Deck 3: The Organization and Functions of the Nervous System

Question 1

Which of the following make up the central nervous system?

A) the brain and the spinal cord
B) all neurons in the body
C) the spinal cord and the brain stem
D) the cranial nerves that enter and leave the underside of the brain

Answer 1

the brain and the spinal cord

Question 2

A nucleus is a ______.

A) bundle of dendrites anywhere in the nervous system
B) cluster of cell bodies in the central nervous system
C) bundle of axons in the peripheral nervous system
D) group of ganglia in the peripheral nervous system

Answer 2

cluster of cell bodies in the central nervous system

Question 3

Which of the following structures is part of the forebrain?

A) pineal gland
B) pons
C) medulla
D) thalamus

Answer 3

thalamus

Question 4

If you were abducted by an alien and they removed the top portion of your skull to reveal the brain, the structure they would see on top would be the ______.

A) basal ganglia
B) thalamus
C) cortex
D) hypothalamus

Question 5

The lissencephalic individual in the chapter's opening vignette had a brain that lacked ______.

A) sulci
B) hemispheres
C) the corpus callosum
D) lateralization

Question 6

Joe wanted to make a gelatin brain for his kids' Halloween party. If Joe was going to make the brain look realistic, he should color the gelatin for the cortex ______.

A) white
B) gray
C) red
D) black

Question 7

One example of asymmetry in the brain is that the left side of the body is controlled by the ______ side of the brain.

A) same
B) ipsilateral
C) left
D) right

Question 8

Which of the following is one example of the brain's convoluted structure?

A) asymmetry
B) myelination
C) cortical columns
D) gyri

Question 9

Although the cortex of humans is only 1.5-4 mm thick, the gyri and sulci result in a surface area that is ______ times greater.

A) two
B) three
C) five
D) ten

Question 10

The organization of the human cortex is typically composed of ______ layers and columns containing 80-100 neurons.

A) four
B) five
C) six
D) eight

Question 11

The cortex of most mammals is organized into ______.

A) slices and quadrants
B) columns and quadrants
C) arcs and layers
D) columns and layers

Question 12

How do the layers of the cortex differ from each other?

A) They contain different types and sizes of cells.
B) They form different structures.
C) Some of the layers contain neurons, while others contain glial cells.
D) Some of the layers contain columns, while others do not.

Question 13

Which of the following is a true statement about the layers of the cortex in humans?

A) Layer II appears to process sensory information.
B) Layer III appears to perform motor functions.
C) Layer IV appears to process sensory information.
D) Layer V is associational in function.

Question 14

In what way are neurons in a cortical column similar to each other?

A) All the cells in a cortical column have a similar job.
B) All the cells in a cortical column are the same type of cell.
C) All the cells in a cortical column are identical in appearance.
D) All the cells in a cortical column have electrical synapses.

Question 15

Karen studies the brains of different types of animals. In animal A, she saw that the top portion of the brain was organized into six layers and columns. In animal B, she saw that the top portion of the brain was organized into cell clusters rather than layers and columns. What advantage can Karen expect animal A to have over animal B?

A) Animal A is smarter than animal B.
B) Animal A has a bigger brain than animal B.
C) Animal A can process information faster than animal B.
D) Animal A has superior vision to animal B.

Question 16

Dr. Amato, an anthropologist, found three skulls of the same species at one site. Which of the following is he most likely to conclude?

A) The largest skull came from the largest individual.
B) The largest skull came from the most intelligent individual.
C) The largest skull came from a female.
D) The smallest skull came from a male.

Question 17

Which of the following animals has the largest brain?

A) a crow
B) a lion
C) a human
D) a blue whale

Question 18

Dr. Gonzalez is comparing the brains of several different animals. What feature(s) will she look for to identify which animal is the most intelligent?

A) the number of gyri and the overall brain size
B) the number of gyri and size of the cerebral hemispheres compared to the rest of the brain
C) the number of axons and the size of the cerebral hemispheres compared to the rest of the brain
D) the number of axons and the proportion of myelinated to unmyelinated axons

Question 19

When the textbook authors state that the central nervous system is arranged in a hierarchy, this means that ______.

A) the pons controls more complex behaviors than the prefrontal cortex
B) the medulla controls more complex behaviors than the pons
C) the occipital lobe controls more complex behaviors than the frontal lobe
D) the parietal lobe controls more complex behaviors than the cerebellum

Question 20

Which of the following is a lobe of the cerebral hemispheres?

A) longitudinal lobe
B) fusiform gyrus
C) temporal lobe
D) thalamic lobe

Question 21

The ______ lobe is located anterior to the central sulcus and superior to the lateral fissure.

