Biology

Nervous System Physiology

1,959 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

The largest part of the human brain is the

  1. medulla oblongata

  2. cerebrum

  3. mid-brain

  4. cerebellum
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The cerebrum (or forebrain), which makes up 75% of the brain by volume and 85% by weight, is divided by a large groove, known as the longitudinal fissure, into two distinct hemispheres.  

Multiple choice

The seat of memory in the human brain is located in the

  1. Cerebellum

  2. Medulla oblongata

  3. Cortex

  4. Cerebrum
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Memory traces for events are believed to be stored throughout the brain, including areas of the cerebral cortex that are associated with a given memory. For instance, the occipital lobe is associated with vision, and thus a memory involving a visual component will eventually be stored at least in part in the occipital cortex.

Multiple choice

A circadian rhythm is a 24 hour cycle in the physiological processes of all the living organisms. Which of the following hypothalamic nuclei is most important for encoding the set point for this daily circadian rhythms?

  1. Supraoptic nucleus

  2. Arcuate nucleus

  3. Pretectal nucleus

  4. Paraventricular nucleus

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

The suprachiasmatic nucleus is a group of brain cells located in the hypothalamus. It regulates the circadian cycles and also influences many physiological and behavioural rhythms occurring over a 24-hour period, such as the sleep/wake cycle.

Multiple choice

The Papez circuit is a pathway in the brain's limbic system, which governs the emotions of an organism. Which structure is NOT part of the Papez circuit?

  1. Anterior nucleus of the thalamus

  2. Ventral nucleus of the thalamus

  3. Cingulate gyrus

  4. Hippocampus

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

The ventral nucleus of the thalamus is not a part of the Papez circuit. It acts with the anterior part of the ventral lateral nucleus to modify signals from the basal ganglia.

Multiple choice

Which of the following can be EXCLUDED from the visible boundary of the hypothalamus in a hemisected brain?

  1. The internal capsule

  2. The median eminence

  3. The mammillary bodies

  4. The optic chiasm

  5. The anterior commissure
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The internal capsule is a thick layer of white matter separating the caudate nucleus and thalamus. It is the major route by which the cerebral cortex is connected with the brainstem and spinal cord.

Multiple choice

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

  1. medial forebrain bundle

  2. dorsal longitudinal fasciculus

  3. stria terminalis

  4. mammillotegmental tract

  5. spinohypothalamic tract
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B 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.