Brain Regions/Functions – Hindbrain, Midbrain, and Subcortical Forebrain Structures Flashcards
Severe damage to the ________ is often fatal because of its role in the regulation of respiration and cardiovascular functioning.
A. suprachiasmatic nucleus
B. medulla oblongata
C. caudate nucleus
D. mammillary bodies
Answer B is correct. Damage to the medulla oblongata can be fatal because it regulates respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, and other vital bodily functions.
One of the functions of the __________ is to maintain a constant body temperature.
A. thalamus
B. mammillary bodies
C. hippocampus
D. hypothalamus
Answer D is correct. The hypothalamus helps maintain many aspects of the body’s homeostasis including body temperature, blood pressure, hunger, thirst, and sleep through its effects on the autonomic nervous system, somatic nervous system, and endocrine system.
The __________ is responsible for attaching emotions to memories for surprising and shocking events.
A. thalamus
B. amygdala
C. substantia nigra
D. suprachiasmatic nucleus
Answer B is correct. The amygdala is involved in the experience of emotions, recognition of emotions in facial expressions, acquisition of conditioned fear responses, evaluation of the emotional significance of events, and attachment of emotions to memories.
There is evidence that increasing oxytocin levels in healthy adults using intranasal administration:
A. causes oversensitivity to emotions in the faces of other people which increases accuracy in identifying the intensity of those emotions.
B. causes oversensitivity to emotions in the faces of other people which decreases accuracy in identifying the intensity of those emotions.
C. decreases sensitivity to emotions in the faces of other people and thereby decreases accuracy in identifying the intensity of those emotions.
D. has no effect on sensitivity to emotions in the faces of other people and, therefore, no effect on the accuracy of emotion perception.
Answer B is correct. Cardoso, Ellenbogen, & Linnen (2014) found that increasing oxytocin levels in healthy adult subjects impaired their ability to accurately identify the intensity of the facial expressions of emotion in other people because it caused the subjects to be oversensitive to facial expressions of emotion.
Although the exact cause of Tourette’s disorder is unknown, its symptoms have been linked to abnormalities in which of the following?
A. basal ganglia
B. suprachiasmatic nucleus
C. thalamus
D. cingulate cortex
Answer A is correct. Tourette’s disorder involves uncontrollable movements (tics) and has been linked to dysfunction of the basal ganglia, which are involved in the initiation and control of voluntary movements.
PTSD has been linked to:
A. hyperactivity in the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex.
B. hyperactivity in the amygdala and hypoactivity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex.
C. hypoactivity in the amygdala and hyperactivity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex.
D. hypoactivity in the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex.
Answer B is correct. The studies have found that PTSD is associated with abnormal functioning of the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex: Hyperactivity in the amygdala plays a key role in producing the distressing memories and other symptoms of PTSD, and hypoactivity of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex reduces its normal regulation of activity in the amygdala.
Three months after a car accident that damaged his hippocampus, a 24-year-old man is most likely to be unable to:
A. remember the names of his parents and other family members.
B. recall what he did on his 21st birthday.
C. remember how to shave and comb his hair.
D. recall events that happened after the accident.
Answer D is correct. The hippocampus is responsible for transferring declarative memories from short-term to long-term memory. Consequently, the man described in this question will be unable to recall events that happened after the accident because memories for those events are not being transferred to his long-term memory.
The __________ allows you to remember how to ride a bicycle, swim, and play a musical instrument.
A. cerebellum
B. medulla oblongata
C. suprachiasmatic nucleus
D. hypothalamus
Answer A is correct. The cerebellum is responsible for procedural memories (e.g., how to ride a bicycle) and other automatic memories.
