NR 546 / NR546 Midterm Exam
(Latest ) Tested Questions
with Revised Answers, (A+ Guarantee)
Section 1: Functional Neuroanatomy & Brain Structures
Question 1
A patient recovering from a stroke has trouble with speech comprehension and works
with a speech therapist. Which part of the brain has most likely been affected?
A) Broca's area
B) Basal ganglia
C) Limbic system
D) Wernicke's area
Rationale: Wernicke's area is responsible for language comprehension. Damage to this
area results in receptive aphasia—the patient can speak but has difficulty understanding
speech. Broca's area, in contrast, is responsible for speech production.
Question 2
The limbic system is associated with which of the following functions?
A) Executive function and decision-making
B) Emotion and learning
C) Intelligence and motor coordination
D) Expressive speech and language
,Rationale: The limbic system is a complex set of brain structures that plays a central role
in emotion, behavior, motivation, learning, and memory formation. Key structures
include the amygdala, hippocampus, and hypothalamus.
Question 3
Which brain structure is most associated with long-term memory?
A) Amygdala
B) Hippocampus
C) Thalamus
D) Hypothalamus
Rationale: The hippocampus is critical for the formation, consolidation, and retrieval of
long-term declarative memories. It is a key structure in the limbic system and is often
affected in Alzheimer's disease and other memory disorders.
Question 4
How does the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) affect the amygdala?
A) Only inhibits the amygdala
B) Only activates the amygdala
C) Inhibits and activates the amygdala
D) Has no effect on the amygdala
Rationale: The orbitofrontal cortex has a bidirectional relationship with the amygdala. It
can both inhibit and activate the amygdala, playing a key role in emotional regulation,
decision-making, and impulse control. Dysfunction in this circuit is implicated in anxiety,
mood disorders, and addiction.
Question 5
Which lobe of the brain controls visual processing?
,A) Frontal lobe
B) Parietal lobe
C) Occipital lobe
D) Temporal lobe
Rationale: The occipital lobe is located at the back of the brain and is the primary visual
processing center. It receives and interprets visual information from the eyes. Damage to
the occipital lobe can cause visual field defects or cortical blindness.
Question 6
Which lobe of the brain is primarily responsible for handling memory and anxiety?
A) Frontal lobe
B) Parietal lobe
C) Temporal lobe
D) Occipital lobe
Rationale: The temporal lobe contains the hippocampus and amygdala, which are
central to memory formation and emotional processing, including anxiety. The temporal
lobe also houses Wernicke's area for speech comprehension.
Question 7
Damage to the anterior portion of which lobe can cause astereognosis?
A) Frontal
B) Temporal
C) Parietal
D) Occipital
Rationale: The parietal lobe is responsible for processing somatosensory information,
including touch, pressure, temperature, and pain. Astereognosis is the inability to
recognize objects by touch alone, indicating damage to the primary somatosensory
cortex in the parietal lobe.
, Question 8
Which of the following separates the frontal lobe from the parietal lobe?
A) Lateral sulcus (Sylvian fissure)
B) Central sulcus (fissure of Rolando)
C) Longitudinal fissure
D) Transverse fissure
Rationale: The central sulcus is a prominent landmark that separates the frontal lobe
(anterior) from the parietal lobe (posterior). The motor cortex lies just anterior to the
central sulcus, and the somatosensory cortex lies just posterior.
Question 9
The basal forebrain is a major source of which neurotransmitter?
A) Acetylcholine
B) Dopamine
C) Serotonin
D) Norepinephrine
Rationale: The basal forebrain is a major source of acetylcholine (ACh), projecting to the
cerebral cortex and hippocampus. It is involved in learning, memory, and attention.
Degeneration of the basal forebrain is implicated in Alzheimer's disease. The VTA and
substantia nigra are sources of dopamine; the raphe nuclei are the source of serotonin;
the locus coeruleus is the source of norepinephrine.
Question 10
The locus coeruleus is the primary source of which neurotransmitter?
