WBA Q&A

Question 1

What is the neurotransmitter acetylcholine primarily involved in?

Answer 1

• The control of movement.
• It is linked to muscle contraction.

Question 2

If a patient struggles to initiate movements and is making smaller and weaker versions of everyday movements, as well as making smaller steps when they walk and are speaking quieter, which structure of the brain has been affected?

Answer 2

The basal ganglia.

Question 3

What part of the brain is responsible for coordination of balance?

Answer 3

The cerebellum

Question 4

What are proprioceptors, and where in the body would you find them?

Answer 4

A group of highly sensitive stretch receptors in muscles, tendons and ligaments.

Question 5

Describe the function of muscle spindle fibres.

Answer 5

They are stretch detectors which detect changes in muscle length.

Question 6

What is a neuromuscular junction?

Answer 6

A synapse between a motor neuron and a muscle fibre.

Question 7

What part of the eye starts the process of bending light to help with vision?

Answer 7

The cornea

Question 8

What would damage to the optic chiasm most likely result in?

Answer 8

Partial loss of vision in both eyes.

Question 9

Why is only a certain range of electromagnetic wavelengths visible to the human eye?

Answer 9

The structure of the human eye, particularly photoreceptor cells, is only sensitive to wavelengths between around 400 and 700 nm, which we perceive as the visible spectrum.

Question 10

Why is the primary visual cortex often referred to as the “striate cortex”?

Answer 10

Due to its layered or striped appearance resulting from a band of myelinated axons in layer IV.

Question 11

If an individual has a lesion in the right primary visual cortex, which visual field will be predominately affected?

Answer 11

The left visual field of both eyes.

Question 12

Why does the ‘blind spot’ in our visual field occur?

Answer 12

This is where the optic nerve exits the eye. There are no photoreceptors.

Question 13

What is area MT involved in?

Answer 13

The detection of movement.

Question 14

A patient has difficulty seeing in low-light conditions but has normal colour vision.

which part of the visual system is most likely affected?

Answer 14

The rods

Question 15

What does the hindbrain control?

Answer 15

Basic function like respiration and heart rate.

Question 16

Which system of the human body is responsible for the response and processing of environmental information?

Answer 16

The nervous system

Question 17

Electrical impulses along an axon transmitting at a slower rate could be due to a defect in…?

Answer 17

Myelin sheath

Question 18

What does the term anterior refer to?

Answer 18

Structures towards the front of the body.

Question 19

What does the term contralateral refer to?

Answer 19

Structures on the opposite side of the body.

Question 20

Which structure plays a critical role in memory and is located in the temporal lobe below the cerebral cortex?

Answer 20

The hippocampus.

Question 21

Impaired communication and information processing within the nervous system is most likely caused by what cells?

Answer 21

Neurons

Question 22

What can be inferred about the medial temporal lobes based on HM’s ability to recall childhood events vividly?

Answer 22

They are not the ultimate storage site for long-term memory of all previous acquired knowledge.

Question 23

What does the term “engram” signify in the context of memory?

Answer 23

A representation or trace of memory in the brain.

Question 24

What role do medial temporal lobes play in memory according to the learnings from HM?

Answer 24

They are necessary for consolidation, converting short-term memories into long-term memories.

Question 25

What could HM retain after his surgery?

Answer 25

• Short-term information.
• He could engage in normal conversations for brief periods.

Question 26

Describe the role of a schema in information processing.

Answer 26

They organise our knowledge and alter how information is processed, including memory encoding, consolidation and retrieval.

Question 27

When damaged, what structure can lead to anterograde amnesia (the inability to form new memories)?

Answer 27

Medial temporal lobe (including the hippocampus).

Question 28

‘Phantom sounds’ or tinnitus is caused by what?

Answer 28

Damage to the hair cells in the cochlea.

Question 29

which component of the vestibular system is primarily responsible for balance?

Answer 29

The semicircular canals.

Question 30

Describe a logarithmic base 10 scale.

Answer 30

Each unit increase on the scale represents a tenfold increase in what is being measured.

Question 31

What is the primary function of the ossicles found in the middle ear?

Answer 31

Amplifying and transferring air to the fluid-filled cochlea.

Question 32

Auditory transduction, where sound waves are converted in electrical signals, happens at…?

Answer 32

The inner hair cells.

Question 33

Why might the activation of the nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area be advantageous in evolution?

Answer 33

They motivate behaviours that have previously helped achieve goals.

Question 34

According to the drive-reduction theory of motivation, a “drive” is best described as…

Answer 34

A state of internal tension that motivates an organism to fulfil a physiological need.

Question 35

What is the primary relationship between the ventral tegmental area and the nucleus accumbens in the context of motivation and reward?

Answer 35

The VTA sends dopaminergic projections to the nucleus accumbens, signalling reward.

Question 36

What is the biological basis for the motivation of hunger, from a homeostatic point of view?

Answer 36

To ensure that the body has adequate reserves for survival and reproductive fitness.

Question 37

What is the main evolutionary argument for the existence of emotions such as fear and happiness?

Answer 37

They motivate behaviour that enhances survival and reproductive success.

Question 38

What did Steven Pinker mean when he referred to music as “auditory cheesecake”?

Answer 38

Music is a by-product of evolutionary adaptations for language and emotional expression without intrinsic survival value.

Question 39

Which of the following neurotransmitters is primarily involved in the brain’s reward system and is often linked to feelings of pleasure, motivation, and reinforcement?

Answer 39

Dopamine

Question 40

Why might evolutionary psychology argue that humans are motivated to prefer high-calorie foods?

Answer 40

In ancestral environments, high-calorie foods would have offered survival advantages.