Deck 28: Nervous Systems

Question 1

What part of a neuron carries signals toward the part of the cell that houses the nucleus?

A)node of Ranvier
B)axon
C)cell body
D)dendrite

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The functional unit of the nervous system is the

A)cell body.
B)neuron.
C)axon.
D)synapse.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The central communication conduit between the brain and the rest of the body is the

A)brainstem.
B)nerve bundle.
C)spinal cord.
D)nervous system.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The gap between the transmitting and receiving neurons in a chemical synapse is known as the

A)synaptic vesicle.
B)ion channel.
C)gap junction.
D)synaptic cleft.

Question 5

The speed of impulse conduction along an axon may be increased by

A)a myelin sheath.
B)a graded potential.
C)neurotransmitters.
D)effector cells.

Question 6

The effect of a sending neuron on a receiving neuron is typically greater when ________ neurotransmitters bind to the receiving neuron and the synapse is ________ the base of the receiving cell's axon.

A)more; close to
B)fewer; close to
C)more; far from
D)fewer; far from

Question 7

During transmission across a typical chemical synapse,

A)neurotransmitter molecules are stored in the synaptic cleft.
B)action potentials trigger chemical changes that make the synaptic vesicles fuse with each other.
C)vesicles containing neurotransmitters diffuse to the receiving cell's plasma membrane.
D)neurotransmitter molecules bind to receptors in the receiving cell's plasma membrane.

Question 8

Botulinum toxin (Botox)produced by certain bacteria will

A)prevent enzymatic breakdown of neurotransmitters.
B)cause continual contraction of smooth muscle.
C)initiate an increase in the strength of a transmitted signal.
D)inhibit the release of acetylcholine.

Question 9

Which of the following statements regarding the nervous system is true?

A)Sensory neurons convey signals from the CNS to sensory receptors.
B)Motor neurons convey signals from the CNS to effector cells.
C)The PNS is composed entirely of nerves.
D)The CNS and the brain are the same thing.

Question 10

Multiple sclerosis results from an autoimmune disease that primarily involves

A)destruction of the hippocampus.
B)destruction of the myelin sheath.
C)destruction of regions of the motor cortex.
D)deterioration of parts of the spinal cord.

Question 11

The two major anatomical divisions of the nervous system are the

A)sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system.
B)central nervous system and peripheral nervous system.
C)sensory nervous system and motor nervous system.
D)voluntary nervous system and involuntary nervous system.

Question 12

Neurotransmitters that open Na⁺ channels and trigger action potentials in receiving cells are called

A)inhibitory.
B)cross-linked.
C)excitatory.
D)obligatory.

Question 13

One neurotransmitter associated with sleep, mood, attention, and learning is

A)acetylcholine.
B)nitric oxide.
C)epinephrine.
D)serotonin.

Question 14

Once an action potential is triggered, there is a

A)reversal of the membrane polarity, with the interior of the cell becoming positively charged.
B)reversal of the membrane polarity, with the interior of the cell becoming negatively charged.
C)sudden rush of potassium into the neuron.
D)sudden impermeability of the membrane to the transport of ions.

Question 15

Which of the following statements about resting potential is true?

A)A resting membrane allows much more sodium than potassium to diffuse across it.
B)The concentration of sodium is much higher inside the cell than outside.
C)The resting potential exists because of differences in glucose concentration inside and outside the cell.
D)The sodium-potassium pump contributes to the resting membrane potential.

Question 16

The signal that crosses a synapse is stopped when

A)a second action potential traveling down the signaling cell "sounds a retreat," and the neurotransmitters return to the signaling cell.
B)the responding cell runs out of sodium and is no longer able to respond to the stimulus.
C)the responding cell runs out of potassium and is no longer able to respond to the stimulus.
D)the neurotransmitter is enzymatically broken down or transported back to the signaling cell.

Question 17

Action potentials normally travel along an axon

A)toward the cell body.
B)away from the cell body.
C)either toward or away from the cell body.
D)away from the synapse.

Question 18

Action potentials relay different intensities of information due to the

A)amplitude of action potentials relative to the strength of the stimulus.
B)frequency of action potentials relative to the strength of the stimulus.
C)duration of action potentials relative to the strength of the stimulus.
D)shape of action potentials relative to the strength of the stimulus.

Question 19

Once the threshold potential is reached,

A)K⁺ channels open.
B)Na⁺ channels close.
C)an action potential is inevitable.
D)the interior of the cell becomes negative with respect to the outside.

Question 20

Nervous system effector cells

A)are white cells found in the circulatory system.
B)consist of sensory cells.
C)include muscle cells and gland cells.
D)provide automatic responses to stimuli.

Question 21

Complete the analogy: The structure of dendrites is like that of ________, while the structure of axons is like that of ________.

