Chapter 3: Anatomy & Research Methods

Question 1

What does ventral mean, and what is its opposite?

Answer 1

Ventral means toward the stomach side. Its opposite is dorsal.

Question 2

What term means toward the midline, and what is its opposite?

Answer 2

medial; lateral

Question 3

If two structures are both on the left side of the body, they are ________ to each other. If one is on the left and the other is on the right, they are ________ to each other.

Answer 3

Ipsilateral; contralateral

Question 4

The bulges in the cerebral cortex are called ________. The grooves between them are called ________.

Answer 4

gyri; sulci. To remember sulcus, think of the word sulk, meaning “to pout” (and therefore lie low).

Sulcus (pl.: sulci) A fold or groove that separates one gyrus from another
Gyrus (pl.: gyri) A protuberance on the surface of the brain

Question 5

Motor nerves leave from which side of the spinal cord, dorsal or ventral?

Answer 5

Ventral

Question 6

Which functions are controlled by the sympathetic nervous system? Which are controlled by the parasympathetic nervous system?

Answer 6

The sympathetic nervous system prepares the organs for vigorous fight-or-flight activity. The parasympathetic system increases vegetative responses such as digestion

Question 7

Of the following, which are in the hindbrain, which in the midbrain, and which in the forebrain: basal ganglia, cerebellum, hippocampus, hypothalamus, medulla, pituitary gland, pons, substantia nigra, superior and inferior colliculi, tectum, tegmentum, thalamus?

Answer 7

Hindbrain: cerebellum, medulla, and pons.

Midbrain: substantia nigra, superior and inferior colliculi, tectum, and tegmentum.

Forebrain: basal ganglia, hippocampus, hypothalamus, pituitary, and thalamus.

Question 8

Dr. Cachelin’s lab studies drug use by looking at the cerebrospinal fluid in rats. They access the CSF because it is secreted within the ventricles of the brain via the _____.
a. pia mater
b. dura mater
c. central canal
d. choroid plexus

Answer 8

Choroid Plexus

The CSF is found throughout the ventricles of the brain as well as within the central canal of the spinal cord. New CSF is generated at a rate of about 500mL per day thanks to the work of the choroid plexus, which converts material from the nearby blood supply into CSF.

Question 9

Aimee is trying to memorize the anatomical directions for her physiology quiz so she is associating her body parts with the various terms. Which of the following should she remember to be ventrally located?
a. Her stomach and the tip of her nose
b. Her stomach and the underside of her chin
c. Her chest and the top of her head
d. Her back and the back of her head

Answer 9

Her stomach and the underside of her chin

The anatomical directions were first described in four-legged creatures. Because humans walk on two legs and hold the head differently, the directions can be a bit confusing, especially when comparing the head to the body. In this case, Aimee’s stomach and underside of her chin are both ventrally located.

Question 10

Phil is doing a dissection of a pig spinal cord in his physiology class. His assignment is to dissect and then sketch a picture of the gray matter. What will he be drawing a picture of in his lab notebook?
a. Cell bodies in the spinal cord
b. Spinal tumors
c. Myelinated axons in the spinal cord
d. Unmyelinated axons in the spinal cord

Answer 10

Cell bodies in the spinal cord

There are two visible types of tissue in the spinal cord—gray and white matter. The white matter appears so due to the fatty myelin surrounding the axons. The gray matter appears gray in color due to the large numbers of cell bodies.

Question 11

What does ventral mean?
A. Toward the side
B. Toward the front
C. Toward the stomach
D. Toward the head

Answer 11

Toward the stomach

Question 12

If two structures are both on the left side, or both on the right, what is their relationship?
A. Medial
B. Ventral
C. Ipsilateral
D. Contralateral

Answer 12

Ipsilateral

Question 13

What is a sulcus in the brain?
A. A groove that separates one gyrus from another
B. A fluid-filled cavity
C. A set of axons from one brain structure to another
D. A temporary decrease in activity

Answer 13

A groove the separates one gyrus from another

Question 14

What is the function of the dorsal roots of the spinal cord?
A. They receive sensory input.
B. They control motor output.
C. They convey information from the brain to the spinal cord.
D. They convey information from the spinal cord to the brain.

