1Rhodes section 210 Practice Exam 1) What is one major mechanism of action of cocaine at the cellular level? a. Blocks serotonin receptors. b. Blocks dopamine receptors. c. Agonist at cocaine receptors. d. Blocks the dopamine reuptake protein. 2) Which constitutes a mechanism of action of alcohol at the cellular level? a. Antagonist at glutamate receptors. b. Agonist at GABA receptors. c. Indirect agonist at opioid receptors. d. All of the above. 3) Both ecstasy (a drug of abuse) and Prozac (a therapeutic drug used to treat depression) both block the serotonin reuptake protein. Which of the following is the best explanation for this apparent contradiction? a. Ecstasy blocks the reuptake protein in a different way than Prozac. b. Both drugs have multiple effects besides serotonin reuptake. c. Prozac (if taken at high doses) can become a drug of abuse. d. People with depression could take ecstasy instead of Prozac to treat their disorder. 4) Monoamine oxidase inhibitors a. increase serotonin in extracellular spaces. b. increase the dopamine transporter protein in extracellular spaces. c. block serotonin neurotransmission. d. block the enzymatic degradation of dopamine in extracellular spaces. 5) The drug Antabuse works by a. Blocking glutamate receptors in the brain b. Stimulating glutamate receptors in the brain. c. Preventing the breakdown of acetaldehyde in the liver. d. Stimulating the breakdown of acetaldehyde in the liver. 6) The term pharmacokinetics refers to: a. The cellular mechanism of action of a drug. b. The rate at which the drug enters the brain and then goes away. c. The rate at which a neurotransmitter can be synthesized inside a cell. d. The speed of neurotransmitter metabolism. 7) Which of the following is not a narcotic? a. Heroin b. Morphine c. Methadone d. Cocaine2 8) What is the difference between a “depressant” and an “anti-depressant” drug? a. Anti-depressants are used to treat alcohol withdrawal whereas depressants are drugs like alcohol that lead to withdrawal. b. Anti-depressants are used to treat clinical depression, whereas depressants refer to a class of drugs that suppress the nervous system. c. Anti-depressants block GABA receptors whereas depressants stimulate GABA receptors. d. Anti-depressants are used as an antidote or treatment for overdose of depressant drugs such as alcohol. 9) Given that alcohol is an antagonist at NMDA receptors, what would you expect might happen to the number of NMDA receptors on postsynaptic membranes after chronic alcohol use? a. The number would increase. b. The number would decrease. c. The number would stay the same. d. Cannot determine from the given information. 10) What is the best explanation for why an alcoholic grandmother starts having seizures in the hospital 24 hours after a falling in her apartment and breaking her leg? a. The stress from being in the hospital caused her neurons to release CRH, which eventually signaled to the pituitary to release glucocorticoids, and the glucocorticoids caused her brain to start firing out of control. b. The number of glutamate receptors in her brain increased to compensate for the alcohol which blocks these receptors, and in the absence of the alcohol the excess receptors caused her neurons to fire out of control. c. The number of GABA receptors in her brain increased to compensate for the alcohol, which blocks these receptors, and in the absence of the alcohol, the excess receptors caused her neurons to fire out of control. d. The stress from being in the hospital caused her neurons to release ACTH, which eventually signaled to the pituitary to release glucocortiucoids, and the glucocorticoids cause her brain to start firing out of control. 11) A father (who was an alcoholic for most of his life, but abstinent for the last 10 years) is at his son’s wedding and they are all toasting and celebrating his son’s marriage. The father decides to have a glass of champagne. That leads to a full scale relapse. What is the term used to describe this trigger of relapse? a. Priming dose. b. Drug-paired cues. c. Stress. d. All of the above.312) For heroin addicts, the mere sight of needles automatically triggers a powerful neuronal response in the natural reward circuit. This is an example of a. Classical conditioning. b. Operant conditioning. c. Stress. d. Tolerance. 13) Glucocorticoid levels increase dramatically in the blood during which activity? a. Exercise b. An intense chess match. c. Worrying about breaking up with your girlfriend. d. All of the above. 14) What is the best explanation for why stress increases the risk of getting a heart attack? a. The HPA axis results in increased levels of glucocorticoids which decreases the immune system, and that increases risk of heart attack. b. The sympathetic nervous system increases heart rate and blood pressure which increases the chance a clot will form in vessels around the heart. c. The parasympathetic nervous system slows the heart rate, and when this chronically, it increases the probability that the heart will stop beating. d. The sympathetic nervous system stimulates the adrenal glands to release adrenalin and the adrenalin rush can cause the heart to spasm. 15) You look up and see a bus about to hit you. Which is a correct statement about the order of events that leads to increased cortisol in your blood? a. The hypothalamus releases ACTH into the portal system which stimulates the adrenal glands to release CRH, and this ultimately causes the pituitary to release cortisol. b. The hippocampus releases ACTH into the portal system which stimulates the pituitary gland to release CRH, and this ultimately causes the adrenal glands to release cortisol. c. The hypothalamus releases CRH into the portal system which stimulates the pituitary gland to release ACTH, and this ultimately causes the adrenal glands to release cortisol. d. The hippocampus releases glucocorticoids into the portal system, this stimulates the release of CRH and ACTH from the pituitary and that ultimately causes the adrenal glands to release cortisol. 16) What is one major reason why glucocorticoids increase in the blood of the zebra after it sees a lion? a. Glucocorticoids increase sensitivity of insulin receptors. b. Glucocorticoids cause insulin levels to rise in the blood c. Glucocorticoids provide energy for the gut and immune system. d. Glucocorticoids