A 32-Year-Old Man Is Brought to the Office by His

question 73

Multiple Choice

A 32-year-old man is brought to the office by his mother for a follow-up visit for depressive disorder.  The mother is very concerned because the patient has become increasingly withdrawn and has behaved strangely for the past 2 weeks.  She reports that he expresses fears that his body is decomposing and hears the voice of his long-deceased father telling him, "Come to me."  Current medications include venlafaxine and lorazepam as needed for anxiety.  Vital signs are normal and physical examination is unremarkable.  On mental status examination, the patient appears depressed and makes poor eye contact.  At times, he does not answer and mumbles to himself.  The decision is made to add quetiapine to treat psychosis.  Which of the following is the primary mechanism of action of this medication?

• A)Alpha-1 adrenergic and dopamine D1 receptor blockade
• B)Dopamine reuptake inhibition and stimulation of dopamine release
• C)Norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibition
• D)Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibition
• E)Serotonin 2A and dopamine D2 receptor blockade

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Definitions:

Memory Fade

The loss or weakening of memory over time, often due to the aging process or lack of mental stimulation.

Levels-Of-Processing Principle

A theory in cognitive psychology suggesting that the depth (shallow to deep) of mental processing affects memory recall, with deeper levels of processing leading to longer-lasting memory retention.

Retroactive Interference

The process by which new information impairs the retrieval of previously learned information.

Proactive Interference

A memory error that occurs when older information interferes with the recall of newer information.