Question 1

The chapter Prologue described the story of a young university professor named Asha, who suffered a stroke. Because Asha experienced some damage to the motor areas on the left side of her brain, she experienced:

Accepted Answer

Damage to the motor areas on the left side of the brain typically affects the right side of the body, leading to muscle weakness on that side.

Question 2

As you are listening to a lecture, workers are repairing a wall just outside your classroom. Throughout the class, you find yourself coughing and sneezing because of the dust and fumes in the air. Which brain structure controls such vital reflexes as sneezing, coughing, and swallowing?

Accepted Answer

The medulla is a part of the brainstem and controls many vital reflexes, including coughing, sneezing, and swallowing. It would be responsible for initiating these reflexes in response to the irritants in the air from the ongoing repairs outside the classroom. The corpus callosum is responsible for communication between the two hemispheres of the brain, the cerebellum is primarily responsible for fine motor control and coordination, and the thalamus relays sensory information to the appropriate parts of the brain for processing. None of these structures would be primarily responsible for the reflexes in question.

Question 3

After having too many drinks at a party, your friend awkwardly stumbles into a table, almost knocking it over. Your friend's coordination for simple actions, such as walking between two tables, is reduced because the alcohol has affected his:

Accepted Answer

The cerebellum is responsible for coordinating movement and balance, so alcohol's effects on the cerebellum can reduce coordination and cause stumbling or clumsiness.

Question 4

The brainstem is made up of the _____ and the _____.

Accepted Answer

The brainstem is divided into three main structures: the midbrain, pons, and medulla. The midbrain is located in the middle of the brainstem, the pons is located above the medulla, and the medulla is located at the base of the brainstem. The hindbrain refers to the pons and medulla together. Therefore, the most accurate pairing of structures within the brainstem is midbrain and hindbrain. Therefore, the correct choice is D.

Question 5

The _____ is a network of nerve fibers located in the center of the medulla that projects signals up to higher brain regions and down to the spinal cord, and regulates attention and sleep.

Accepted Answer

The reticular formation is a network of nerve fibers located in the center of the medulla that spans to higher brain regions and down to the spinal cord. It is responsible for regulating attention and sleep. The cerebellum is responsible for coordinating movement and balance, the hypothalamus is responsible for regulating basic bodily functions such as hunger and thirst, and the substantia nigra is a brain structure that produces dopamine and is involved in movement control.

Question 6

As you play a Star Trek video game, you track all of the Romulan warships as they fly across the screen, attacking your ship, the U.S.S. Enterprise. In visually tracking the movements on the screen, the _____ plays an important role.

Accepted Answer

The midbrain is responsible for visual tracking and is involved in eye movements, which are necessary for following objects on a screen. The hypothalamus, hindbrain, and pons are not directly involved in visual tracking.

Question 7

Which letter points to the brain structure that controls vital life functions, such as breathing, heartbeat, and digestion?

Accepted Answer

The medulla is located at the base of the brainstem and is responsible for controlling vital life functions, such as breathing, heartbeat, and digestion. The other options listed (corpus callosum, pons, and cerebellum) do not have direct control over these functions.

Question 8

This cross section of the human brain depicts several key structures. Of the choices provided, which correctly labels the structures in the drawing?

Accepted Answer

1. Corpus callosum: A broad band of nerve fibers joining the two hemispheres of the brain.
2. Pons: A part of the brainstem that links the medulla oblongata and the thalamus.
3. Cerebellum: A large structure of the hindbrain that controls fine motor skills.
4. Medulla: The base of the brainstem that controls heartbeat and breathing.

Question 9

When President John F. Kennedy was hit by a sniper's bullet in the back of his head, he died almost instantly because the bullet destroyed the part of his brain called the _____, which controls breathing, heartbeat, and other vital body functions.

Accepted Answer

The medulla is the part of the brain that controls automatic bodily functions like breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. Damage to the medulla can be immediately fatal, as in the case of President Kennedy. The hippocampus is involved in memory formation, the amygdala plays a role in processing emotions, and the thalamus relays sensory information to other parts of the brain. None of these parts of the brain are directly involved in regulating vital bodily functions like breathing and heart rate.