Answer 14

They receive sensory input

Question 15

What does the parasympathetic nervous system control?
A. Fight-or-flight activities
B. Vegetative activities
C. Social behavior
D. Learned habits

Answer 15

Vegetative activities

Question 16

Which of these controls breathing, heart rate, and salivation?
A. The hippocampus
B. The cranial nerves
C. The basal ganglia
D. The pituitary gland

Answer 16

Cranial nerves

Question 17

Which of these is part of the forebrain?
A. Hippocampus
B. Medulla
C. Pons
D. Cerebellum

Answer 17

Hippocampus

Question 18

Which structure provides most of the direct input to the cerebral cortex?
A. Cranial nerves
B. Medulla
C. Thalamus
D. Pineal gland

Answer 18

Thalmus

Question 19

What do the ventricles contain?
A. Densely packed neuron cell bodies
B. Glia
C. Cerebrospinal fluid
D. Long axons

Answer 19

Cerebrospinal fluid

Question 20

If several neurons of the visual cortex all respond best when the retina is exposed to horizontal lines of light, then those neurons are probably in the same

Answer 20

column

Question 21

Which lobe of the cerebral cortex includes the primary auditory cortex?

Answer 21

Temporal lobe

Question 22

Which lobe of the cerebral cortex includes the primary somatosensory cortex?

Answer 22

Parietal lobe

Question 23

Which lobe of the cerebral cortex includes the primary visual cortex?

Answer 23

Occipital lobe

Question 24

Which lobe of the cerebral cortex includes the primary motor cortex?

Answer 24

Frontal lobe

Question 25

What are the functions of the prefrontal cortex?

Answer 25

The posterior portion contributes to control of movement. The middle portion pertains to working memory, cognitive control, and emotion. The anterior portion compares various types of information for making a decision

Question 26

What is meant by the binding problem, and what is necessary for binding to occur?

Answer 26

The binding problem is the question of how the brain combines activity in different brain areas to produce unified perception and coordinated behavior. Binding requires identifying the location of an object and perceiving sight, sound, and other aspects of a stimulus as being simultaneous. When the sight and sound appear to come from the same location at the same time, we bind them as a single experience.

Question 27

What is the main way in which mammalian species vary in their cerebral cortex?
A. The locations of visual and auditory cortex vary among species.
B. Some mammals have a cerebral cortex and some do not.
C. Brains differ in their size and degree of folding.
D. The number of laminae varies from 2 to 12.

Answer 27

Brains differ in their size and degree of folding

Question 28

In which of these ways do primates differ from elephants in their cerebral cortex?
A. Primates have more neurons per unit volume.
B. Primates have a larger volume of cerebral cortex.
C. The average size of neurons is greater in primates.
D. The average length of axons is greater in primates.

Answer 28

Primates have more neurons per unit volume

Question 29

What is the relationship between columns and laminae in the cerebral cortex?
A. Each column contains one and only one lamina.
B. Each column crosses through one lamina after another.
C. Some parts of the cortex have columns and others have laminae.
D. A column is just another word for a lamina.