A)taproots; branched roots
B)myelin sheath; nodes of Ranvier
C)branched roots; taproots
D)nodes of Ranvier; myelin sheath

Question 22

The relationship between spinal nerves and the spinal cord is most like the relationship between

A)the hairs on a person's head.
B)the vertical and horizontal threads woven together to form a piece of cloth.
C)an interstate highway and the many roads that intersect with it via on- and off-ramps.
D)a bowl of spaghetti and the sauce that is poured onto it.

Question 23

Which of the following results from stimulation by the sympathetic nervous system?

A)release of glucose from the liver
B)decreased heart rate
C)stimulation of the digestive organs
D)constriction of the bronchi

Question 24

The simplest animals to display cephalization and centralization of the nervous system are

A)sponges.
B)flatworms.
C)cnidarians.
D)echinoderms.

Question 25

One of the most important branch points in the evolution of animals and their nervous systems was the appearance of

A)radial symmetry.
B)bilateral symmetry.
C)the spinal column.
D)specialized cells for transmitting signals.

Question 26

Similar to vertebrates, some invertebrate species such as earthworms and some crustaceans have a layer of insulation used for increasing the speed of electrical impulse transmission. This commonly shared physical feature is called the

A)basal ganglia and hippocampus.
B)cerebellum and cerebrum.
C)thalamus and hypothalamus.
D)medulla oblongata and pons.

Question 27

The sophisticated behavior of mammals and birds is directly related to

A)their relatively large cerebrum.
B)the presence of a hindbrain.
C)their relatively large midbrain.
D)the presence of a forebrain.

Question 28

Which division of the human nervous system carries signals to skeletal muscles?

A)autonomic nervous system
B)parasympathetic nervous system
C)sympathetic nervous system
D)motor system

Question 29

In all vertebrates, the brain consists of the

A)cerebrum, forebrain, and hindbrain.
B)cerebrum, midbrain, and hindbrain.
C)forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain.
D)cerebrum, cerebellum, and hindbrain.

Question 30

Which of the following statements regarding the brain is true?

A)Ventricles in the brain are filled with interstitial fluid.
B)The blood-brain barrier helps to maintain a stable chemical environment for the brain.
C)Layers of connective tissue, called epithelium, surround and protect the brain and spinal cord.
D)White matter is mainly dendrites.

Question 31

Parkinson's disease is associated with a deficiency in

A)dopamine.
B)serotonin.
C)acetylcholine.
D)endorphins.

Question 32

Valium, a prescription drug used to treat depression, works by

A)binding and activating acetylcholine receptors.
B)increasing the inhibitory effect of GABA.
C)increasing the release and availability of norepinephrine and dopamine at synapses.
D)activating receptors for GABA.

Question 33

The autonomic nervous system

A)integrates sensory inputs to the brain.
B)carries signals to and from skeletal muscles.
C)regulates the internal environment of the body.
D)is part of the central nervous system.

Question 34

The brain and sensory system of a bilaterally symmetric organism function most like

A)the engine of a motorboat.
B)the pilot of an airplane.
C)the passengers on a train.
D)a member of a marching band.

Question 35

A physician friend of yours is telling you about a patient with a head injury who suddenly stopped breathing. Your friend explains that the bony rim was pressing against the breathing center. You guess that the "bony rim" (whatever that is)must have been exerting pressure in the region of the

A)basal ganglia and hippocampus.
B)cerebellum and cerebrum.
C)thalamus and hypothalamus.
D)medulla oblongata and pons.

Question 36

Natural selection tends to correlate the structures of a nervous system with an animal's interaction with the environment. A good example is sessile or slow-moving molluscs such as clams, which

A)have little or no cephalization and simple sense organs.
B)use chemical synapses to process complex information.
C)have a well-developed brain that functions as a master control center.
D)use their circulatory system as a mechanism for distributing nerve impulses.

Question 37

The uniformity in the way nerve cells function within the animal kingdom

A)indicates that the PNS evolved before the CNS.
B)is evidence that the neuron was an early evolutionary adaptation.
C)is proof of neurotransmitter efficiency.
D)must have prevented the development of diversity.

Question 38

The enteric division of the autonomic nervous system consists of neurons in the digestive tract, the gallbladder, and the

A)heart.
B)lymphatic system.
C)pancreas.
D)thyroid gland.

Question 39

When you are very nervous, perhaps before you must speak in front of your college class, you notice that your mouth is dry and your heart is racing. This is most likely due to stimulation by the

A)enteric division of your autonomic nervous system.
B)sympathetic division of your autonomic nervous system.
C)parasympathetic division of your autonomic nervous system.
D)motor division of your parasympathetic nervous system.

Question 40

Which of the following results from stimulation by the parasympathetic nervous system?

