NURS 301 EXAM 3 QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS. VERIFIED 2025/2026.
Nervous system structural divisions - ANS CNS (brain and spinal cord)
PNS
SNS
ANS (Sympathetic and parasympathetic)
Meninges - ANS lie between the skull and brain and has three layers
Dura matter - ANS outer layer of meninges
Arachnoid - ANS middle meningeal layer, two layer membrane that covers the folds and
fissures of the brian
Pia matter - ANS inner meningeal layer that contains small blood vessels that supply blood to
the brain
Cerebral spinal fluid - ANS colorless, odorless, fluid containing: glucose, electrolytes, oxygen,
water, carbon dioxide, protein, leukocytes
1 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,CSF provides - ANS cushion, maintains normal intracranial pressure, provides nutrition, and
removes metabolic waste.
Where is CSF produced? - ANS within 4 ventricles found within the brain
Where are the ventricles located? - ANS 1 lateral ventricle in each hemisphere, third ventricle
adjacent to thalamus, fourth adjacent to the brainstem
Grey matter - ANS consists of cell bodies
White matter - ANS myelinated nerve fibers
Arteries - ANS Carotid arteries supply most of the blood to the brain and branch off into the
posterior, middle, and anterior cerebral arteries. Vertebral arteries branch into the posterior and
anterior communicating arteries
Circle of Willis - ANS A circle of arteries at the base of the brain that supply blood to the brain
Cerebrum - ANS largest part of the brain and is composed of two hemispheres which contain
frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes.
Frontal Lobe - ANS contains primary motor cortex and is responsible for functions related to
voluntary motor activity and controls intellectual function, awareness of self, personality, and
autonomic responses related to emotion
Broca's area - ANS Left frontal lobe; formulation of words (expressive aphasia)
2 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,Parietal lobe - ANS contains the sensory cortex which its major function is to receive sensory
input such as position sense, touch, shape, and texture of objects
Temporal Lobe - ANS contains primary auditory cortex
Wenicke's area - ANS Left temporal lobe only, next to primary auditory cortex connected to
Broca's area by a bundle of nerves (arcuate fasciculus). Responsible for comprehension of
speech, also involved in speech production, interpreting the sounds
What happens when both Broca and Wernike's areas are damaged? - ANS Patient has global
aphasia
Occipital Lobe - ANS contains the primary visual cortex and is responsible for reviewing visual
information.
Diencephalon - ANS made up of the thalamus, hypothalamus, epithalamus, and
subthalamus.
Hypotha - ANS Regulation of body temperature, Hunger, Thirst, Formation of autonomic
nervous system responses, Storage and secretion of hormones from the pituitary gland
Basal ganglia - ANS Creates smooth, coordinated voluntary movement by balancing the
production of two neurotransmitters: acetylcholine and dopamine
Brain stem - ANS 10 of the 12 cranial nerves originate from the brainstem. The occulomotor
nerve (CN III) and trocholear nerve (CN IV) originate in the midbrain
3 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
, Medulla oblongata - ANS Contains reflex centers for controlling involuntary functions such as
breathing, sneezing, swallowing, coughing, vomiting, and vasoconstriction
Spinal nerves - ANS 31 pairs emerge from different segments of the spinal cord
8 pairs of cervical
12 pairs of thoracic
5 pairs of lumbar
5 pairs of sacral
1 pair of coccygeal nerves
The first 7 pair of nerves exit above their corresponding vertebrae. The remaining spinal nerves
exit below the corresponding vertebrae
Spinal cord and the Reflex Arc - ANS Reflex arcs are tested by observing muscle movement in
response to sensory stimuli
Ex: Striking a deep tendon stimulates a sensory neuron that travels to the spinal cord, where it
stimulates in interneuron that stimulates a motor neuron to create movement
Dysphagia - ANS difficulty swallowing
Dysphasia - ANS difficulty speaking
Aphasia - ANS defective or absent language
CNI - ANS Olfactory- occlude one nostril while testing the other and have patient identify
smell
CN II - ANS Optic nerve- Presence of peripheral vision indicates function of the CN
4 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
ANSWERS. VERIFIED 2025/2026.