A) occipital
B) parietal
C) temporal
D) frontal

Question 22

After Carlie suffered a stroke, she had difficulty moving her left hand. What part of her brain was likely to have been impacted by the stroke?

A) Broca's area
B) the left precentral gyrus
C) the right primary motor cortex
D) the left secondary motor cortex

Question 23

Which of the following is the meaning of the term "homunculus"?

A) "Little man," referring to how the parts of the body map onto the motor cortex of the brain
B) "One sided," referring to the dominance of one hemisphere over the other
C) "Works as one," referring to how the individual parts of the brain work together
D) "Folded on itself," referring to the multiple convolutions in the brain

Question 24

The secondary motor areas are located in the brain ______ to the primary motor cortex.

A) posterior
B) anterior
C) dorsal
D) superior

Question 25

Which of the following is an example of hemispheric asymmetry?

A) color vision
B) movement
C) planning ability
D) language production

Question 26

Which of the following is true about the prefrontal cortex in humans?

A) It is smaller than in chimpanzees.
B) It is the largest area of the brain.
C) It is the most dorsal part of the frontal lobes.
D) It makes up 50% of the cortex.

Question 27

Planning and decision making involve the ______.

A) occipital lobe
B) Broca's area
C) prefrontal cortex
D) primary somatosensory cortex

Question 28

After sustaining brain damage, David had difficulty with his relationships, and he had conflict with people at work as well as with his family members and friends. What part of the brain did David damage?

A) occipital lobe
B) primary somatosensory cortex
C) prefrontal cortex
D) Broca's area

Question 29

Which of the following describes a lobotomy?

A) a surgical procedure in which one hemisphere of the brain is removed
B) a surgical procedure that is usually performed early in life to preclude the development of socially unacceptable behavior
C) a surgical procedure that was rarely performed in the United States
D) a surgical procedure in which the prefrontal area of the brain is disconnected from the rest of the brain

Question 30

Which of the following is true about psychosurgery?

A) It is used to remove tumors and blood clots.
B) It remains the most popular way to treat cognitive and emotional disorders.
C) It was largely replaced by psychiatric drugs as a form of treatment.
D) It was performed on Phineas Gage.

Question 31

The brain area that is responsible for processing information about body position and movement is located on the ______.

A) postcentral gyrus
B) precentral gyrus
C) lateral fissure
D) central sulcus

Question 32

While watching a documentary on the brain, Janique was intrigued by a case of a brain-injured man who insisted one of his legs wasn't really his and who wouldn't shave the side of his face on the same side as the leg in question. From her biopsychology course, Janique knew the injury was most likely in the ______.

A) left hemisphere of the posterior frontal lobe
B) left hemisphere of the posterior parietal lobe
C) right hemisphere of the posterior parietal lobe
D) right hemisphere of the posterior frontal lobe

Question 33

Which of the following is true of association areas in the parietal lobe?

A) They combine information from other senses.
B) They only process body sense information.
C) They send information to the primary areas.
D) They are only found in the left hemisphere of the brain.

Question 34

Which of the following is an accurate statement about the inferior temporal cortex?

A) It is the area responsible for localizing stimuli in space.
B) It receives input only from the superior temporal cortex.
C) It plays a major role in visual recognition.
D) It plays a major role in the ability to recognize auditory stimuli.

Question 35

Which of the following is true about Penfield's investigations of brain function in brain surgery patients?

A) The patients remained awake during electrical stimulation of their brains.
B) Penfield failed to demonstrate any links between cortical site and brain function.
C) Penfield observed that patients would experience profound emotions when the frontal lobe was stimulated.
D) These procedures would be considered unethical today because of the pain involved with brain stimulation.

Question 36

Which statement is true of the occipital lobe?

A) Visual information is combined with auditory information here.
B) There are secondary areas detecting color, movement, and form.
C) The most anterior portion is designated as the primary visual cortex.
D) Speech information is integrated and recognized here.

Question 37

Which of the following is true about the ways that information is organized in the cortex?

A) There is no pattern to how the world is represented in the brain.
B) All of the information from the right side of the body is represented in the right side of the brain.
C) All of the information from the left side of the body is represented in the left side of the brain.
D) The world is mapped onto the brain so that adjacent visual areas are represented next to each other in the visual cortex.

Question 38

The ______ takes in visual, hearing, touch, and taste information and passes these types of information on to the cortex.

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

Question 39

The hypothalamus is located ______ the thalamus in the brain.

A) above
B) below
C) anterior to
D) posterior to

Question 40

The hypothalamus controls the ______.

