Question 1

Damage to the _______ lobe of the cerebrum causes major changes in _______.

Accepted Answer

Damage to the frontal lobe of the cerebrum is known to cause major changes in personality, social behavior, decision making, and judgment.

Question 2

Which of the following would not result from stimulation of parasympathetic nerves?

Accepted Answer

Stimulation of parasympathetic nerves typically results in responses that conserve or restore energy, such as slowing the heartbeat, increasing salivation, constricting the pupil, and constricting airways. However, it increases the activity of the intestines (digestive activity), not decreases it. Therefore, a decrease in intestinal activity would not result from parasympathetic stimulation.

Question 3

After a head injury, a patient notices a loss of fine motor control and general coordination of his movements, though his muscles are strong.These symptoms are likely to be caused by damage to the

Accepted Answer

The cerebellum is responsible for fine motor control and coordination of movement. Damage to this area can result in difficulty with balance, coordination, and motor planning. The other options, such as the frontal lobe, cortex, thalamus, and cerebrum are not directly responsible for motor control and coordination.

Question 4

Which of the following parts of the body would have the largest representation with respect to innervation in the primary motor cortex?

Accepted Answer

The fingers have the largest representation in the primary motor cortex, occupying the largest area of the cortical homunculus. This is because the hands and fingers are important for fine motor control and manipulation.

Question 5

The activity in a person's brain can be visualized using positron emission tomography (PET).If the person is touching different objects with his right hand, where would you expect to see increased activity related to his hand movements?

Accepted Answer

The primary motor cortex, responsible for controlling voluntary movements, is located in the precentral gyrus of the frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex. Since the brain's structure is cross-wired, movements in the right hand are controlled by the left hemisphere of the cerebral cortex. Therefore, touching different objects with the right hand would show increased activity in the left hemisphere of the cerebral cortex.

Question 6

Many people wake in the middle of the night and are able to find their way to the kitchen for a drink of water, all without turning on the lights.Their memory of spatial relationships between pieces of furniture and doors is rooted in the posterior

Accepted Answer

The hippocampus, a structure located in the posterior part of the brain, plays a critical role in spatial memory and navigation. It helps us remember the relationships between objects and landmarks in our environment, allowing us to navigate and find our way even in the dark.

Question 7

A patient has lost the ability to recognize faces.Which lobe of the cerebrum is likely damaged?

Accepted Answer

The ability to recognize faces is associated with the temporal lobe, specifically the fusiform gyrus. Damage to this area can result in a condition called prosopagnosia, or face blindness.

Question 8

Both the primary somatosensory cortex and the primary motor cortex have all regions of the body represented within each cortex.How is this representation organized?

Accepted Answer

The organization of the representation in both the primary somatosensory cortex and the primary motor cortex is proportional to the innervation of the body area that results in finer motor control or greater sensitivity. This means that body parts with more precise and intricate movements or more sensitive touch have a larger representation in these cortical regions compared to body parts that require less precise movements or have lower sensitivity. Thus, this organization allows for the precise and differentiated control of movements and sensitivity in different parts of the body.

Question 9

Choose the incorrect match between function and region of the cerebral cortex.

Accepted Answer

The frontal lobe is responsible for a variety of functions, such as movement, problem-solving, planning, and personality, but it is not primarily responsible for processing visual information. The occipital lobe is responsible for this function.

Question 10

All of the following characterize the brainstem except:

Accepted Answer

The statement in E is incorrect because damage below the reticular activating system (which is part of the brainstem) would not typically disrupt the sleep/wake cycle, as the reticular activating system itself is crucial for regulating this cycle. Damage to it or above it could disrupt sleep/wake patterns, not below it.

Question 11

Refer to the table below.Match the correct parts of the forebrain to their function listed in the table.The order should be from first row to last row.

Accepted Answer

The table lists four parts of the forebrain and their functions. The correct order of the parts and their functions is Thalamus (receives sensory input and relays it to the cerebral cortex), Hypothalamus (regulates basic biological needs such as hunger, thirst, and body temperature), Amygdala (involved in emotions and memory), and Hippocampus (important for the formation of new memories). Choice D matches these parts and functions in the correct order.

Question 12

All of the following are specific lobes of the human cerebrum except:

Accepted Answer

The thalamus is not a lobe of the cerebrum, but rather a subcortical structure within the brain. The frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes are all distinct regions of the cerebrum.

Question 13

Choose the pair that contains the two correct ways to cause an increase in the firing rate of pacemaker cells of the heart.

Accepted Answer

The sympathetic nervous system activates pacemaker cells of the heart, which leads to an increase in the firing rate. Norepinephrine is the neurotransmitter that mediates this effect. Therefore, stimulating the sympathetic nerve to the heart and applying norepinephrine to pacemaker cells will both cause an increase in the firing rate, making choice D the correct pair. Choices A and B involve the parasympathetic nervous system, which slows down the firing rate of pacemaker cells, making them incorrect. Choices C and E involve contradictory actions and are therefore incorrect.

Question 14

All of the following characterize the hypothalamus except:

Accepted Answer

The hypothalamus does not directly communicate sensory information to the cerebral cortex, as it primarily serves as an important regulatory center for the autonomic nervous system and endocrine system. The thalamus is responsible for transmitting sensory information to the cerebral cortex.

Question 15

Which of the following regions of the cerebral cortex may contribute to a sense of self in higher mammals, such as primates and elephants?

Accepted Answer

The insular cortex is associated with self-awareness and consciousness, which are key components of the sense of self in higher mammals.

Question 16

All of the following characterize the human brain except:

Accepted Answer

All of the other options are characteristics of the human brain, but the statement "largest brain size" is not true. While the human brain is large relative to our body size, there are other animals with larger brains such as whales, elephants, and some species of dolphins.

Question 17

Damage to a particular nerve of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system could result in the inability of

Accepted Answer

The sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system is responsible for the "fight or flight" response, which includes relaxing the airways to allow more air to enter the lungs. Damage to a sympathetic nerve could impair this function.

Question 18

The reticular activating system in the brainstem can promote wakefulness

Accepted Answer

The reticular activating system is activated when sensory information from the spinal cord activates nuclei in the brainstem. This can promote wakefulness.

Question 19

All of the following characterize the hippocampus except:

Accepted Answer

The hippocampus is involved in memory formation and retrieval, particularly in the transfer of short-term memory to long-term memory. It is also part of the limbic system and found in the forebrain. Additionally, the hippocampus contains place cells that fire during spatial tasks and then again during sleep for memory consolidation. However, it is not responsible for triggering fear emotions and fear memories. That role is primarily attributed to the amygdala, another structure within the limbic system.

Question 20

In the context of M.A.Wilson's study of rats, "place cells" in the hippocampus

Accepted Answer

Place cells in the hippocampus are neurons that fire when the rat is at a particular location in a maze. Wilson's study found that these cells fired in specific patterns that corresponded to the rat's location in the maze, suggesting that they play a role in spatial navigation.

Quiz 46: The Mammalian Nervous System: Structure and Higher Functions

Damage to the _ lobe of the cerebrum causes major changes in _.