NURS 6630 – Psychopharmacologic Approaches to Treatment of Psychopathology

Week 1 Assignment: Foundational Neuroscience Short-Answer Questions

Course and Assessment Overview

Course: NURS 6630 – Psychopharmacologic Approaches to Treatment of Psychopathology (PMHNP/APRN level)
Assessment type: Individual short-answer written assignment (question set)
Suggested timing: Week 1 – Foundational Neuroscience / Central Nervous System
Length: Short answers totaling approximately 500–700 words across all prompts (about 1½–2 pages of text)
Weighting: Typically 5–10% of course grade, combined with early discussions for participation and competency check

The purpose of this assignment is to confirm and extend your understanding of core neuroanatomy and neurophysiology concepts that underpin psychopharmacologic decision-making in psychiatric mental health practice.

Assignment Context

NURS 6630 requires you to integrate foundational neuroscience with pharmacology and clinical assessment to select and manage psychopharmacologic treatments across the lifespan. Before you prescribe or adjust psychotropic medications, you must understand the basic structures and functions of the central nervous system, how neurons communicate, and how neuroplasticity shapes treatment response.

Learning Outcomes Assessed

• Evaluate foundational neuroscience as it relates to psychiatric disorders.

• Describe key CNS structures and neurotransmitter systems relevant to psychopharmacology.

• Explain neuronal communication and neuroplasticity in clear, graduate-level scientific language.

Preparation

1. Review Week 1 Learning Resources on neuroanatomy, neuronal function, and central nervous system organization posted in your course shell.

2. Pay particular attention to diagrams and descriptions of cortical and subcortical structures, basal ganglia pathways, and major neurotransmitter systems.

3. Review the concept of neuroplasticity and its relevance to psychiatric treatment response.

Task Description

Respond to each short-answer prompt in your own words. Write in complete sentences and use a scholarly tone, but you may be concise. Avoid copying from the textbook or resources; demonstrate understanding by explaining concepts clearly and directly.

Short-Answer Prompts (Representative Pattern)

Your actual prompts may differ slightly, but will follow this structure.

1. Subcortical Structures
   Identify the major components that make up the subcortical structures of the brain and briefly describe one key function for each component.

2. Learning, Memory, and Addiction
   Identify the specific subcortical structure that plays a central role in learning, memory, and addiction, and explain its relevance to psychopharmacologic treatment.

3. Nigrostriatal Pathway Neurotransmitters
   Name the two key neurotransmitters located in the nigrostriatal region of the brain that play a major role in motor control, and briefly explain how disturbance in this pathway is linked to movement disorders.

4. Glial Cells
   In 3–4 sentences, explain how glial cells function in the central nervous system, including at least two distinct roles they play in supporting neurons.

5. Neuronal Communication and Neuroplasticity
   In 3–4 sentences, describe how neurons communicate with each other at the synapse and explain what is meant by neuroplasticity in the context of psychiatric treatment.

Formatting and Submission Requirements

• Response format: Type each question followed by your answer, or clearly number your responses to match the prompts.

• Length: Total response length approximately 500–700 words across all items (about 1½–2 double-spaced pages).

• Citations: When you reference the Learning Resources or other sources, cite them according to your program’s required style; include a brief reference list at the end.

• Submission: Upload your document to the Week 1 Assignment link in the NURS 6630 course area by the specified due date.

Marking Criteria (Foundational Neuroscience Short-Answer Rubric)

Psychiatric prescribing loses most of its precision when clinicians think about medications only as broad drug classes without also tracking which circuits, neurotransmitters, and receptor targets are being influenced. A short early assignment that requires you to identify subcortical structures, describe synaptic communication, and explain neuroplasticity is not busywork; it ensures that later psychopharmacologic decisions are grounded in a working mental model of how the brain is organized and how it adapts over time with treatment (Stahl, 2021).

A solid grasp of foundational neuroscience allows PMHNP students to move beyond symptom-based prescribing toward mechanism-informed clinical reasoning. Understanding how repeated neuronal firing alters synaptic strength and network connectivity helps explain delayed medication effects, treatment resistance, and relapse risk. This neurobiological perspective reinforces why psychopharmacologic interventions must be paired with time, monitoring, and therapeutic context to support meaningful and sustained clinical change (Kandel et al., 2021).

Study Resources References

• Stahl, S. M. (2021) Stahl’s Essential Psychopharmacology: Neuroscientific Basis and Practical Applications. 5th edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

• Bear, M. F., Connors, B. W. and Paradiso, M. A. (2020) Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain. 4th edn. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.

• Purves, D. et al. (2018) Neuroscience. 6th edn. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates.

• Stahl, S. M. (2013) ‘Mechanism of action of psychotropic drugs’, Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience, 11(3), pp. 121–126.

• Walden University (2025) NURS 6630: Psychopharmacologic Approaches to Treatment of Psychopathology – Syllabus and Course Resources. Available via Walden Academic Guides.

• Kandel, E. R., Koester, J. D., Mack, S. H. and Siegelbaum, S. A. (2021) Principles of Neural Science. 6th edn. New York: McGraw-Hill.