Question

The nurse is caring for a patient whose emotions often swing from one extreme to the other. The patients spouse tells the nurse these mood swings started when the patient awoke from a coma following a serious head trauma. What area of the brain does the nurse suspect was damaged?

A) The limbic system
B) The forebrain
C) The hindbrain
D) The cerebellum

Answer 1

The nurse suspects damage to the limbic system, which is responsible for regulating emotions and includes structures such as the amygdala and hippocampus.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse is caring for a patient whose emotions often swing from one extreme to the other after waking from a coma due to a serious head trauma. Based on the information provided, the nurse would suspect damage to the limbic system. The limbic system is responsible for regulating emotions and is composed of structures within the brain, including the amygdala and the hippocampus, which are critical in emotional processing. Damage to the limbic system, particularly to pathways connecting the frontal lobe, can lead to difficulty in controlling emotional impulses as seen in the patient's mood swings.