A) peripheral nervous system
B) endocrine system
C) central nervous system
D) blood flow

Question 41

Sleep is partially regulated by melatonin from the ______.

A) thalamus
B) adrenal gland
C) pituitary gland
D) pineal gland

Question 42

Which of the following structures is not duplicated on both sides of the brain?

A) thalamus
B) hypothalamus
C) pineal gland
D) parietal lobe

Question 43

A person might undergo surgery to cut the ______ in order to restrict seizures to one side of the brain.

A) pineal gland
B) corpus callosum
C) hypothalamus
D) pituitary gland

Question 44

Which of the following is a collection of fibers that connects the two brain hemispheres?

A) corpus callosum
B) thalamus
C) superior colliculi
D) basal ganglia

Question 45

The ventricles of the brain contain ______.

A) air
B) blood
C) hormones
D) cerebrospinal fluid

Question 46

The midbrain includes the ______.

A) thalamus
B) substantia nigra
C) pineal gland
D) corpus callosum

Question 47

Which of the following structures is part of the midbrain?

A) the parietal lobe
B) the hypothalamus
C) the anterior commissure
D) the inferior colliculi

Question 48

Larry heard a loud sound behind him and turned his head to look for the source of the sound. What brain structure was Larry using here?

A) the ventral tegmental area
B) the substantia nigra
C) the inferior colliculi
D) the hypothalamus

Question 49

Which of the following is true of the hindbrain?

A) The substantia nigra is located here.
B) The reticular formation runs through this area.
C) The corpus callosum is located here.
D) The medulla is a relay station for sensory information.

Question 50

Which of the following is true of the cerebellum?

A) It coordinates the speed and direction of body movements.
B) It filters incoming sensory information.
C) It monitors respiration.
D) It is difficult to visually distinguish from other tissue in the brain.

Question 51

Behaviors that are necessary to sustain life are most likely to be performed by structures in which portion of the brain?

A) cortex
B) forebrain
C) hindbrain
D) midbrain

Question 52

Organization in the spinal cord is ______.

A) similar to that in the brain, with the gray matter on the outside and the white matter in the interior
B) similar to that in the brain, with the white matter on the outside and the gray matter in the interior
C) opposite of the brain's organization, with the gray matter on the outside and the white matter in the interior
D) opposite of the brain's organization, with the white matter on the outside and the gray matter in the interior

Question 53

The spinal cord's primary function is to transmit signals between ______.

A) the brain and the nerves
B) the brain and the body
C) the body and the nerves
D) the body and the endocrine system

Question 54

What is true of the blood-brain barrier?

A) It is a valve-like structure that prevents the peripheral blood from mixing with the cerebrospinal fluid.
B) It requires special transporters to move amino acids and vitamins into the brain.
C) It is formed by pores in the blood vessel walls that control which molecules can pass through.
D) It does not allow lipid-soluble drugs to enter the brain.

Question 55

You overdo it the weekend before the big test and drink way too much alcohol. As a result, you get very nauseous and throw up. You remember the next day that one brain area is unprotected by the blood-brain barrier, which triggered your nausea by the excessive alcohol. This area was the ______.

A) area postrema
B) substantia nigra
C) basal ganglia
D) cerebellum

Question 56

Which of the following is a division of the peripheral nervous system?

A) brain
B) autonomic nervous system
C) central nervous system
D) spinal cord

Question 57

What does the autonomic nervous system regulate?

A) activity in the spinal cord
B) the motor neurons that operate the skeletal muscles
C) general activity levels in the body and controls smooth muscles and organs
D) sensory neurons that bring information into the central nervous system

Question 58

Christopher suffered spinal cord damage at the cervical level of the spinal column. While he lost control of his legs and arms, he retained control over his ______.

A) touch in the fingers
B) touch in the toes
C) cranial nerves
D) breathing

Question 59

Why are the olfactory and optic nerves sometimes referred to as tracts?

A) They have receptor cells that first develop in the brain.
B) They are part of the peripheral nervous system.
C) They are short nerves.
D) They track sensory information.

Question 60

The ganglia in the ______ are interconnected and respond as a unit.

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

Question 61

The ganglia in the ______ are not connected and respond independently.

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

Question 62

Which of the following is true of the migration stage of development of the nervous system?

A) New neurons move from the ventricular zone to their final location.
B) New neurons move from the cortex to the ventricular zone.
C) New neurons move from the forebrain to the hindbrain.
D) Moving cells are assisted in reaching their destinations by Schwann cells.

Question 63

The ______ stage of development is when neurons multiply at a rate of 250,000 cells per minute.

A) innervation
B) pruning
C) migration
D) proliferation

Question 64

Cara is a scientist who studies ways to repair brain damage. What stage of development should she be investigating for the best donor tissue for people with brain damage?