A) Acetylcholine
B) Dopamine
C) Serotonin
D) Norepinephrine
Rationale: The locus coeruleus is a small nucleus in the brainstem that is the primary
source of norepinephrine in the central nervous system. It is involved in arousal,
(Latest ) Tested Questions
with Revised Answers, (A+ Guarantee)
Section 1: Functional Neuroanatomy & Brain Structures
Question 1
A patient recovering from a stroke has trouble with speech comprehension and works
with a speech therapist. Which part of the brain has most likely been affected?
A) Broca's area
B) Basal ganglia
C) Limbic system
D) Wernicke's area
Rationale: Wernicke's area is responsible for language comprehension. Damage to this
area results in receptive aphasia—the patient can speak but has difficulty understanding
speech. Broca's area, in contrast, is responsible for speech production.
Question 2
The limbic system is associated with which of the following functions?
A) Executive function and decision-making
B) Emotion and learning
C) Intelligence and motor coordination
D) Expressive speech and language
,Rationale: The limbic system is a complex set of brain structures that plays a central role
in emotion, behavior, motivation, learning, and memory formation. Key structures
include the amygdala, hippocampus, and hypothalamus.
Question 3
Which brain structure is most associated with long-term memory?
A) Amygdala
B) Hippocampus
C) Thalamus
D) Hypothalamus
Rationale: The hippocampus is critical for the formation, consolidation, and retrieval of
long-term declarative memories. It is a key structure in the limbic system and is often
affected in Alzheimer's disease and other memory disorders.
Question 4
How does the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) affect the amygdala?
A) Only inhibits the amygdala
B) Only activates the amygdala
C) Inhibits and activates the amygdala
D) Has no effect on the amygdala
Rationale: The orbitofrontal cortex has a bidirectional relationship with the amygdala. It
can both inhibit and activate the amygdala, playing a key role in emotional regulation,
decision-making, and impulse control. Dysfunction in this circuit is implicated in anxiety,
mood disorders, and addiction.
Question 5
Which lobe of the brain controls visual processing?
,A) Frontal lobe
B) Parietal lobe
C) Occipital lobe
D) Temporal lobe
Rationale: The occipital lobe is located at the back of the brain and is the primary visual
processing center. It receives and interprets visual information from the eyes. Damage to
the occipital lobe can cause visual field defects or cortical blindness.
Question 6
Which lobe of the brain is primarily responsible for handling memory and anxiety?
A) Frontal lobe
B) Parietal lobe
C) Temporal lobe
D) Occipital lobe
Rationale: The temporal lobe contains the hippocampus and amygdala, which are
central to memory formation and emotional processing, including anxiety. The temporal
lobe also houses Wernicke's area for speech comprehension.
Question 7
Damage to the anterior portion of which lobe can cause astereognosis?
A) Frontal
B) Temporal
C) Parietal
D) Occipital
Rationale: The parietal lobe is responsible for processing somatosensory information,
including touch, pressure, temperature, and pain. Astereognosis is the inability to
recognize objects by touch alone, indicating damage to the primary somatosensory
cortex in the parietal lobe.
, Question 8
Which of the following separates the frontal lobe from the parietal lobe?
A) Lateral sulcus (Sylvian fissure)
B) Central sulcus (fissure of Rolando)
C) Longitudinal fissure
D) Transverse fissure
Rationale: The central sulcus is a prominent landmark that separates the frontal lobe
(anterior) from the parietal lobe (posterior). The motor cortex lies just anterior to the
central sulcus, and the somatosensory cortex lies just posterior.
Question 9
The basal forebrain is a major source of which neurotransmitter?
A) Acetylcholine
B) Dopamine
C) Serotonin
D) Norepinephrine
Rationale: The basal forebrain is a major source of acetylcholine (ACh), projecting to the
cerebral cortex and hippocampus. It is involved in learning, memory, and attention.
Degeneration of the basal forebrain is implicated in Alzheimer's disease. The VTA and
substantia nigra are sources of dopamine; the raphe nuclei are the source of serotonin;
the locus coeruleus is the source of norepinephrine.
Question 10
The locus coeruleus is the primary source of which neurotransmitter?
A) Acetylcholine
B) Dopamine
C) Serotonin
D) Norepinephrine
Rationale: The locus coeruleus is a small nucleus in the brainstem that is the primary
source of norepinephrine in the central nervous system. It is involved in arousal,
