Intro to Neuroscience Exam Practice Questions
Solved to Score A+
Major components of the nervous system - Answer Central nervous system (CNS) = brain and spinal cord
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
∙spinal nerves (31 pairs) arise from spinal cord → sensory/motor
∙cranial nerves (12 pairs, all but first arise from brain) are largely concerned with motor and sensation
of the head
Visceral nervous system/autonomic nervous system = motor innervations of cardiac muscle, smooth
muscle, glands, sensory innervations of viscera
Terms of direction - Answer the axis of direction shifts at an imaginary point w/in skull, so we use
different terms
Longitudinal axis of the forebrain
∙rostral = anterior
∙caudal = posterior
∙dorsal = superior
∙ventral = inferior
Longitudinal axis of the brainstem and spinal cord
∙use normal terms of directions
Planes of section
∙Sagittal plane: divides body into two along vertical line
→median plane: specific type of sagittal plane that divides the body into equal halves
∙coronal/transverse plane :divides anterior portion of body from posterior portion along a vertical line
∙horizontal plane: cuts body along horizontal line
,Types of tissues in the nervous system - Answer Gray matter: neuronal cell bodies
∙in the brain = located on outer surfaces
∙in spinal cord = innermost tissue (what makes the butterfly)
White matter: glial cells and neuronal processes (Tracts)
∙in brain = located on inner portions of brain
∙in spinal cord = outermost tissue (what surrounds the butterfly)
Layers surround the brain - Answer 3 meninges (outside → in): dura mater → arachnoid mater → pia
mater
∙dura mater: outer and inner layers, does not touch brain
∙arachnoid mater: does not touch brain
∙pia mater: attaches to brain
2 spaces
∙space b/w the two dura layers (2 sinuses)
→superior/inerior sagittal sinus: contain blood from veins that will drain into jugular veins (remember
superior sagittal sinus when we talk about spinal fluid)
∙subarachnoid space: b/w pia and arachnoid mater, contains blood vessels
Terms of cerebrum/cortex - Answer Sulcus/Fissues: allows or increased area to hold more
neurons/pathways (sulcus means "ditch")
∙longitudinal fissure = separates left and right hemisphere
∙central sulcus (Fissure of Rolando) = separates frontal lobe from parietal lobe
∙lateral fissure = (Fissure of Sylvius) = separates temporal lobe from frontal/parietal lobe
Gyri (pl.): wave-like curves of cortex, each gurus (singular) has a particular function
∙precentral = motility → if stroke occurs here, movements will be impaired but on contralateral side
∙postcentral
,Commissure: connecting fiber tracts for communication in the brain
∙major commissure (corpus callosum): connects left and right
→stroke here will result in problems w/ communication of left and right hemispheres
∙don't confuse w/ tracts, which are tract and not usually able to visualize
Lobes: putting gyri together, each lobe has a different function
∙Frontal lobe
→anterior portion = planning, reasoning
→posterior portion = motor control
∙Temporal lobe
→anterior portion = higher order visual and auditory processing, semantic processing
→medial portion = memory processing
→dorsal/posterior portion = hearing (injury can cause impaired hearing/deafness)
∙Parietal lobe
→primary sensory area - nerve impulses related to pain, temperature, touch and pressure
→attention, spatial processing
∙Occipital Lobe
→processing of visual information
Subcortical structures - Answer remove this structure and you can still do what the cortex wants to do,
but not well
∙remove cortex, and you can't think/do higher level functions
basal ganglia: motor control/reward/drug abuse
∙putamen (lateral): looks like "big knots"
∙caudate nucleus (caudal = tail): "c-shaped structure"
∙globus pallidus (medial): darker region within the "big knots"
∙thalamus: all the senses except smell stop here before proceeding into hemispheres
, Limbic system: motivation, memory, emotion
∙Hippocampus
→memory
→controls visceral nervous system (which stimulates contraction of muscle fibers and glandular
secretions of internal organs, regulates appetite, thirst and temperature)
→controls hormonal secretions via pituitary
∙Amygdala
pineal gland = biological clock
Brainstem - Answer midbrain: relay b/w cerebral cortex and spinal cord, visual and auditory reflex
patterns
pons: relay b/w cerebral hemispheres and cerebellum
medulla: lowerst parti - contiguous with spinal cord → respiration, heart rate
Cerebellum - Answer muscle coordination, balance, writing and walking
if you need to figure out anterior and posterior parts of the brain, locate cerebellum
∙will be posterior (longitudinal axis of forebrain)/dorsal (longitudinal axis of brainstem/spinal cord)
Spinal Cord - Answer continuous with the brain in an area called medulla
receives information from all other parts of body (except face) and sends commands for motor activity
Pathways:
∙ascending: generally sensation, toward brain
Solved to Score A+
Major components of the nervous system - Answer Central nervous system (CNS) = brain and spinal cord
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
∙spinal nerves (31 pairs) arise from spinal cord → sensory/motor
∙cranial nerves (12 pairs, all but first arise from brain) are largely concerned with motor and sensation
of the head
Visceral nervous system/autonomic nervous system = motor innervations of cardiac muscle, smooth
muscle, glands, sensory innervations of viscera
Terms of direction - Answer the axis of direction shifts at an imaginary point w/in skull, so we use
different terms
Longitudinal axis of the forebrain
∙rostral = anterior
∙caudal = posterior
∙dorsal = superior
∙ventral = inferior
Longitudinal axis of the brainstem and spinal cord
∙use normal terms of directions
Planes of section
∙Sagittal plane: divides body into two along vertical line
→median plane: specific type of sagittal plane that divides the body into equal halves
∙coronal/transverse plane :divides anterior portion of body from posterior portion along a vertical line
∙horizontal plane: cuts body along horizontal line
,Types of tissues in the nervous system - Answer Gray matter: neuronal cell bodies
∙in the brain = located on outer surfaces
∙in spinal cord = innermost tissue (what makes the butterfly)
White matter: glial cells and neuronal processes (Tracts)
∙in brain = located on inner portions of brain
∙in spinal cord = outermost tissue (what surrounds the butterfly)
Layers surround the brain - Answer 3 meninges (outside → in): dura mater → arachnoid mater → pia
mater
∙dura mater: outer and inner layers, does not touch brain
∙arachnoid mater: does not touch brain
∙pia mater: attaches to brain
2 spaces
∙space b/w the two dura layers (2 sinuses)
→superior/inerior sagittal sinus: contain blood from veins that will drain into jugular veins (remember
superior sagittal sinus when we talk about spinal fluid)
∙subarachnoid space: b/w pia and arachnoid mater, contains blood vessels
Terms of cerebrum/cortex - Answer Sulcus/Fissues: allows or increased area to hold more
neurons/pathways (sulcus means "ditch")
∙longitudinal fissure = separates left and right hemisphere
∙central sulcus (Fissure of Rolando) = separates frontal lobe from parietal lobe
∙lateral fissure = (Fissure of Sylvius) = separates temporal lobe from frontal/parietal lobe
Gyri (pl.): wave-like curves of cortex, each gurus (singular) has a particular function
∙precentral = motility → if stroke occurs here, movements will be impaired but on contralateral side
∙postcentral
,Commissure: connecting fiber tracts for communication in the brain
∙major commissure (corpus callosum): connects left and right
→stroke here will result in problems w/ communication of left and right hemispheres
∙don't confuse w/ tracts, which are tract and not usually able to visualize
Lobes: putting gyri together, each lobe has a different function
∙Frontal lobe
→anterior portion = planning, reasoning
→posterior portion = motor control
∙Temporal lobe
→anterior portion = higher order visual and auditory processing, semantic processing
→medial portion = memory processing
→dorsal/posterior portion = hearing (injury can cause impaired hearing/deafness)
∙Parietal lobe
→primary sensory area - nerve impulses related to pain, temperature, touch and pressure
→attention, spatial processing
∙Occipital Lobe
→processing of visual information
Subcortical structures - Answer remove this structure and you can still do what the cortex wants to do,
but not well
∙remove cortex, and you can't think/do higher level functions
basal ganglia: motor control/reward/drug abuse
∙putamen (lateral): looks like "big knots"
∙caudate nucleus (caudal = tail): "c-shaped structure"
∙globus pallidus (medial): darker region within the "big knots"
∙thalamus: all the senses except smell stop here before proceeding into hemispheres
, Limbic system: motivation, memory, emotion
∙Hippocampus
→memory
→controls visceral nervous system (which stimulates contraction of muscle fibers and glandular
secretions of internal organs, regulates appetite, thirst and temperature)
→controls hormonal secretions via pituitary
∙Amygdala
pineal gland = biological clock
Brainstem - Answer midbrain: relay b/w cerebral cortex and spinal cord, visual and auditory reflex
patterns
pons: relay b/w cerebral hemispheres and cerebellum
medulla: lowerst parti - contiguous with spinal cord → respiration, heart rate
Cerebellum - Answer muscle coordination, balance, writing and walking
if you need to figure out anterior and posterior parts of the brain, locate cerebellum
∙will be posterior (longitudinal axis of forebrain)/dorsal (longitudinal axis of brainstem/spinal cord)
Spinal Cord - Answer continuous with the brain in an area called medulla
receives information from all other parts of body (except face) and sends commands for motor activity
Pathways:
∙ascending: generally sensation, toward brain
