BSN 375 Final Exam: Advanced Issues in Cognition
Updated and Verified Questions and Correct
Answers - Nightingale College (Version 3)
1. Which brain region is primarily responsible for executive functions such as
decision-making, planning, and personality expression?
A. Occipital lobe
B. Prefrontal cortex
C. Cerebellum
D. Temporal lobe
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The prefrontal cortex is the primary seat of executive function, regulating
complex cognitive behavior and social control.
2. A patient who can understand spoken language but has significant difficulty
producing speech most likely has damage to which area?
A. Broca’s area
B. Primary visual cortex
C. Wernicke’s area
D. Basal ganglia
Correct Answer: A
Explanation: Broca’s area, located in the frontal lobe, is critical for speech production.
Damage leads to expressive aphasia.
,3. Which type of memory is used to remember how to perform tasks such as
riding a bike or tying shoelaces?
A. Semantic memory
B. Procedural memory
C. Episodic memory
D. Short-term memory
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Procedural memory is a type of implicit memory involved in learning motor
skills and habits.
4. In the context of cognitive aging, ‘crystallized intelligence’ refers to:
A. Accumulated knowledge and verbal skills
B. Processing speed and reaction time
C. The ability to solve new problems quickly
D. The capacity for short-term memory storage
Correct Answer: A
Explanation: Crystallized intelligence represents the knowledge and skills acquired
through experience and education, which tends to remain stable or improve with age.
5. Which structure in the limbic system is most critical for the formation of new
long-term memories?
A. Thalamus
B. Hippocampus
C. Amygdala
D. Hypothalamus
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The hippocampus is essential for consolidating information from short-term
memory to long-term memory.
, 6. What is the primary neuroanatomical hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease?
A. Loss of myelin in the spinal cord
B. Dopaminergic neuron loss in the substantia nigra
C. Amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles
D. Enlargement of the pituitary gland
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the accumulation of beta-amyloid
plaques and tau protein tangles in the brain.
7. A nurse observes a patient who is unable to recognize familiar faces, despite
intact vision. This condition is known as:
A. Aphasia
B. Apraxia
C. Prosopagnosia
D. Anomia
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Prosopagnosia is a cognitive disorder of face perception where the ability to
recognize familiar faces is impaired.
8. Which neurotransmitter is most significantly decreased in patients with
Parkinson’s disease?
A. Serotonin
B. Dopamine
C. Acetylcholine
D. GABA
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Parkinson’s disease is caused by the degeneration of dopamine-producing
neurons in the substantia nigra.
Updated and Verified Questions and Correct
Answers - Nightingale College (Version 3)
1. Which brain region is primarily responsible for executive functions such as
decision-making, planning, and personality expression?
A. Occipital lobe
B. Prefrontal cortex
C. Cerebellum
D. Temporal lobe
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The prefrontal cortex is the primary seat of executive function, regulating
complex cognitive behavior and social control.
2. A patient who can understand spoken language but has significant difficulty
producing speech most likely has damage to which area?
A. Broca’s area
B. Primary visual cortex
C. Wernicke’s area
D. Basal ganglia
Correct Answer: A
Explanation: Broca’s area, located in the frontal lobe, is critical for speech production.
Damage leads to expressive aphasia.
,3. Which type of memory is used to remember how to perform tasks such as
riding a bike or tying shoelaces?
A. Semantic memory
B. Procedural memory
C. Episodic memory
D. Short-term memory
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Procedural memory is a type of implicit memory involved in learning motor
skills and habits.
4. In the context of cognitive aging, ‘crystallized intelligence’ refers to:
A. Accumulated knowledge and verbal skills
B. Processing speed and reaction time
C. The ability to solve new problems quickly
D. The capacity for short-term memory storage
Correct Answer: A
Explanation: Crystallized intelligence represents the knowledge and skills acquired
through experience and education, which tends to remain stable or improve with age.
5. Which structure in the limbic system is most critical for the formation of new
long-term memories?
A. Thalamus
B. Hippocampus
C. Amygdala
D. Hypothalamus
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The hippocampus is essential for consolidating information from short-term
memory to long-term memory.
, 6. What is the primary neuroanatomical hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease?
A. Loss of myelin in the spinal cord
B. Dopaminergic neuron loss in the substantia nigra
C. Amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles
D. Enlargement of the pituitary gland
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the accumulation of beta-amyloid
plaques and tau protein tangles in the brain.
7. A nurse observes a patient who is unable to recognize familiar faces, despite
intact vision. This condition is known as:
A. Aphasia
B. Apraxia
C. Prosopagnosia
D. Anomia
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Prosopagnosia is a cognitive disorder of face perception where the ability to
recognize familiar faces is impaired.
8. Which neurotransmitter is most significantly decreased in patients with
Parkinson’s disease?
A. Serotonin
B. Dopamine
C. Acetylcholine
D. GABA
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Parkinson’s disease is caused by the degeneration of dopamine-producing
neurons in the substantia nigra.