A) circuit formation
B) pruning
C) proliferation
D) synapse formation

Question 65

Which of the following occurs during circuit formation?

A) Growth cones steer the neuron's connections to its destination.
B) Developing neurons remove connections with neurons that are not active.
C) Neurons multiply at a rate of 250,000 cells per minute.
D) Neurons die off at a rate of 250,000 cells per minute.

Question 66

To form new circuits during development, the ______ of neurons grow toward target cells.

A) somas
B) dendrites
C) axons
D) synapses

Question 67

What impact does the gene Robo1 have on brain development?

A) It inactivates the Robo3 gene.
B) It controls a chemical that attracts developing axons to the brain's midline.
C) It controls a chemical that repels developing axons from the brain's midline.
D) It prevents cell death during circuit pruning.

Question 68

James is studying neuronal development. If James wants to experimentally create more connections between the right and left sides of the brain, what should he introduce into the brain tissue?

A) the Robo1 gene
B) the Robo3 gene
C) radial glial cells
D) growth cones

Question 69

Which of the following is an accurate statement about development of the nervous system?

A) There is an overproduction of neurons, with many of these later dying.
B) There is an underproduction of neurons, with extensive branching and neural growth a few weeks prior to birth.
C) The growth of neurons is random and unpredictable.
D) Many new cells grow but never migrate out of the subventricular zone.

Question 70

What happens to the number of neurons in a monkey's brain over the course of development?

A) Monkeys acquire 35% of their adult neurons after birth.
B) Monkeys lose 35% of their visual cortex neurons between birth and adulthood.
C) Monkeys lose 5% of their neurons after birth.
D) The number of neurons in a monkey's brain remains relatively constant after birth.

Question 71

Which of the following indicates a neuron that is likely to be pruned during development?

A) a neuron that fails to generate action potentials when nearby neurons are generating action potentials
B) a neuron that fires action potentials along with other neurons in the region
C) a neuron that receives neurotrophins from nearby neurons
D) a neuron that sends neurotrophins to nearby neurons

Question 72

What role do neurotrophins appear to play in development of the nervous system?

A) They promote neuron pruning.
B) They assist neurons in migrating to their final destinations in the brain.
C) They extend the connecting range of existing neurons.
D) They promote the survival of neurons that have connections with nearby neurons.

Question 73

At what point in development do waves of spontaneous neural firing determine the survival of visual system neurons?

A) before birth
B) immediately following birth
C) in the first year after birth
D) in middle age

Question 74

Which of the following is true of the last stage of circuit pruning?

A) Growth cones guide neurons to their final destination.
B) The Robo1 gene influences the direction in which axons grow.
C) The plasticity of neural connections begins to decrease.
D) The plasticity of neural connections begins to increase.

Question 75

Immature behavior during adolescence might be physiologically predictable because ______.

A) myelination is not complete until that time, especially in the prefrontal cortex
B) circuit pruning is not complete until that time; thus there are competing impulses
C) many neurotransmitters are not produced until after hormonal changes that occur during adolescence
D) the Robo3 gene remains inactive until early adolescence

Question 76

Timothy is a typical 14-year-old who does well in school but just broke his arm after jumping out of a tree. Faster myelination of ______ might have prevented Timothy from this injury.

A) the peripheral nervous system
B) subcortical brain areas
C) the occipital lobe
D) the prefrontal cortex

Question 77

Two groups of rats were tested on how fast they could learn to run a maze. Group 1 was given enrichment (handled every day and had toys in the cage), while Group 2 had no enrichment. The result of enrichment on speed of learning the maze was most likely ______.

A) not effective: both groups learned the maze at the same rate
B) inhibitory: the group with enrichment learned the maze at a slower rate
C) facilitating: the group with enrichment learned the maze at a faster rate
D) dependent on the type of rat studied

Question 78

As humans get older, the number of ______ in the brain increases while the number of neurons decreases.

A) synapses
B) axons
C) neurotransmitters
D) gliotransmitters

Question 79

Which of the following is an accurate statement about syndactyly?

A) It is a condition in which the midbrain is incomplete at birth.
B) It results in the fingers having overlapping cortical representations.
C) It is necessary to cut the corpus callosum to decrease seizures.
D) It prevents adult brain plasticity.

Question 80

Which of the following occurs following surgery to correct syndactyly?

A) The cortical representation of the fingers overlaps with the cortical representation of the toes.
B) The cortex stops representing the fingers.
C) The cortical representation of the fingers remains overlapping.
D) The cortex begins representing the fingers separately in just a few days.