APA Biological Psychology and Neuroscience

Question 1

Which neurotransmitter is primarily associated with the regulation of mood, sleep, and appetite?

Accepted Answer

Serotonin

Answer

Serotonin (5-HT) plays a major role in regulating mood, sleep, and appetite, and its dysregulation is linked to depression and anxiety disorders.

Question 2

The blood-brain barrier primarily functions to:

Accepted Answer

Protect the brain from harmful substances in the bloodstream

Answer

The blood-brain barrier selectively restricts the passage of substances from the bloodstream into the brain, protecting neural tissue from toxins and pathogens.

Question 3

Action potentials in neurons follow the all-or-none principle, which means:

Accepted Answer

A neuron fires at full strength once threshold is reached, or not at all

Answer

The all-or-none principle states that a neuron either fires at full strength when threshold is reached or does not fire; stimulus intensity is coded by firing rate, not action potential magnitude.

Question 4

Which brain structure is most critically involved in the formation of new explicit (declarative) memories?

Accepted Answer

Hippocampus

Answer

The hippocampus is essential for consolidating new explicit memories, as demonstrated by patient H.M., who lost the ability to form new declarative memories after bilateral hippocampal removal.

Question 5

Myelin sheaths surrounding axons primarily serve to:

Accepted Answer

Increase the speed of neural transmission

Answer

Myelin sheaths insulate axons and enable saltatory conduction—the jumping of action potentials between nodes—dramatically increasing neural transmission speed.

APA - American Psychological Association Practice Test

APA - American Psychological Association Practice Test

APA Biological Psychology and Neuroscience