BAPSY Biological Basis of Behavior 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Split-brain research by Sperry and Gazzaniga demonstrated that in most people, language functions are primarily located in the:
- Right hemisphere
- Left hemisphere (Correct answer)
- Corpus callosum
- Both hemispheres equally
Correct answer: Left hemisphere
Split-brain studies confirmed that language production and comprehension are largely lateralized to the left hemisphere in most right-handed individuals.
Question 2: The neurotransmitter GABA functions primarily as:
- The main excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS
- The main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS (Correct answer)
- A neuromodulator affecting only the limbic system
- A peptide hormone released from the pituitary
Correct answer: The main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS, reducing neuronal excitability throughout the brain.
Question 3: Which term describes the brain's ability to reorganize neural pathways in response to experience or injury?
- Neurogenesis
- Neuroplasticity (Correct answer)
- Synaptic pruning
- Myelination
Correct answer: Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's capacity to form new synaptic connections and reorganize existing ones in response to learning, experience, or injury.
Question 4: Which gland is often called the 'master gland' of the endocrine system?
- Adrenal gland
- Thyroid gland
- Pituitary gland (Correct answer)
- Pineal gland
Correct answer: Pituitary gland
The pituitary gland is called the master gland because it secretes hormones that regulate the activity of most other endocrine glands.
Question 5: Action potentials are described as 'all-or-nothing' because:
- A neuron either fires at full magnitude or does not fire at all (Correct answer)
- Neurons either always fire or permanently stop firing
- The action potential affects all neurons in a circuit simultaneously
- Depolarization always triggers all nearby neurons
Correct answer: A neuron either fires at full magnitude or does not fire at all
Once the threshold is reached, an action potential fires at a consistent, full amplitude regardless of the stimulus strength—it cannot fire at 'half strength.'
Question 6: The peripheral nervous system (PNS) consists of:
- The brain and spinal cord only
- All neural tissue outside the brain and spinal cord (Correct answer)
- The sympathetic and parasympathetic systems only
- Cranial nerves and the cerebellum
Correct answer: All neural tissue outside the brain and spinal cord
The PNS includes all nervous tissue outside the central nervous system, including cranial nerves, spinal nerves, and the autonomic and enteric nervous systems.
Question 7: Long-term potentiation (LTP) is considered a cellular mechanism underlying learning because it:
- Reduces the number of synaptic receptors after repeated stimulation
- Strengthens synaptic connections through repeated co-activation of pre- and postsynaptic neurons (Correct answer)
- Eliminates unused synapses during early development
- Releases stress hormones that consolidate memory traces
Correct answer: Strengthens synaptic connections through repeated co-activation of pre- and postsynaptic neurons
LTP involves persistent strengthening of synapses based on recent activity patterns, consistent with Hebb's rule that 'neurons that fire together, wire together.'
BAPSY Biological Basis of Behavior 4
Split-brain research by Sperry and Gazzaniga demonstrated that in most people, language functions are primarily located in the: