Question 1

Both the cerebellum and the basal ganglia are involved in the control of movement. However, they have very different roles. The basal ganglia is responsible for ___________ movement whereas the cerebellum is involved in ___________ movement.

Accepted Answer

The basal ganglia play a crucial role in initiating and controlling voluntary movements, while the cerebellum is involved in the coordination and fine-tuning of those movements, making them smooth and automatic.

Question 2

While recording from a neuron, Dr. Chin noted that the neuron fired more rapidly as stimulus intensity was increased. But suddenly, the neuron would not fire any faster no matter how much the intensity was increased. What happened?

Accepted Answer

The neuron was limited by the absolute refractory period, which is a time during which a second action potential cannot be initiated, regardless of the strength of the stimulus. This period ensures a brief recovery phase between signals, allowing the neuron to reset.

Question 3

Under very controlled laboratory conditions, split-brain patients show some very interesting phenomenon. In particular, if these patients are made to focus on a fixation point and they are flashed a picture of a hammer in the left visual field, they

Accepted Answer

Split-brain patients cannot name objects presented in the left visual field because the right hemisphere, which processes the left visual field, does not have access to the language centers typically located in the left hemisphere.

Question 4

As the result of a car accident, Joe has some difficulty speaking. If he wanted a glass of water, he might say, "Give, glass, me." Where would you expect to find damage in Joe's brain?

Accepted Answer

Broca's area is responsible for speech production and processing. Damage to this area can result in difficulty forming complete sentences and speaking fluently, which aligns with Joe's symptoms.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT true regarding the brain and aging?

Accepted Answer

Adults typically have fewer synapses than children due to a process called synaptic pruning, where the brain eliminates excess synapses formed during childhood to increase the efficiency of neuronal transmissions.

Question 6

Julie has damage to Wernicke's area and her friend Jorge has damage to Broca's area. Both Julie and Jorge are likely to suffer from

Accepted Answer

Wernicke's area is associated with the comprehension of language, and damage to it can result in Wernicke's aphasia, characterized by fluent but nonsensical speech and difficulty understanding language. Broca's area is involved in the production of speech, and damage to it can lead to Broca's aphasia, where individuals have difficulty forming complete sentences and their speech is often halted and effortful. Both conditions are forms of aphasia, a disorder affecting speech and language.

Question 7

Your best friend, Mo, is right-handed. Most likely, Mo would also

Accepted Answer

Most right-handed individuals show language dominance in the left hemisphere of the brain. This is a common pattern observed in the majority of the population, regardless of handedness, but it is especially pronounced in right-handed individuals.

Question 8

If you were to successfully walk backwards placing your feet together heel to toe, which part of the brain would you be relying on?

Accepted Answer

The cerebellum is responsible for coordinating voluntary movements, including balance, coordination, and speech, making it crucial for the precise movement required to walk backwards placing feet together heel to toe.

Question 9

You are looking at the electrical activity at a receptor site on the postsynaptic membrane. The measured potential is -80 millivolts (below the resting potential). How is this possible?

Accepted Answer

A neurotransmitter has hyperpolarized the postsynaptic membrane, making the inside of the cell more negative compared to the outside, which is why the potential is below the resting potential.

Question 10

Helina fell off her bike and hit her head hard. When she woke up in hospital, she was not able to see. Most likely, this was from the pressure on the

Accepted Answer

The back of the head houses the occipital lobe, which is responsible for vision. Damage or pressure in this area can lead to vision loss or impairment.

Question 11

After neurotransmitters are expelled into the synaptic gap, they migrate across to the postsynaptic membrane. After locking into receptor sites, any additional neurotransmitters are taken into the presynaptic membrane by a process called _______.

Accepted Answer

The correct term for the process where additional neurotransmitters are taken back into the presynaptic membrane after they have been expelled into the synaptic gap is called "reuptake." This process helps to clear neurotransmitters from the synaptic gap and regulate their levels, ensuring that signals are not continuously sent across the synapse.

Question 12

If there were equal amounts of positive and negative ions inside and outside of a neuron's cell membrane

Accepted Answer

The resting potential of a neuron is established by the difference in ion concentrations between the inside and outside of the cell. If the concentrations were equal, there would be no potential difference, thus no resting potential.

Question 13

According to the text, which of following neurotransmitters should you target if you wanted to treat depression?

Accepted Answer

Serotonin is commonly targeted in the treatment of depression, as it is believed to play a significant role in mood regulation.

Question 14

Let's say you are a doctor and one of your patients has trouble speaking. There is nothing wrong with his vocal chords, mouth, or tongue. Most likely, if there is a brain abnormality you would expect to find it in

Accepted Answer

Broca's area is responsible for speech production. Damage to this area can result in difficulty speaking, despite having no issues with the vocal cords, mouth, or tongue.

Question 15

If you wanted to get information on brain activity rather than just structure, which of the following would be the WORST imaging technique to use?

Accepted Answer

The answer of If you wanted to get information on...

Question 16

After neurotransmitters are expelled into the synaptic gap, they migrate across to the postsynaptic membrane and lock into receptor sites. If there was no reuptake what would be the likely outcome?

Accepted Answer

Without reuptake, neurotransmitters would remain in the synaptic gap, continuously binding to receptors on the postsynaptic neuron, thus prolonging their action.

Question 17

If your hypothalamus happens to be damaged in a stroke, there is a good chance that you would

Accepted Answer

The hypothalamus is involved in regulating biological drives such as hunger, thirst, and temperature control. Damage to it can disrupt these functions.

Question 18

While a neuron will fire more frequently as stimulus intensity increases, there is a limit on how frequently a neuron can generate an action potential. This limit is set by the neuron's

Accepted Answer

The absolute refractory period is the time during which a neuron is unable to fire a second action potential, no matter how strong the stimulus. This period sets a limit on the maximum firing rate of a neuron.

Question 19

If the absolute refractory period did not exist in the cycle of an action potential, which of the following should be possible?

Accepted Answer

The absolute refractory period is a time during which a neuron cannot fire again, regardless of the strength of the incoming signal. Without this period, neurons could fire more rapidly because they wouldn't need to wait for this refractory period to end before being able to initiate another action potential. This would theoretically allow for much faster firing rates.

Question 20

To achieve a resting potential of -70 millivolts

Accepted Answer

To achieve a resting potential of -70 millivolts, there must be a higher concentration of negative ions inside the cell compared to the outside. This difference in ion concentration creates the negative charge characteristic of the resting potential.

Quiz 3: Biological Foundations of Behaviour

Both the cerebellum and the basal ganglia are involved in the control of movement. However, they have very different roles. The basal ganglia is responsible for _ movement whereas the cerebellum is involved in _ movement.