On the basis of current knowledge of neurotransmitter effects, a nurse anticipates that the treatment plan for a patient with memory difficulties may include medications designed to do what?

Decrease dopamine at receptor sites

Inhibit GABA production

Prevent destruction of acetylcholine

Increase dopamine sensitivity

Answer and Explanation

The Correct Answer is C

Choice A reason: Decreasing dopamine is used for disorders like schizophrenia, where excess mesolimbic dopamine causes hallucinations. Memory difficulties, often linked to Alzheimer’s, involve cholinergic deficits, not dopamine excess. Reducing dopamine could worsen cognition by disrupting reward and attention pathways, making this approach scientifically inappropriate for memory issues.

Choice B reason: Inhibiting GABA production is irrelevant for memory. GABA regulates neural inhibition, and its reduction could increase excitability, worsening conditions like seizures. Memory deficits, particularly in dementia, stem from reduced acetylcholine in the hippocampus, not GABA, making this option misaligned with the neurobiology of memory impairment.

Choice C reason: Preventing acetylcholine destruction, via cholinesterase inhibitors, enhances cholinergic activity in the hippocampus and cortex, critical for memory in conditions like Alzheimer’s. Low acetylcholine levels impair neural signaling, causing memory deficits. This approach directly addresses the neurochemical basis of memory difficulties, making it scientifically appropriate for treatment.

Choice D reason: Increasing dopamine sensitivity is relevant for disorders like Parkinson’s, not memory deficits. Dopamine affects motivation and movement, not memory, which relies on acetylcholine in the hippocampus. Enhancing dopamine could disrupt cognitive balance, worsening memory without addressing the cholinergic deficits central to memory impairment.

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Correct Answer is D

Explanation

Choice A reason: Buspirone is not used as needed; it requires weeks for serotonin modulation to reduce anxiety. Diazepam’s rapid GABA enhancement suits acute use. Buspirone’s chronic dosing schedule makes this characteristic incorrect for explaining its preference over diazepam for long-term anxiety management.

Choice B reason: Buspirone is slower-acting, taking weeks to enhance serotonin activity, unlike diazepam’s rapid GABA-mediated effects. For anxiety driven by amygdala hyperactivity, diazepam acts faster, making buspirone’s slower onset an incorrect reason for its prescription over diazepam in this context.

Choice C reason: Blood dyscrasias are not a known side effect of buspirone, which primarily affects serotonin receptors. This is unrelated to its preference over diazepam, which carries dependence risks. This characteristic is inaccurate and irrelevant to the rationale for choosing buspirone.

Choice D reason: Buspirone’s lack of dependence risk, unlike diazepam’s GABA-mediated addiction potential, makes it safer for long-term anxiety management. By enhancing serotonin in the prefrontal cortex, it reduces chronic anxiety without habit-forming effects, aligning with its preference for sustained treatment, making this the correct reason.

A. Determine the goals and outcome criteria B. Design interventions to include in the plan of care C. Implement the nursing plan of care D. Complete the spiritual assessment

Correct Answer is A

Explanation

Choice A reason: After diagnosis, setting goals and outcomes guides care, addressing issues like serotonin-driven depression. Goals, like “improve mood stability,” align with neurobiological needs, ensuring measurable, patient-centered targets. This step precedes interventions, forming the foundation for effective psychiatric treatment planning.

Choice B reason: Designing interventions follows goal-setting. Interventions, like therapy for dopamine imbalances, are based on established outcomes. Acting prematurely without goals risks misaligned care, as neurobiological targets must be defined first, making this step incorrect as the immediate next action.

Choice C reason: Implementation occurs after goals and interventions are set. Acting before defining outcomes, like stabilizing GABA for anxiety, risks ineffective care. The nursing process requires sequential planning to address neurobiological deficits, making implementation premature and incorrect at this stage.

Choice D reason: Spiritual assessment, while valuable, is part of initial data collection, not the next step after diagnosis. Goals addressing neurobiological issues, like serotonin deficits, take precedence to ensure targeted care. This option is irrelevant to the immediate planning phase of the nursing process.

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On the basis of current knowledge of neurotransmitter effects, a nurse anticipates that the treatment plan for a patient with memory difficulties may include medications designed to do what?

Nursing Test Bank

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

A patient asks the nurse, “Why did my health care provider prescribe buspirone (Buspar) for my anxiety instead of diazepam (Valium)?” The nurse’s reply is based on the knowledge of which characteristic of buspirone?

Correct Answer is D

Explanation

After assessing the patient and formulating the nursing diagnoses for a plan of care, what is the next action a nurse should take?

Correct Answer is A

Explanation

On the basis of current knowledge of neurotransmitter effects, a nurse anticipates that the treatment plan for a patient with memory difficulties may include medications designed to do what?

A patient reports experiencing performance anxiety in front of an audience. The nurse should be aware that this type of anxiety is often treated with which medication?

A nurse uses Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to plan care for a psychotic patient. Which problem will receive priority?

A nurse caring for a withdrawn, suspicious patient recognizes the development of feelings of anger toward the patient. What is the nurse’s best response to these feelings?

The nursing student understands that the purpose of completing a process recording for the nurse-patient interview is to:

When assessing patients at a mental health clinic, how should their current level of overall functioning be judged?

Several nurses are concerned that agency policies related to restraint and seclusion are inadequate. Which statement about the relationship of substandard institutional policies and individual nursing practice should guide nursing practice?

Which statement shows a nurse has empathy for a patient who made a suicide attempt?