A nurse is discussing the use of benzodiazepines as sedative-hypnotic agents with a group of nursing students. A student asks about the actions of these drugs in the central nervous system. The nurse makes which correct statement?
a. "Benzodiazepines affect the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex to cause antero-grade amnesia."
b. "Benzodiazepines depress neuronal func-tions by acting at a single site in the brain."
c. "Benzodiazepines induce muscle relaxa-tion by acting on sites outside the central nervous system."
d. "Benzodiazepines promote sleep through effects on the limbic system."
A
All beneficial and most adverse effects of benzodiazepines occur from depressant actions in the central nervous system (CNS); the various effects depend on the site of action. Anterograde am-nesia is the result of effects in the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex. Benzodiazepines act at multiple sites in the CNS. Muscle relaxant effects are the result of actions on supraspinal motor areas in the CNS. Benzodiazepines promote sleep through effects on cortical areas and on the sleep-wakefulness "clock."
You might also like to view...
A home health nurse has been assigned to the care of an 82 year-old woman who has been discharged home following hip replacement surgery. At what level of care is this nurse most likely practicing?
A) Preventative care B) Primary prevention C) Secondary prevention D) Tertiary prevention
A client has been diagnosed with cataracts of both eyes. Which prescription does the nurse anticipate for this client?
A) Corrective lenses for the cataracts B) Two procedures, separated by a few weeks, to remove the cataracts C) One procedure to remove both cataracts at the same time D) Eye drops to treat the cataracts
Which structure is located in the right upper quadrant (RUQ) of the abdomen?
1) Spleen 2) Stomach 3) Sigmoid 4) Liver
Which of the following statements comparing childhood cancer with adult cancer is true?
a. There is no difference in childhood cancer and adult cancer. b. Childhood cancers usually arise from primitive embryonic tissue and adult malignancies are of epithelial origin. c. Routine screens catch childhood cancers more often than adult cancers. d. Exposure to carcinogens is related in a stronger way to childhood cancers than to adult cancers.