNP is evaluating a 68-year-old man for symptoms of major depression.
While assessing the appearance of the patient, an obvious left-sided ptosis is
noted. Which cranial nerve is directly linked to this condition?
a. III
b. IV
c. V
d. VI - Ans✔✔-A
A 55-year-old woman has been referred for a psychiatric evaluation for a
change in personality, lack of impulse control, and increasingly reckless
decision-making. Which area of the brain would be responsible for these
symptoms?
a. Parietal lobe
b. Broca's area
c. Wernicke's area
d. Frontal lobe - Ans✔✔-D
,A patient was recently started on a dopamine antagonist, and complains of
breast tenderness and a milky discharge. What is the most likely explanation
for these symptoms?
a. Dopamine transmission in the nigrostriatal pathway
b. Dopamine transmission in the tuberoinfundibular pathway
c. Dopamine transmission in the mesolimbic pathway
d. Dopamine increases throughout the basal ganglia - Ans✔✔-B
A patient who was recently started on haloperidol for psychosis begins to
manifest hand tremor, and a shuffling gait. What is the most likely explanation
for these symptoms?
a. Dopamine transmission in the nigrostriatal pathway
b. Dopamine transmission in the tuberoinfundibular pathway
c. Dopamine transmission in the mesolimbic pathway
d. Dopamine increases throughout the basal ganglia - Ans✔✔-A
A 72-year-old man with a comorbid history of uncontrolled hypertension is
referred to the PMHNP for dementia secondary to depression. The mental
status exam reveals difficulty speaking fluently, inappropriate and confabulated
responses, incongruent affect, and poor judgment. A cerebrovascular accident
in which region of the brain would better explain these symptoms?
a. Parietal lobe
b. Wernicke's area
c. Broca's area
d. Occipital lobe - Ans✔✔-C
,Which region of the brain is associated with sensory integration, spatial
awareness, and conscious awareness of the opposite side of the body?
a. Occipital lobe
b. Wernicke's area
c. Broca's area
d. Parietal lobe - Ans✔✔-D
A patient appears internally preoccupied and responding to auditory
hallucination. This patient may have a pathology affecting which lobe of the
brain?
a. Temporal lobe
b. Occipital lobe
c. Parietal lobe
d. Cerebellum - Ans✔✔-A
A patient presents with atypical symptoms of psychosis that include
inconsistent auditory hallucinations without disorganization. What is the best
definition of an EEG and its utility?
a. Radiologic test utilizing magnets and radio waves to provide a detailed image
of the structures of the brain
b. Electrophysiologic test that depicts electrical activity on the surface of the
brain
c. A serum test to indicate nutritional deficiencies that inhibit the formation of
neurotransmitters
d. A neuropsychological test to distinguish psychosis from a psychosomatic
illness. - Ans✔✔-B
, Neurons that only travel from the body to the brain are called:
a. Sensory neurons
b. Motor neurons
c. Inter neurons
d. Astrocytes - Ans✔✔-A
The part of the neuron that takes in and receives messages is called:
a. Dendrite
b. Axon
c. Synapse
d. Node of Ranvier - Ans✔✔-A
What is the fatty layer that prevents interference and increases the speed of
impulse transmission along the axon?
a. Dendrite
b. Axon
c. Synapse
d. Myelin sheath - Ans✔✔-D
Which of the following receives messages and conducts impulses to the soma?
a. Dendrite
b. Axon
c. Synapse
d. Myelin sheath - Ans✔✔-A
