Neuropsychology Exam 3
What is a scotoma? - ANSWER-Small blind spots in the visual field.
What can cause temporary scotomas? - ANSWER-Seizures, migraines, or reduced blood flow.
What can lead to permanent scotomas? - ANSWER-Optic nerve damage, glaucoma, or multiple
sclerosis (MS).
Why are scotomas often ignored? - ANSWER-Because the eyes are constantly moving and the brain
fills in the blind spots.
What condition did B.K. experience related to scotomas? - ANSWER-Brain damage on the right
posterior occipital lobe caused loss of vision in the left visual field.
What is macular sparing? - ANSWER-Damage to the visual cortex that does not decrease information
from the central part of the visual field.
Why might macular vision be less affected by strokes? - ANSWER-Because the region receives blood
from multiple cerebral arteries.
What are bipolar cells in the visual system? - ANSWER-Cells that synapse at both ends, connecting
photoreceptors to ganglion neurons.
What is the role of ganglion cells? - ANSWER-They generate action potentials.
Where is the primary somatosensory cortex located? - ANSWER-In the postcentral gyrus of the
parietal lobe.
What type of sensory information does the primary somatosensory cortex receive? - ANSWER-
Information related to pain, temperature, touch, and body position.
What do nociceptors detect? - ANSWER-Pain, itch, and temperature.
What is referred pain? - ANSWER-Pain sensation from internal organs.
What does hapsis refer to? - ANSWER-Tactile perception of objects, including fine touch and pressure.
What is proprioception? - ANSWER-Perception of location and movement of the body via muscle,
joint, and tendon receptors.
What is the fusiform gyrus associated with? - ANSWER-Visual processing and object recognition of
faces
What are the functions of the temporal lobe? - ANSWER-Processing auditory information, language
comprehension, memory, and object recognition.
What does the occipital lobe primarily process? - ANSWER-Visual information from the eyes, including
color, motion, and form.
What is the role of the frontal lobe? - ANSWER-Controls higher cognitive functions such as planning,
decision making, and motor control.
, What is the dominant temporal lobe responsible for? - ANSWER-Understanding language and
remembering verbal information.
What is the function of the amygdala? - ANSWER-Emotional processing and helping consolidate
memory. "how i felt" during a memory, helps with decision making
What are symptoms of amygdala damage? - ANSWER-Impaired visual perception (ventral pathway),
changes in personality, impaired ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes or feel empathy
toward others, and decreased motivation in sexual activity.
What is the primary focus of the hippocampus? - ANSWER-Memory encoding and spatial navigation.
"what i did and when i did it"
What is Wernicke's area associated with? - ANSWER-Language comprehension and processing.
What is the Seguin-Goddard form board used for? - ANSWER-It tests tactile form recognition by
having participants put shapes back into a board, measuring visual-motor skills, spatial relations, and
line bisections.
What does the homunculus represent? - ANSWER-It is a map of body regions that indicates the
amount of sensory innervation, with more area devoted to regions of greater sensitivity.
Where is the primary motor cortex located and what is its function? - ANSWER-It is located in the
precentral gyrus of the frontal lobe and is responsible for the coordination and execution of voluntary
movements.
What is astereognosis? - ANSWER-It is a somatosensory dysfunction characterized by the inability to
identify an object by active touch without other sensory input, such as vision.
What is apraxia, and what are its two types? - ANSWER-Apraxia is the loss of skilled movement. The
two types are ideomotor apraxia, where patients cannot copy movements, and construction apraxia,
where patients struggle with spatial organization.
What area of the brain is involved in speech comprehension? - ANSWER-Wernicke's area.
What is Wernicke's aphasia? - ANSWER-It is a language disorder that affects a person's ability to
understand and use spoken language.
What is finger agnosia? - ANSWER-It is the inability to identify one's own fingers or distinguish them
from others.
What pathway does light travel in the eye? - ANSWER-Light reflects off objects, enters the cornea,
passes through the pupil, is focused by the lens, and reaches the retina, where it is converted into
electrical impulses.
What is the function of the optic chiasm? - ANSWER-It is where the optic nerves meet, allowing visual
information from the inner visual fields to cross over to the opposite side of the brain.
What is the role of the optic tract? - ANSWER-It carries visual information from the optic chiasm to
the thalamus, specifically to the lateral geniculate nucleus.
What does V1 (primary visual cortex) process? - ANSWER-It processes all types of visual information
and receives input from the lateral geniculate nucleus.
What is the function of V2 (secondary visual cortex)? - ANSWER-It processes all types of visual
information and has outputs to the parietal lobe (dorsal stream) and temporal lobe (ventral stream).