A)increased heart rate
B)inhibition of the digestive organs
C)inhibition of urination
D)stimulation of saliva secretion

Question 41

Suppose that you have a younger sibling who excels in mathematics and logic but has extreme difficulty remembering the faces of people she meets, even if she sees them again only a few hours after first meeting them. What other evidence would indicate that your sibling is left-brained?

A)an fMRI indicating high levels of activity in the left parietal lobe
B)an fMRI indicating high levels of activity in the left occipital lobe
C)an fMRI indicating high levels of activity in the left temporal lobe
D)an fMRI indicating high levels of activity in the left cerebral hemisphere

Question 42

During REM sleep, an EEG shows

A)a flat trace with very few waves.
B)mainly alpha waves.
C)sleep waves.
D)an irregular, rapidly changing pattern.

Question 43

Our emotions, learning, and memory depend upon the

A)limbic system.
B)parietal lobes.
C)frontal lobes.
D)occipital lobes.

Question 44

Which of the following brain regions controls the secretion of pituitary hormones and exerts direct control over many other aspects of homeostasis?

A)thalamus
B)hypothalamus
C)hippocampus
D)cerebellum

Question 45

Which of the following statements regarding brain activity is true?

A)Recent research has revealed that the 1848 accident involving Phineas Gage caused damage to his hindbrain.
B)People usually die following a hemispherectomy.
C)People cannot function when the communication channels between the hemispheres are cut.
D)New techniques, such as PET scans and fMRIs, allow researchers to associate specific parts of the brain with certain activities.

Question 46

You start to fall but then catch yourself, regaining your balance. Which of the following brain regions is responsible for the rapid coordination of muscle activity that kept you from falling?

A)motor cortex
B)thalamus
C)cerebellum
D)pons

Question 47

Inhibitory neurotransmitters are most like what part of an automobile?

A)brakes
B)radio
C)muffler
D)engine

Question 48

Which of the following statements about Parkinson's disease is true?

A)Parkinson's disease can be cured with injections of serotonin.
B)Parkinson's disease results from the death of neurons in the cerebellum.
C)Parkinson's disease is a motor disorder, affecting physical movements of the body.
D)Parkinson's disease is age-related, decreasing in frequency as people age.

Question 49

What part of the brain sorts incoming information, such as touch signals from your hand, into categories before relaying it to the cerebral cortex?

A)thalamus
B)hypothalamus
C)pons
D)hippocampus

Question 50

Excitatory neurotransmitters are most like what part of an automobile?

A)brakes
B)windshield wiper
C)accelerator
D)horn

Question 51

Which of the following statements about Alzheimer's disease is true?

A)Alzheimer's disease is suspected if a patient cannot retain his or her balance.
B)Alzheimer's disease is age-related, increasing in frequency as people age.
C)Alzheimer's disease often reverses or improves with time.
D)Alzheimer's disease frequently involves positive changes in personality.

Question 52

Low levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine can lessen the ability to focus effectively on tasks. However, high levels of dopamine can result in feelings of motivation. How would you classify dopamine and why?

A)Dopamine is excitatory because it enhances motivation levels.
B)Dopamine is inhibitory because it diminishes the ability to focus.
C)Dopamine is both inhibitory and excitatory because it can enhance motivation levels but diminish the ability to focus.
D)There is not enough information given to answer the question.

Question 53

Treatments for depression often include drugs that help correct imbalances in the levels of

A)serotonin.
B)acetylcholine.
C)nitric oxide.
D)epinephrine.

Question 54

Our biological clock, which regulates the sleep-wake cycle, is housed within the

A)cerebrum.
B)hypothalamus.
C)cerebellum.
D)brainstem.

Question 55

The network of neurons that extends through the core of the brainstem and selects information that reaches the cerebral cortex during sleep is the

A)medulla.
B)limbic system.
C)reticular formation.
D)brainstem core.

Question 56

The human cerebral cortex accounts for what percentage of the total mass of the brain?

A)20%
B)40%
C)60%
D)80%

Question 57

fMRI technology can provide significant insights into brain function by

A)measuring areas of electronegativity.
B)detecting damaged areas of the brain.
C)measuring changes in blood oxygen usage at sites of brain activity.
D)showing the pathways of nerve impulses.

Question 58

When the human brain's normal electrical activity is suddenly altered, a seizure can result. Seizures cause several behavioral and physical complications such as sudden mood changes, muscle spasms, or uncontrollable body shaking. Seizure impulses often start in one hemisphere of the brain and travel to the other. Which of the following surgical treatments would reduce the severity of seizures?

A)severing the suprachiasmatic nucleus so that the patient's biological clock has altered circadian rhythms
B)severing the corpus callosum so that the brain has diminished ability to send messages between the two cerebral hemispheres
C)severing the parietal lobe so that speech capabilities are diminished
D)stimulating the cerebrum to allow the retention of short-term memory capabilities

Question 59

Schizophrenia

A)can best be described as feeling a sense of worthlessness.
B)is often associated with hallucinations and paranoid delusions.
C)causes changes in body weight and sleeping patterns.
D)is best defined as a type of mental deterioration or dementia.

