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Question #46560
The Question
A patient undergoing severe opioid withdrawal exhibits intense shivering, piloerection, and profuse sweating simultaneously, despite being in a thermoneutral room at 25°C. Which of the following best explains this breakdown of the organism's physiological thermal boundaries?
Options
- A.
Dysregulation of the hypothalamic homeostatic set-point, leading to simultaneous and conflicting autonomic hyper-arousal signals.
- B.
Direct toxic damage to the peripheral thermoreceptors in the skin, causing them to misinterpret the ambient temperature.
- C.
A sudden shift from being a regulator to a partial conformer due to the depletion of ATP required for thermogenesis.
- D.
Complete suppression of the sympathetic nervous system, resulting in the inability to maintain a stable core temperature.
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Correct Answer
Step-by-Step Solution
Explanation
How the Examiner Thinks
Evolutionary_Exception
Tackle problems where standard rules evolve or change based on specific environmental constraints.
Concepts Behind This Question
Thermal_Tolerance_Ranges|Hypothalamus|Vasomotor_Instability
Why This Question Is Tricky
Common Mistakes
Conceptual Pivot: Students often memorize withdrawal symptoms (sweating, shakiness) without linking them to the underlying breakdown of hypothalamic homeostasis.
A common misconception is assuming that because opioids are depressants, withdrawal also involves nervous system suppression.
In reality, withdrawal is a state of severe rebound autonomic hyper-arousal, which disrupts the organism's thermal tolerance set-point.
Quick Facts About This Question
Question Information
| Subject | Biology |
| Chapter | Human Health and Disease - Class 12 |
| Concept | Drug Withdrawal Syndrome |
| Difficulty | 8 |
| Cognitive Load | 5 |
| Target Solve Time | 120 sec |
| Access | Free |