What is a scotoma? - ANSWER-Small blind spots in the visual field.
What can cause temporary scotomas? - ANSWER-Seizures, migraines, or reduced blood flow.
What can lead to permanent scotomas? - ANSWER-Optic nerve damage, glaucoma, or multiple
sclerosis (MS).
Why are scotomas often ignored? - ANSWER-Because the eyes are constantly moving and the brain
fills in the blind spots.
What condition did B.K. experience related to scotomas? - ANSWER-Brain damage on the right
posterior occipital lobe caused loss of vision in the left visual field.
What is macular sparing? - ANSWER-Damage to the visual cortex that does not decrease information
from the central part of the visual field.
Why might macular vision be less affected by strokes? - ANSWER-Because the region receives blood
from multiple cerebral arteries.
What are bipolar cells in the visual system? - ANSWER-Cells that synapse at both ends, connecting
photoreceptors to ganglion neurons.
What is the role of ganglion cells? - ANSWER-They generate action potentials.
Where is the primary somatosensory cortex located? - ANSWER-In the postcentral gyrus of the
parietal lobe.
What type of sensory information does the primary somatosensory cortex receive? - ANSWER-
Information related to pain, temperature, touch, and body position.
What do nociceptors detect? - ANSWER-Pain, itch, and temperature.
What is referred pain? - ANSWER-Pain sensation from internal organs.
What does hapsis refer to? - ANSWER-Tactile perception of objects, including fine touch and pressure.
What is proprioception? - ANSWER-Perception of location and movement of the body via muscle,
joint, and tendon receptors.
What is the fusiform gyrus associated with? - ANSWER-Visual processing and object recognition of
faces
What are the functions of the temporal lobe? - ANSWER-Processing auditory information, language
comprehension, memory, and object recognition.
What does the occipital lobe primarily process? - ANSWER-Visual information from the eyes, including
color, motion, and form.
What is the role of the frontal lobe? - ANSWER-Controls higher cognitive functions such as planning,
decision making, and motor control.
, What is the dominant temporal lobe responsible for? - ANSWER-Understanding language and
remembering verbal information.
What is the function of the amygdala? - ANSWER-Emotional processing and helping consolidate
memory. "how i felt" during a memory, helps with decision making
What are symptoms of amygdala damage? - ANSWER-Impaired visual perception (ventral pathway),
changes in personality, impaired ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes or feel empathy
toward others, and decreased motivation in sexual activity.
What is the primary focus of the hippocampus? - ANSWER-Memory encoding and spatial navigation.
"what i did and when i did it"
What is Wernicke's area associated with? - ANSWER-Language comprehension and processing.
What is the Seguin-Goddard form board used for? - ANSWER-It tests tactile form recognition by
having participants put shapes back into a board, measuring visual-motor skills, spatial relations, and
line bisections.
What does the homunculus represent? - ANSWER-It is a map of body regions that indicates the
amount of sensory innervation, with more area devoted to regions of greater sensitivity.
Where is the primary motor cortex located and what is its function? - ANSWER-It is located in the
precentral gyrus of the frontal lobe and is responsible for the coordination and execution of voluntary
movements.
What is astereognosis? - ANSWER-It is a somatosensory dysfunction characterized by the inability to
identify an object by active touch without other sensory input, such as vision.
What is apraxia, and what are its two types? - ANSWER-Apraxia is the loss of skilled movement. The
two types are ideomotor apraxia, where patients cannot copy movements, and construction apraxia,
where patients struggle with spatial organization.
What area of the brain is involved in speech comprehension? - ANSWER-Wernicke's area.
What is Wernicke's aphasia? - ANSWER-It is a language disorder that affects a person's ability to
understand and use spoken language.
What is finger agnosia? - ANSWER-It is the inability to identify one's own fingers or distinguish them
from others.
What pathway does light travel in the eye? - ANSWER-Light reflects off objects, enters the cornea,
passes through the pupil, is focused by the lens, and reaches the retina, where it is converted into
electrical impulses.
What is the function of the optic chiasm? - ANSWER-It is where the optic nerves meet, allowing visual
information from the inner visual fields to cross over to the opposite side of the brain.
What is the role of the optic tract? - ANSWER-It carries visual information from the optic chiasm to
the thalamus, specifically to the lateral geniculate nucleus.
What does V1 (primary visual cortex) process? - ANSWER-It processes all types of visual information
and receives input from the lateral geniculate nucleus.
What is the function of V2 (secondary visual cortex)? - ANSWER-It processes all types of visual
information and has outputs to the parietal lobe (dorsal stream) and temporal lobe (ventral stream).