Question 60

What part of the brain allows us to recognize the emotional content of facial expressions and also helps lay down emotional memories?

A)hippocampus
B)amygdala
C)prefrontal cortex
D)corpus callosum

Question 61

Which part of this diagram of a neuron depicts the axon?

A)part A
B)part B
C)part C
D)part D

Question 62

After reading the paragraphs below, answer the questions that follow.
You recently sprayed your apartment with insecticide to remove an infestation of cockroaches. In your kitchen, you noticed some roaches lying on their backs twitching furiously before they died. This aroused your curiosity, so you decided to investigate exactly how the insecticide works on the nervous system.
In your research, you discover that the insecticide you used contains a permanent acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that stimulates skeletal muscle to contract. Acetylcholinesterase removes acetylcholine from the synapse after the signal is received. Exposure to high pesticide concentrations has a similar effect on humans, which can also be caused by exposure to the nerve gas Sarin and other chemical agents.
Why did the insecticide cause uncontrollable twitching in the roaches?

A)Acetylcholine was released, but the insecticide prevented it from diffusing across the synapse.
B)Acetylcholine was released, but the insecticide prevented it from binding to the receptor sites of the postsynaptic neurons.
C)The insecticide caused continuous stimulation of the muscles.
D)The insecticide prevented acetylcholinesterase from being removed from the synapse.

Question 63

You are practicing throwing baseballs long distances with the members of your baseball team. At the same time that your partner throws the ball to you, another player across from you throws his baseball off-target, and it heads straight toward you. You hold your baseball glove up to catch your partner's ball, and you instinctively throw up your other arm to protect your face from the other incoming ball. The protective action of throwing up your arm is an example of a(n)

A)nerve net.
B)reflex.
C)effector cell.
D)blood-brain barrier.

Question 64

Describe what is happening in the following figure.

A)Resting potential is not restored.
B)The neuron is experiencing resting potential.
C)There are fewer positive charges on the inside of the neuron, so it is less negative.
D)The neuron is working to restore the resting potential of -70 mV.

Question 65

You are sitting with a friend in the park next to some children who are playing Frisbee. You turn to talk to your friend and out of the corner of your eye you see a Frisbee quickly approaching your face. As an innate, protective behavior, you blink your eyes. The protective action of blinking is an example of a(n)

A)reflex.
B)integration.
C)chemical synapse.
D)neurotransmitter.

Question 66

Use the figure below to answer the following questions.

What is the minimum change in the membrane's voltage that must occur to generate the action potential?

A)+20
B)+40
C)+70
D)+120

Question 67

Which part of this diagram of the human brain depicts the cerebellum?

A)part A
B)part B
C)part C
D)part D

Question 68

Use the figure below to answer the following questions.

Why do the two parts of the graph marked with arrows look identical?

A)They represent the depolarization and repolarization of the membrane.
B)They represent the minimum change in the membrane's voltage that must occur to generate and complete the action potential.
C)They represent the stimulus that begins and ends the action potential.
D)They represent the resting potential before and after the action potential has occurred.

Question 69

After reading the paragraphs below, answer the questions that follow.
You recently sprayed your apartment with insecticide to remove an infestation of cockroaches. In your kitchen, you noticed some roaches lying on their backs twitching furiously before they died. This aroused your curiosity, so you decided to investigate exactly how the insecticide works on the nervous system.
In your research, you discover that the insecticide you used contains a permanent acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that stimulates skeletal muscle to contract. Acetylcholinesterase removes acetylcholine from the synapse after the signal is received. Exposure to high pesticide concentrations has a similar effect on humans, which can also be caused by exposure to the nerve gas Sarin and other chemical agents.
Since pesticides affect humans in a manner similar to that of roaches, it would be valid to conclude that

A)acetylcholinesterase affects the DNA of all animals.
B)the mechanism of stimulating skeletal muscle contraction must be similar in humans and roaches.
C)pesticides are more harmful to roaches than humans.
D)the terminal end of the axon releases acetylcholine in roaches, but not in humans.

Question 70

Which of the following best describes the protective action of blinking?

A)An interneuron detects motion and sends this message to the peripheral nervous system (PNS), and the PNS sends a message back to blink.
B)A sensory receptor detects motion, a sensory neuron sends this information to the spinal cord, and the information in the central nervous system (CNS)sends a message back to blink.
C)A cell body detects motion, a sensory neuron sends this message to the peripheral nervous system (PNS), and the PNS sends a message back to blink.
D)A cell body detects motion, a sensory neuron sends this message to the spinal cord, and the information in the central nervous system (CNS)sends a message back to blink.