Chapter 3: Anatomy of the Nervous System Flashcards
The two major divisions of the nervous system are the
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) and the Central Nervous System (CNS)
The CNS is composed of two major divisions: the
A) ANS and PNS
B) brain and brain stem
C) SNS and ANS
D) spinal cord and brain stem
None of the above
The ANS is part of the
Peripheral Nervous System
The somatic nervous system
A) is part of the PNS
B) participates in sensory and motor interactions with the external environment
C) is part of the ANS
Both A and B
In general, afferent nerves carry sensory information
To the CNS
Neurons of the sympathetic nervous system are part of the
A) somatic nervous system
B) basal ganglia
C) ANS
D) peripheral nervous system
Both C and D
Which part of the PNS projects from only the cranial and sacral portions of the CNS?
Parasympathetic Nervous System
The sympathetic nervous system differs from the parasympathetic nervous system in that the sympathetic nervous system has
First-stage neurons that synapse at a substantial distance from the target organ
Which of the following generally acts to conserve the body’s energy?
Parasympathetic Nervous System
The first two cranial nerves are
Olfactory and optic nerves
The vagus nerve is
A) part of the parasympathetic nervous system
B) the tenth cranial nerve
C) the longest cranial nerve
D) both sensory and motor
All of the above
The dura mater, arachnoid membrane, and pia mater are
Meninges
From outside to inside, the three meninges are the
Dura, arachnoid, and pia
Adhering to the surface of the brain is the
Pia mater
The subarachnoid space is just outside the
Pia mater
How many ventricles are there in the brain?
4
The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulates through the
A) central canal
B) lateral ventricles
C) subarachnoid space
All of the above
The cerebral aqueduct connects the
Third and fourth ventricles
When a tumour near the cerebral aqueduct causes cerebrospinal fluid to accumulate in the brain, the disorder is
Hydrocephalus
The blood-brain barrier impedes the passage into cerebral neurons of
Many proteins and other large molecules
Neurons are specialized to receive, conduct, and transmit
Electrochemical signals
What part of a neuron is sometimes myelinated?
Axon
The neuron membrane includes
A) a lipid bilayer
B) channel proteins
C) signal proteins
All of the above
Neurons with one axon and several dendrites emanating from the soma are classified as
Multipolar
Interneurons
Don’t conduct signals from one structure to another; they integrate activity within a single brain structure
Clusters of neural cell bodies in the CNS are called
Nuclei
Tracts are to nuclei as nerves are to
Ganglia
CNS is to PNS as oligodendrocytes are to
Schwann cells
In the CNS, axons are myelinated by
Oligodendrocytes
Myelination
Increases the speed of axonal conduction
PNS is to CNS as Schwann cells are to
Oligodendrocytes
Chemical communication among mammalian neurons often occurs
Across synapses
The soma is
The cell body
Many multipolar neurons have a long process emanating from the cell body. This long process is
An axon
The cone-shaped structure at the boundary between the cell body and axon of a multipolar neuron is the
Axon hillock
Synaptic vesicles tend to be most prevalent in the
Buttons
Most of a neuron’s DNA is in its
Nucleus
The particular glial cells that engulf cellular debris and trigger inflammation are
Microglia
The largest glial cells are
Astrocytes
The Golgi stain colours neurons
Black
The best thing about the Golgi stain is that it
Does not stain many neurons
The discovery of the Golgi stain
A) was accidental
B) was one of the major early breakthroughs in the study of the nervous system
C) occurred in 1995
Both A and B
The first neural stain revealed the silhouettes of a few neurons on a slide; it is
The Golgi stain
The first neural stain that permitted neuroanstomists to view some aspects of the inner structure of a neuron was
The Nissl stain
Nissl stains (e.g., cresyl violet) are frequently used to
Determine the general distribution of cell bodies in the nervous system
The fine inner details of neuron structure can be studied best
By electron microscopy
The main advantage of the scanning electron microscope over the conventional electron microscope is that it
Produces three-dimensional images
To locate the terminals of axons that project from a particular brain structure, an investigator would employ
An anterograde tracing technique
The back of your head is
Posterior
The top of a dog’s head is
Dorsal
The tip of your nose is
Medial and anterior
The nose of a rat is
A) medial
B) dorsal
C) anterior
Both A and C
The spine of a human runs just beneath the body’s
Dorsal surface
Which of the following neuroanatomical directions is commonly used with reference to the brains of humans or other primates, but not with reference to the brains of four-legged creatures?
Inferior
A cut in which of the following planes would sever all of the cerebral commissaries, the tracts that connect the left and right cerebral hemispheres?
Midsagittal
The H-shape of the spinal gray matter is most obvious in a
Cross section
Gray matter of the spinal cord is largely composed of
Cell bodies and unmyelinated interneurons
White matter is white because
Myelin is white
In cross section, spinal gray matter has four arms; among these are the two
Ventral horns
How many individual dorsal roots are there in the human nervous system?
62
How many left ventral roots are there in the human body?
31
Most neurons of the dorsal root synapse in the
Spinal cord
The neurons of the dorsal roots are
Sensory
Most neurons of the ventral roots
Have their cell bodies in the ventral horns
“Encephalon” means within the
Head
The large lateral outgrowths that compose the telencephalon are the
Cerebral hemispheres
The myelencephalon is often called the
Medulla
The caudal part of the forebrain is the
Diencephalon
The midbrain is
A) part of the mesencephalon
B) part of the metencephalon
C) the mesencephalon
D) part of the brain stem
Both C and D
The myelencephalon is
A) the medulla
B) part of the hindbrain
C) part of the brain stem
All of the above
Which of the following is not in the brain stem?