Question 30

Where is the primary visual cortex?
A. Temporal lobe
B. Frontal lobe
C. Parietal lobe
D. Occipital lobe

Answer 30

Occipital lobe

Question 31

Where is the primary somatosensory visual cortex?
A. Temporal lobe
B. Frontal lobe
C. Parietal lobe
D. Occipital lobe

Answer 31

Parietal lobe

Question 32

Where is the primary auditory cortex?
A. Temporal lobe
B. Frontal lobe
C. Parietal lobe
D. Occipital lobe

Answer 32

Temporal lobe

Question 33

Where is the primary motor cortex?
A. Temporal lobe
B. Frontal lobe
C. Parietal lobe
D. Occipital lobe

Answer 33

Frontal lobe

Question 34

The main functions of the prefrontal cortex include which of the following?
A. Perceiving the location of body parts in space
B. Providing a pool of immature neurons to replace those damaged in other brain areas
C. Controlling reflexes
D. Working memory and weighing the pros and cons of a possible action

Answer 34

Working memory and weighing the pros and cons of a possible action

Question 35

What is the binding problem?
A. The difficulty of coordinating the left side of the body with the right side
B. The difficulty of synchronizing output from a population of axons
C. The question of how we perceive separate sensations as part of a single object
D. The question of how a bilingual person shifts from one language to another

Answer 35

The question of how we perceive separate sensations as part of a single object

Question 36

You are able to read, think about, and answer this question correctly mainly because of the combined abilities of the _____.
a. thalamus and hypothalamus
b. cerebellum and pons
c. brainstem
d. cerebral cortex

Answer 36

Cerebral cortex

The forebrain contains many of the most advanced and most recently evolved structures of the brain. The outer covering of the cerebral hemispheres is known as the cortex and is divided into four lobes. These different lobes of the cortex participate in many higher-order functions like problem solving, language, and so on.

Question 37

Maricella has suffered a severe blow to the caudate (or rear) section of her head. As a result, the striate cortex has suffered extensive damage. Which symptom is she most likely to experience from this injury?
a. Anosmia, or an absence of smell
b. Difficulty tasting foods
c. An inability to understand the words people are saying to her
d. Problems with her visual processing

Answer 37

Problems with her visual processing

The striate cortex, which is another name for the visual cortex, can result in cortical blindness. Even though the eyes function properly, the brain area responsible for receiving and processing that information lies in the occipital lobe of the cerebral cortex.

Question 38

The cerebral cortex has a wrinkled appearance. The _____ lobe lies between the occipital lobe and the central _____.
a. parietal; sulcus
b. frontal; fissure
c. parietal; gyrus
d. frontal; sulcus

Answer 38

Parietal; sulcus

The texture of the cerebral cortex is like a mountain chain. The “hills” are the gyri, the “valleys” are the sulci. The central sulcus is a deep groove in the surface of the cortex.

Question 39

What is the difference between a lesion and an ablation?

Answer 39

A lesion is damage to a structure. An ablation is removal of the structure. For example, a blood clot might produce a lesion, whereas surgery could produce an ablation

Question 40

What determines whether optogenetic stimulation excites a neuron or inhibits it?

Answer 40

Optogenetic stimulation activates a light-sensitive protein. If that protein opens a sodium channel in the membrane, the result is excitation of the neuron. If it opens a chloride channel, the result is inhibition

Question 41

What does fMRI measure?

Answer 41

It detects an increase in blood flow to a brain area immediately after an increase in brain activity, and it also detects a slightly slower increase in the percentage of hemoglobin lacking oxygen

Question 42

Suppose someone demonstrates that a particular brain area becomes active when people are listening to music. When that area becomes active later, what if anything can we conclude?

Answer 42

Without further evidence, we should not draw any conclusion. Perhaps the person is listening to music or imagining music, but this area may perform functions other than music. We would need to test how accurately we can use the fMRI data to predict what the person is doing or imagining.

Question 43

What are the similarities and differences between MRI and fMRI?

Answer 43

Both methods measure the responses of brain chemicals to a magnetic field. MRI shows the anatomy of the brain. The fMRI method shows which brain areas are most active at the moment.

