Question 1

How did early brain researchers learn more about the typical human brain?

Accepted Answer

By examining individuals with specific brain lesions, researchers could observe the resulting cognitive deficits and learn more about the typical human brain.

Question 2

One of the first clinical cases that contributed to our knowledge of brain function was the study of Phineas Gage, who suffered damage to his ______.

Accepted Answer

Phineas Gage suffered damage to his frontal lobe, specifically the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which significantly influenced our understanding of the role of the frontal lobe in personality and decision making.

Question 3

Broca's area is located in the ______ lobe, while Wernicke's area is located in the ______ lobe.

Accepted Answer

Broca's area is located in the left frontal lobe, specifically in the posterior part of the inferior frontal gyrus, while Wernicke's area is in the left temporal lobe, specifically in the posterior part of the superior temporal gyrus.

Question 4

Although Jenelle is capable of fluid thought processes, she has trouble producing fluid speech. She likely has ______ aphasia.

Accepted Answer

Broca's aphasia is characterized by difficulty with producing speech, despite intact comprehension of language. It is often referred to as "non-fluent" or "expressive" aphasia.

Question 5

John has sustained damage to an area of the brain known as Wernicke's area. Which task is he likely to have difficulty with?

Accepted Answer

Wernicke's area is responsible for speech comprehension, so damage to this area can lead to difficulty understanding spoken language. The other options are not primarily associated with Wernicke's area.

Question 6

For an action potential to be transmitted to the next neuron, it must first be ______ at the axon hillock.

Accepted Answer

An action potential is generated at the axon hillock when the membrane potential reaches a threshold level. This triggers the opening of voltage-gated ion channels and the propagation of an electrical signal down the axon. Diluting or retracting the action potential would not allow it to reach the next neuron, and reversing it would involve an unnatural reversal of ion flow that would not occur in a normal physiological process.

Question 7

The frontal lobe has an important role in reasoning, while the temporal lobe has a role in language. This structure illustrates which principle?

Accepted Answer

Localization refers to the idea that specific functions are localized to specific areas of the brain, such as reasoning in the frontal lobe and language in the temporal lobe.

Question 8

Which of these is the correct order of how neuron cells process neurotransmitters?

Accepted Answer

Neurotransmitters are first received by the dendrites, then the signal is processed in the cell body, transmitted along the axon, and finally passed to another neuron or effector cell at the synapse.

Question 9

The space between two neurons where neurotransmitters are released and received is the ______.

Accepted Answer

The space between two neurons where neurotransmitters are released and received is called the synapse.

Question 10

A patient, Shane, tells his doctor, "Hen green the hey one." Shane's speech is fluent, but it makes no sense to the listener. Shane most likely has ______ aphasia.

Accepted Answer

Wernicke's aphasia results in fluent speech that is often nonsensical or full of words that don't fit together properly. In this case, Shane's speech is described as fluent but not making sense, which is characteristic of Wernicke's aphasia. Broca's aphasia, on the other hand, is characterized by slow, effortful speech with difficulty producing words, and patients still produce meaningful language. Tan's and Gage's aphasia are not recognized as typical forms of aphasia.

Question 11

Which of these is a medical term that refers to difficulty producing understandable speech?

Accepted Answer

Aphasia is a medical term that refers to difficulty producing understandable speech.

Question 12

The four lobes of the brain all have different functions. This structure exhibits which principles?

Accepted Answer

The statement about the different functions of the four lobes of the brain refers to the concept of localization of function, which suggests that different parts of the brain are responsible for specific functions. The term lateralization also applies to this concept, as it refers specifically to the specialization of each hemisphere of the brain. Therefore, option D, which includes both localization and lateralization, is the best choice. The other options do not adequately describe the concept of the brain's specialization of function.

Question 13

In what important way do modern brain studies differ from the studies performed in the early days of cognitive neuroscience?

Accepted Answer

Modern studies allow researchers to use advanced imaging techniques, such as fMRI, to examine brain activity in healthy research subjects who have no problems with memory, speech, or learning. This allows researchers to study brain activity under more controlled conditions and isolate specific cognitive processes. In contrast, early studies often relied on case studies of individuals with brain damage or neurological conditions, which limited the generalizability of the results.

Question 14

Neuroscientists have learned a great deal about which brain areas contribute to different cognitive abilities through ______.

Accepted Answer

Neuroscientists have learned about which brain areas contribute to different cognitive abilities through case studies, including studying patients with brain damage, functional neuroimaging, and electrophysiological recordings. Blood tests and childhood photographs are not relevant for studying brain regions and cognitive abilities. Research in other fields, such as sociology, may provide insights into behavior and societal factors but not necessarily brain regions and cognitive abilities.

Question 15

As a graduate student in psychology, you interview a patient who is unable to distinguish between living and nonliving things. The most likely cause is damage to the patient's ______.

Accepted Answer

The inferior temporal cortex is responsible for object recognition and distinguishing between different categories of objects, including living and non-living things. Damage to this area can result in a condition called visual agnosia, which includes the inability to differentiate between living and non-living things. Damage to the frontal lobe is more likely to result in changes in personality or decision-making, while damage to the inferior parietal cortex may affect spatial perception and attention. Damage to the visual cortex may result in visual impairments, but not necessarily a specific deficit in distinguishing between living and non-living things.

Question 16

The ion that is mainly responsible for maintaining the positive charge found in the extracellular space of a neuron at rest is ______.

Accepted Answer

Sodium ions (Na+) are primarily responsible for maintaining the positive charge in the extracellular space of a neuron at rest, as they are more concentrated outside the neuron compared to inside.

Question 17

The ______ is important for ______.

Accepted Answer

The frontal lobe is crucial for emotional regulation and decision making, among other functions. It plays a key role in controlling our emotions, making plans, and the choices we make.

Question 18

______ is the inability to correctly recognize tangible things, and is associated with damage to the ______ cortex.

Accepted Answer

Object agnosia is the inability to correctly recognize tangible things, and is associated with damage to the inferior temporal cortex. Wernicke's aphasia is a language disorder, Tan's aphasia is another name for Broca's aphasia, and inferior frontal cortex is associated with language production, not object recognition.

Question 19

Jolie suffered brain damage that caused deficits to her short-term memory, but her long-term memory was left intact. Damage in what brain area would most likely account for this short-term memory deficit?

Accepted Answer

The hippocampus is a key brain structure involved in the formation and retrieval of short-term memories. Damage to this area can cause deficits in short-term memory function, while long-term memories may remain intact. Therefore, the likely brain area that accounts for Jolie's short-term memory deficit is the hippocampus.

Question 20

The brain is composed of billions of ______.

Accepted Answer

The brain is composed of billions of neurons, which are specialized cells that transmit information through electrical and chemical signals. Cortices and lobes are specific regions of the brain, and synapses are the junctions between neurons where communication occurs.

Quiz 2: Cognitive Neuroscience