A) Myelencephalon B) Mesencephalon C) Metencephalon D) Medulla E) Telencephalon
Telencephalon
The myelencephalon is composed largely of
Tracts
Which of the following structures is called after a term that means “little net”?
- Reticular formation
- Mesencephalon
- Medulla
- Cerebellum
- Hippocampus
Reticular formation
The reticular formation is in the
Brain stem
The reticular formation is in the core of the
A) mesencephalon
B) myelencephalon
C) metencephalon
All of the above
Which of the following is a large structure visible on the dorsal surface of the human brain stem?
- Pituitary
- Cerebellum
- Optic chiasm
- Hypothalamus
- Mammillary body
Cerebellum
The inferior and superior colliculi compose the
Tectum
The tectum is the roof of the
Mesencephalon
Which structure is not part of the tegmentum?
A) Hypothalamus B) Periaqueductal gray C) Substantial nigra D) Red nucleus E) Cerebral aqueduct
Hypothalamus
Three major structures in the __________ of the brain are named after colours (red, black, grey)
Tegmentum
The neural structure situated near the duct connecting the third and fourth ventricles is the
Periaqueductal gray
The hypothalamus and thalamus compose the
Diencephalon
The lateral geniculate, medial geniculate, and ventral posterior nuclei are all nuclei of the
Thalamus
Most sensory nuclei of the thalamus project to the
Cortex
Which of the following part of the diencephalon connects the two lobes of the thalamus?
A) Massa intermedia B) Hypothalamus C) Cerebral aqueduct D) Corpus callosum E) Hippocampal commissure
Massa intermedia
Which of the following thalamic nuclei relays visual information?
A) Pons B) Red nucleus C) Lateral geniculate D) Substantial nigra E) Ventral posterior
Lateral geniculate
The lateral geniculate nuclei, medial geniculate nuclei, and ventral posterior nuclei are all
A) diencephalic nuclei
B) thalamic nuclei
C) sensory relay nuclei
All of the above
Which structure of the diencephalon regulates the pituitary?
Hypothalamus
The pituitary gland is situated just inferior to the
Hypothalamus
Which of the following is an X-shaped structure?
A) Spinal white matter B) Reticular formation C) Pituitary D) Optic chiasm E) Substantial nigra
Optic chiasm
Which of the following is a point of decussation?
A) Optic chiasm B) Hippocampus C) Temporal lobe D) Substantial nigra E) Superior colliculus
Optic chiasm
If a midsagittal cut were made through the human brain, all of the uncut axons running from the eyes to the brain would be
Ipsilateral
The mammillary nuclei are
A) bumps visible on the dorsal surface of the medulla
B) visible on the inferior surface of the diencephalon
C) often considered to be nuclei of the hypothalamus
D) found only in females
Both B and C
All mammals with lissencephalic brains
Have smooth brains
The large cortical ridges between fissures are called
Gyri
Big is to small as fissures are to
Sucli
The largest cerebral commissure is the
Corpus callosum
The corpus callosum is the human brain’s largest
Commissure
The longitudinal fissure separates the two hemispheres. Which lobe does not border it?
Temporal lobe
Between the frontal and parietal lobes is the
Central fissure
The lobe at the back of the brain, which serves a visual function, is the
Occipital lobe
The functions of the occipital cortex are largely
Visual
Precentral is to postcentral as
A) Somatosensory is to motor
B) Auditory is to motor
C) Motor is to somatosensory
D) Auditory is to somatosensory
Motor is to somatosensory
About what proportion of human cerebral cortex is neocortex?
90%
Which of the following are multipolar cortical neurons with long axons, apical dendrites, and triangular cell bodies?
A) stellate cells B) chandelier cells C) pyramidal cells D) granule cells E) fusiform cells
Pyramidal cells
Neocortex contains two fundamentally different kinds of neurons: Pyramidal cells and
Stellate cells
Which of the following neurons have apical dendrites?
A) interneurons
B) stellate cells
C) pyramidal cells
Pyramidal cells
The hippocampus is
Shaped like a sea horse in cross section
The limbic system and basal ganglia are, for the most part, in the
Telencephalon
A neural circuit that includes the septum, cingulate cortex, fornix, amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and thalamus is thought to be involved in the regulation of motivated behaviours. This circuit is called the
Limbic system
A major limbic system tract is the
Fornix
Which of the following structures is not part of the limbic system?
A) Hippocampus B) Septum C) Cerebellum D) Fornix E) Hypothalamus
Cerebellum
Two parts of the limbic system are cortical structures. These two structures are the
Hippocampus and the cingulate
The caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus compose the
Basal ganglia
Together, the caudate and the putamen compose the
Striatum
Deterioration of the pathway from the substantial nigra to the striatum is often found in cases of
Parkinson’s disease
Cerebrospinal fluid is produced by
A) networks of small blood vessels that protrude into the ventricles
B) the superior sagittal sinus
C) the arachnoid membrane
D) the choroid plexuses
Both A and D
Hydrocephalus results from the
A) production of too much CSF
B) production of excessively watery CSF
C) production of water rather than CSF
D) breakdown of the mechanism that absorbs CSF into the lateral vesicles
None of the above
The blood brain barrier is
A) a spongy bone
B) located in the pia mater
C) about the size of the cortex
D) located in all three meninges
None of the above
