Biology

Nervous System Physiology

1,858 Questions

Enhance your knowledge of human neurobiology through questions on nervous system physiology. The topics cover brain anatomy, sensory modalities, and the neural mechanisms controlling speech and language. This resource is ideal for students preparing for medical and general science exams.

Brain anatomy and regionsNeural mechanismsLanguage processingSensory functions

Nervous System Physiology Questions

Multiple choice

Anita met with an accident and became very poor in grammar and pronunciation. Which part of her brain must have been affected in the accident?

  1. Cerebellum

  2. Hypothalamus

  3. Wernicke's area

  4. Broca's area

  5. Pons
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Broca's area is the part of the brain which is on the front-left side of the cortex of the brain and is responsible for not only speech production, but also language comprehension and language compression. It also controls facial neurons.

Multiple choice

Mr. Khatri met with a road accident and lost his power to reason and imagine. Which part of his brain must have been damaged?

  1. Amygdala

  2. Hypothalamus

  3. Cerebral cortex

  4. Thalamus

  5. Cerebellum
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The cerebral cortex is a part of the brain that functions to make human beings unique and distinct. Distinctly, human traits encompassing higher thought, language and human consciousness as well as the ability to think, reason and imagine all originate in the cerebral cortex.

Multiple choice

In an individual, the procedural memory controls how he/she does things. In a cricket match, Amit got hurt and lost his procedural memory. This may have happened as a result of damage to the

  1. midbrain

  2. cerebral cortex

  3. dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

  4. somatosensory cortex

  5. motor cortex
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

It is the extensive outer layer of gray matter of the cerebral hemispheres, largely responsible for problem solving, emotional response, language, all types of memory, speech and processing of complex sensory data such as vision and sound. Thus, Amit must have hurt his cerebral cortex .

Multiple choice

Mr. Khanna was walking through a bad part of town, down a dark lane and carrying a large amount of cash. Behind him, he heard a door open and close suddenly and he immediately dived into the nearest trash container. The part of the forebrain mainly responsible for his reaction is the

  1. thalamus

  2. amygdala

  3. cerebrum

  4. medulla oblongata

  5. hippocampus
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Amygdala is a limbic structure involved in many brain functions like emotion, learning and memory. It is part of a system that processes reflexive emotions like fear and anxiety. Thus, in the situation described above, amygdala is responsible for Mr. Khanna's reaction.

Multiple choice

Mrs. Shukla underwent a split-brain operation. Which of the following parts of the brain must be severed in her split-brain operation?

  1. Parietal lobe

  2. Operculum

  3. Premotor cortex

  4. Corpus callosum

  5. Cerebral cortex
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Split-brain surgery is a medical procedure that involves the severing of the corpus callosum, conjoining the two hemispheres of the brain, to cure epilepsy. It does not involve the removal of any brain tissue.

Multiple choice

In an individual, the section of the brain acting as a switching station between short term memory and long term memory is the

  1. neocortex

  2. cerebrum

  3. cerebellum

  4. cerebral cortex

  5. hippocampus
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

The hippocampus lies inside the medial temporal lobe of the brain. It belongs to the limbic system and plays important role in long term memory and spatial navigation. It acts as a switching station between short term memory and long term memory.

Multiple choice

The foremost pathway of the hypothalamus in the central autonomic network is

  1. spinohypothalamic tract

  2. mammillotegmental tract

  3. stria terminalis

  4. dorsal longitudinal fasciculus

  5. medial forebrain bundle
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The principal pathway of the hypothalamus in the central autonomic network is the dorsal longitudinal fasciculus. It is a bundle of thin, poorly myelinated nerve fibers reciprocally connecting the periventricular zone of the hypothalamus with ventral parts of the central gray substance of the midbrain.

Multiple choice

Match the following brain part and its function.

 
1. Cerebellum a. Controls sleep and wake cycle
2. Medulla b. Balance of body
3. Hypothalamus c. Seat of learning and memory
4. Cerebrum d. Control involuntary actions

  1. 1 - b, 2 - d, 3 - a, 4 - c

  2. 1 - d, 2 - b, 3 - a, 4 - c

  3. 1 - c, 2 - d, 3 - a, 4 - b

  4. 1 - d, 2 - b, 3 - c, 4 - a

  5. 1 - a, 2 - d, 3 - b, 4 - c
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Yes, all are correctly matched. Cerebellum controls the balance of body. Medulla controls various involuntary functions. Hypothalamus controls sleep and wake cycle (circadian rhythm) of the body, cerebrum is the seat of learning and memory.