Question 44

The first demonstration that a brain area controlled a particular aspect of behavior pertained to which type of behavior?
A. Criminal activity
B. Language
C. Hunger
D. Sexual arousal

Answer 44

Language

Question 45

Which of the following is a method to inactivate a brain area temporarily?
A. Stereotaxic instrument
B. Transcranial magnetic stimulation
C. Lesion
D. Ablation

Answer 45

Transcranial magnetic stimulation

Question 46

What does the optogenetic technique enable researchers to test?
A. The evolution of brain anatomy
B. The functions of a particular type of neuron
C. The relationship between brain anatomy and intelligence
D. How people bind one type of sensation with another

Answer 46

The functions of a particular type of neuron

Question 47

EEG and MEG are advantageous for measuring which of the following?
A. The functions of different neurotransmitters
B. The brain areas receiving the greatest amount of blood flow during some activity
C. Effects of hormones on behavior
D. Changes in brain activity over very short periods of time

Answer 47

Changes in brain activity over very short periods of time

Question 48

Which of these is the first step for positron-emission tomography (PET)?
A. Inject a radioactive chemical into the blood.
B. Insert an electrode into the brain.
C. Subject the brain to a strong magnetic field.
D. Attach light-sensitive proteins to a virus.

Answer 48

Inject a radioactive chemical into the blood

Question 49

What is one advantage of fMRI over PET scans?
A. The fMRI technique measures activity on a millisecond-by-millisecond basis.
B. The fMRI technique does not require inserting an electrode into the head.
C. The fMRI technique does not expose the brain to radioactivity.
D. The fMRI technique identifies which brain areas are most active at a given moment.

Answer 49

the fMRI technique does not expose the brain to radioactivity

Question 50

Comparing MRI and fMRI, which one(s) measure the responses of brain chemicals to a magnetic field? Which one(s) show which brain areas are most active at the moment?
A. Only MRI measures responses of brain chemicals to a magnetic field. Both show which brain areas are most active at the moment.
B. Only fMRI measures responses of brain chemicals to a magnetic field. Only MRI shows which brain areas are most active at the moment.
C. Both measure responses of brain chemicals to a magnetic field. Only fMRI shows which brain areas are most active at the moment.
D. Both measure responses of brain chemicals to a magnetic field. Both show which brain areas are most active at the moment.

Answer 50

Both measure responses of brain chemicals to a magnetic field. Only fMRI shows which brain areas are most active at the moment

Question 51

Why should we be cautious when interpreting many of the reports linking certain aspects of brain anatomy to behavior?
A. Many published studies used inaccurate measures of brain anatomy.
B. Many published studies studied people varying widely in their ages.
C. Many published studies were based on small samples.
D. Many published studies used unethical methods.

Answer 51

Many studies were based on small samples

Question 52

Veda is in the lab and wants to do some imaging of participants memorizing picture cards. Because she doesn’t have access to an fMRI machine, what is the next best technique she could use to get information about brain activity during the card task?
a. Golgi staining
b. CT scan
c. PET scan
d. X-ray

Answer 52

PET scan

A positron emission tomography (PET) scan allowed researchers to observe brain activity for the first time. Although PET scans do not provide details about structure, they can allow researchers to observe activity that is artificially shown as colors on the brain image (for example, red is high activity).

Question 53

Aaron has been having seizures. His doctor wanted to perform a(n) _____ (where electrodes would be placed on the scalp) to get a better idea of what was going on.
a. EEG
b. X-ray
c. PET scan
d. MRI

Answer 53

EEG

To figure out what might be triggering his seizures (and, more importantly, where they might be starting in the brain), Aaron’s doctors will likely start with an electroencephalogram (EEG).

Question 54

In the 1800s, Franz Gall examined the skulls of people with special talents or abilities. He assumed that a bulge on the skull corresponded to an increase in brain mass behind the skull. His process of relating skull anatomy to behavior became known as _____.
a. MRI
b. PET
c. phrenology
d. neuroscience

Answer 54

Phrenology

Although phrenology is invalid for many reasons, Gall believed that he could infer qualities about a person based on the shape of the skull. We know that the skull does not match brain anatomy and that it can be thicker in some places than others.