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Which part of the brain responsible for these symptoms!

3K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  usmle2011 
#1 ·
A 45 year old woman presents to her primary care physician complaining of fatigue and headache. Over the past month she had trouble sleeping, difficulty concentrating, and episodes of crying for no reason. In addition, she says that she feels sad and worthless. The neurologic pathway most likely responsible for this symptoms is

A. meso-limbic-cortico pathway
B. locus ceruleus pathway
C. nucleus ambiguous pathway
D. glycolytic pathway
E. Nucleus accumbens pathway

Please answer with explanation
 
#2 ·
Answer

The patient has depressive symptoms, As long as I know, two major transmitters are involved in the pathophysiology of depression:

1) Serotonin: A main neurotransmitter in Raphe nuclei, which has been strongly associated with brain dysfunction, especially mood disorders such as depression.
2) Norepinephrine: A main neurotransmitter in Locus ceruleus, which may figure in clinical depression, panic disorder, and anxiety.

In the question, so I choose B. Locus ceruleus pathway.
 
#7 ·
The patient has depressive symptoms, As long as I know, two major transmitters are involved in the pathophysiology of depression:

1) Serotonin: A main neurotransmitter in Raphe nuclei, which has been strongly associated with brain dysfunction, especially mood disorders such as depression.
2) Norepinephrine: A main neurotransmitter in Locus ceruleus, which may figure in clinical depression, panic disorder, and anxiety.

In the question, so I choose B. Locus ceruleus pathway.
Sorry was busy in my rotations

the correct answer is B locus cerelus pathway. Very well explained
This is the question from Kaplan lecture notes.
 
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