Nervous system structural divisions - ANS CNS (brain and spinal cord)
PNS
SNS
ANS (Sympathetic and parasympathetic)
Meninges - ANS lie between the skull and brain and has three layers
Dura matter - ANS outer layer of meninges
Arachnoid - ANS middle meningeal layer, two layer membrane that covers the folds and
fissures of the brian
Pia matter - ANS inner meningeal layer that contains small blood vessels that supply blood to
the brain
Cerebral spinal fluid - ANS colorless, odorless, fluid containing: glucose, electrolytes, oxygen,
water, carbon dioxide, protein, leukocytes
1 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,CSF provides - ANS cushion, maintains normal intracranial pressure, provides nutrition, and
removes metabolic waste.
Where is CSF produced? - ANS within 4 ventricles found within the brain
Where are the ventricles located? - ANS 1 lateral ventricle in each hemisphere, third ventricle
adjacent to thalamus, fourth adjacent to the brainstem
Grey matter - ANS consists of cell bodies
White matter - ANS myelinated nerve fibers
Arteries - ANS Carotid arteries supply most of the blood to the brain and branch off into the
posterior, middle, and anterior cerebral arteries. Vertebral arteries branch into the posterior and
anterior communicating arteries
Circle of Willis - ANS A circle of arteries at the base of the brain that supply blood to the brain
Cerebrum - ANS largest part of the brain and is composed of two hemispheres which contain
frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes.
Frontal Lobe - ANS contains primary motor cortex and is responsible for functions related to
voluntary motor activity and controls intellectual function, awareness of self, personality, and
autonomic responses related to emotion
Broca's area - ANS Left frontal lobe; formulation of words (expressive aphasia)
2 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,Parietal lobe - ANS contains the sensory cortex which its major function is to receive sensory
input such as position sense, touch, shape, and texture of objects
Temporal Lobe - ANS contains primary auditory cortex
Wenicke's area - ANS Left temporal lobe only, next to primary auditory cortex connected to
Broca's area by a bundle of nerves (arcuate fasciculus). Responsible for comprehension of
speech, also involved in speech production, interpreting the sounds
What happens when both Broca and Wernike's areas are damaged? - ANS Patient has global
aphasia
Occipital Lobe - ANS contains the primary visual cortex and is responsible for reviewing visual
information.
Diencephalon - ANS made up of the thalamus, hypothalamus, epithalamus, and
subthalamus.
Hypotha - ANS Regulation of body temperature, Hunger, Thirst, Formation of autonomic
nervous system responses, Storage and secretion of hormones from the pituitary gland
Basal ganglia - ANS Creates smooth, coordinated voluntary movement by balancing the
production of two neurotransmitters: acetylcholine and dopamine
Brain stem - ANS 10 of the 12 cranial nerves originate from the brainstem. The occulomotor
nerve (CN III) and trocholear nerve (CN IV) originate in the midbrain
3 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
, Medulla oblongata - ANS Contains reflex centers for controlling involuntary functions such as
breathing, sneezing, swallowing, coughing, vomiting, and vasoconstriction
Spinal nerves - ANS 31 pairs emerge from different segments of the spinal cord
8 pairs of cervical
12 pairs of thoracic
5 pairs of lumbar
5 pairs of sacral
1 pair of coccygeal nerves
The first 7 pair of nerves exit above their corresponding vertebrae. The remaining spinal nerves
exit below the corresponding vertebrae
Spinal cord and the Reflex Arc - ANS Reflex arcs are tested by observing muscle movement in
response to sensory stimuli
Ex: Striking a deep tendon stimulates a sensory neuron that travels to the spinal cord, where it
stimulates in interneuron that stimulates a motor neuron to create movement
Dysphagia - ANS difficulty swallowing
Dysphasia - ANS difficulty speaking
Aphasia - ANS defective or absent language
CNI - ANS Olfactory- occlude one nostril while testing the other and have patient identify
smell
CN II - ANS Optic nerve- Presence of peripheral vision indicates function of the CN
4 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
