EPPP Test Biological Bases of Behavior Questions and Answers

Question 1

A client who recently suffered a stroke is referred for a neuropsychological evaluation.
The client's speech is fluent and grammatically correct, but the content is nonsensical and they have significant difficulty understanding both spoken and written language.
The client seems unaware of their communication deficits.
This clinical presentation is most consistent with damage to which of the following brain regions?

Accepted Answer

Wernicke's area in the temporal lobe

Answer

Broca's area in the frontal lobe

Answer

The primary motor cortex

Answer

The occipital lobe

Question 2

Benzodiazepines are commonly prescribed for anxiety disorders. Their primary mechanism of action involves enhancing the effects of which neurotransmitter?

Accepted Answer

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

Answer

Dopamine

Answer

Serotonin

Answer

Norepinephrine

Question 3

A psychologist is working with a patient who exhibits severe memory deficits, particularly an inability to form new memories (anterograde amnesia). The patient also has a tendency to invent stories to fill in gaps in their memory (confabulation). This patient has a long history of chronic alcohol abuse. Which of the following conditions is the most likely diagnosis?

Accepted Answer

Korsakoff's syndrome

Answer

Alzheimer's disease

Answer

Huntington's disease

Answer

Somatic symptom disorder

Question 4

Which of the following physiological responses is mediated by the activation of the sympathetic nervous system during the 'fight-or-flight' response?

Accepted Answer

Increased heart rate and respiration

Answer

Increased digestion

Answer

Constriction of pupils

Answer

Stimulation of salivation

Question 5

Damage to the parietal lobe of the cerebral cortex is most likely to result in deficits in which of the following areas?

Accepted Answer

Integrating sensory information and spatial awareness

Answer

Auditory processing

Answer

Regulating basic drives like hunger and thirst

Answer

Executive functions like planning and decision-making

Question 6

The dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia suggests that positive symptoms (e.g., hallucinations, delusions) are primarily related to an overactivity of dopaminergic pathways in the __________, while negative symptoms (e.g., anhedonia, avolition) are associated with underactivity in the __________ pathway.

Accepted Answer

mesolimbic; mesocortical

Answer

nigrostriatal; tuberoinfundibular

Answer

mesocortical; mesolimbic

Answer

tuberoinfundibular; nigrostriatal