Question 10

Your pencil starts to roll off the desk and in a smooth, coordinated fashion you grab it just before it rolls off the edge. Your ability to perform this action involves which of the following brain areas?

Accepted Answer

The cerebellum plays a key role in coordinating motor movements, including fine motor skills like reaching out to catch a pencil. The hippocampus is involved in memory formation, the amygdala in emotion, and Broca's area in speech production, none of which are directly related to catching a rolling pencil.

Question 11

Which of the following is TRUE regarding the development and growth of new neurons in the human brain?

Accepted Answer

While it was once believed that the human brain ceased to produce new neurons after development in utero and early childhood, recent research has shown that neurogenesis does occur in certain parts of the brain throughout adulthood. Although the rate of neurogenesis declines with age, the human brain has been found to produce new neurons in areas such as the hippocampus, which plays a crucial role in learning and memory.

Question 12

As you take this test, you do not have to focus on taking your next breath or making your heart beat. This is because the _____ is involved in the control of vital life functions, such as breathing, heart rate, and digestion.

Accepted Answer

The medulla is located in the brainstem and is responsible for controlling vital life functions such as breathing, heart rate, and digestion. The pons and thalamus are also located in the brainstem but do not have as significant a role in the control of these functions. The parietal lobe is located in the cerebral cortex and is responsible for processing sensory information.

Question 13

In what area of the adult primate brain have researchers found evidence of growth of new neurons?

Accepted Answer

Researchers have found evidence of growth of new neurons in the hippocampus of adult primates. This phenomenon is referred to as neurogenesis.

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a hindbrain structure?

Accepted Answer

The hypothalamus is actually part of the forebrain, specifically the diencephalon. The hindbrain structures are the pons, medulla, and cerebellum.

Question 15

Which letter points to the brain structure that plays a key role in controlling balance, muscle tone, and coordinated movements?

Accepted Answer

The cerebellum is responsible for controlling balance, muscle tone, and coordinated movements. The other structures listed (corpus callosum, pons, and medulla) are not primarily involved in motor control.

Question 16

Which structure helps relay information from higher brain regions to the cerebellum and also helps coordinate and integrate movements on each side of the body?

Accepted Answer

The pons is a structure located in the brainstem that contains several important neural pathways. One of these pathways is the middle cerebellar peduncle, which helps relay information from higher brain regions to the cerebellum. Additionally, the pons contains nuclei that are involved in coordinating and integrating movements on each side of the body.  Therefore, option D is the correct answer.

Question 17

The right side of the brain controls movements on the left side of the body, such as the ability to kick your left leg. Where do the outgoing motor messages cross over?

Accepted Answer

The outgoing motor messages cross over at the hindbrain level, specifically in the medulla oblongata, which is part of the hindbrain. This is where the decussation of the pyramids occurs, allowing the right side of the brain to control the left side of the body and vice versa.

Question 18

It is now generally accepted that newborn neurons develop into mature functioning neurons in two regions of the human brain, the _____, which is involved in memory and learning, and the _____, which is responsible for odor perception.

Accepted Answer

The hippocampus is the region of the brain involved in memory and learning, and the olfactory bulb is responsible for odor perception. It is now accepted that newborn neurons develop into mature functioning neurons in these two regions. The other options (A, C, and D) are not involved in this process.

Question 19

As you are walking in a crowded hallway, someone calls your name. Almost instantly, you sense that the person is on your left. Your brain's ability to detect the direction of a sound is initially processed in the:

Accepted Answer

The midbrain region contains structures such as the inferior colliculus and superior colliculus, which are involved in initial processing of auditory and visual information respectively. The inferior colliculus plays a role in the initial processing of sound localization, including determining the direction of a sound.

Question 20

Stress, exercise, and environmental complexity have been shown to affect the rate of _____ in the brains of monkeys, rodents, and birds.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that stress, exercise, and environmental complexity can increase the rate of neurogenesis or the growth of new neurons, in the brains of various animals including monkeys, rodents, and birds. This process is important for learning, memory, and overall brain function.

Quiz 2: Neuroscience and Behavior