WGU NEUROSCIENCE COMPREHENSIVE
STUDY GUIDE: 200 PRACTICE
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS COVERING
FOUR CORE DOMAINS (2026/2027
ACADEMIC YEAR)
DOMAIN 1: FOUNDATIONS OF NEUROSCIENCE &
NEUROANATOMY (Questions 1–50)
1. What is neuroscience?
Answer: The study of the brain and nervous system.
2. What is cognition?
Answer: How we take in, process, and use information.
3. Which brain structure is primarily responsible for regulating
homeostasis, such as body temperature and hunger?
Answer: Hypothalamus.
4. Which brain structure regulates vital functions including
heart rate, breathing, and sleep-wake cycles?
Answer: Brainstem.
,5. What is the primary role of the prefrontal cortex in learning?
Answer: Executive functions, decision-making, planning, and higher-order cognitive
processing.
6. Which structure is primarily responsible for consolidating
short-term memories into long-term memories?
Answer: Hippocampus.
7. What is the function of the cerebellum?
Answer: Coordinates voluntary movement, balance, and motor learning.
8. What does the limbic system influence?
Answer: Emotions, memory, and decision-making.
9. What is the central nervous system (CNS) composed of?
Answer: The brain and spinal cord.
10. What is the peripheral nervous system (PNS) composed of?
Answer: All nerves outside the brain and spinal cord.
11. What are the two main divisions of the peripheral nervous
system?
Answer: Somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system.
, 12. What does the autonomic nervous system regulate?
Answer: Involuntary functions such as heart rate, digestion, and respiration.
13. What are the two branches of the autonomic nervous
system?
Answer: Sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic nervous
system (rest-and-digest).
14. What is the sympathetic nervous system responsible for?
Answer: Preparing the body for stressful or emergency situations (fight-or-flight
response).
15. What is the parasympathetic nervous system responsible
for?
Answer: Conserving energy and promoting restful functions (rest-and-digest).
16. What are the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex?
Answer: Frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, and occipital lobe.
17. What is the primary function of the frontal lobe?
Answer: Executive functions, motor control, speech production (Broca's area), and
personality.
18. What is the primary function of the parietal lobe?
STUDY GUIDE: 200 PRACTICE
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS COVERING
FOUR CORE DOMAINS (2026/2027
ACADEMIC YEAR)
DOMAIN 1: FOUNDATIONS OF NEUROSCIENCE &
NEUROANATOMY (Questions 1–50)
1. What is neuroscience?
Answer: The study of the brain and nervous system.
2. What is cognition?
Answer: How we take in, process, and use information.
3. Which brain structure is primarily responsible for regulating
homeostasis, such as body temperature and hunger?
Answer: Hypothalamus.
4. Which brain structure regulates vital functions including
heart rate, breathing, and sleep-wake cycles?
Answer: Brainstem.
,5. What is the primary role of the prefrontal cortex in learning?
Answer: Executive functions, decision-making, planning, and higher-order cognitive
processing.
6. Which structure is primarily responsible for consolidating
short-term memories into long-term memories?
Answer: Hippocampus.
7. What is the function of the cerebellum?
Answer: Coordinates voluntary movement, balance, and motor learning.
8. What does the limbic system influence?
Answer: Emotions, memory, and decision-making.
9. What is the central nervous system (CNS) composed of?
Answer: The brain and spinal cord.
10. What is the peripheral nervous system (PNS) composed of?
Answer: All nerves outside the brain and spinal cord.
11. What are the two main divisions of the peripheral nervous
system?
Answer: Somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system.
, 12. What does the autonomic nervous system regulate?
Answer: Involuntary functions such as heart rate, digestion, and respiration.
13. What are the two branches of the autonomic nervous
system?
Answer: Sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic nervous
system (rest-and-digest).
14. What is the sympathetic nervous system responsible for?
Answer: Preparing the body for stressful or emergency situations (fight-or-flight
response).
15. What is the parasympathetic nervous system responsible
for?
Answer: Conserving energy and promoting restful functions (rest-and-digest).
16. What are the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex?
Answer: Frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, and occipital lobe.
17. What is the primary function of the frontal lobe?
Answer: Executive functions, motor control, speech production (Broca's area), and
personality.
18. What is the primary function of the parietal lobe?
