Psychology Degree FREE Psychology Degree Biological Bases of Behavior Questions and Answers 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which neurotransmitter is most directly involved in the regulation of mood, sleep, and appetite?
- Serotonin (Correct answer)
- Acetylcholine
- Glutamate
- GABA
Correct answer: Serotonin
Serotonin plays a central role in regulating mood, sleep cycles, and appetite, and its dysregulation is linked to depression.
Question 2: What is the primary function of the myelin sheath surrounding axons?
- To increase the speed of neural impulse transmission (Correct answer)
- To produce neurotransmitters at the synapse
- To regulate the resting potential of the neuron
- To absorb excess ions from the extracellular fluid
Correct answer: To increase the speed of neural impulse transmission
The myelin sheath insulates axons and enables saltatory conduction, which greatly increases the speed of action potential propagation.
Question 3: A patient with damage to Wernicke's area would most likely exhibit which symptom?
- Difficulty comprehending spoken language (Correct answer)
- Inability to produce fluent speech
- Loss of voluntary motor control
- Impaired visual processing
Correct answer: Difficulty comprehending spoken language
Wernicke's area in the left temporal lobe is critical for language comprehension, and damage results in receptive aphasia.
Question 4: During an action potential, what event occurs during the depolarization phase?
- Sodium ions rush into the cell through voltage-gated channels (Correct answer)
- Potassium ions flow out of the cell rapidly
- The sodium-potassium pump restores resting potential
- Chloride ions are actively transported into the neuron
Correct answer: Sodium ions rush into the cell through voltage-gated channels
Depolarization occurs when voltage-gated sodium channels open, allowing Na+ ions to flood into the neuron and reverse the membrane charge.
Question 5: Which brain structure serves as the primary relay station for sensory information heading to the cerebral cortex?
- Thalamus (Correct answer)
- Hypothalamus
- Hippocampus
- Amygdala
Correct answer: Thalamus
The thalamus routes nearly all incoming sensory information (except smell) to the appropriate cortical areas for processing.
Question 6: Which division of the autonomic nervous system is responsible for the 'rest and digest' response?
- Parasympathetic nervous system (Correct answer)
- Sympathetic nervous system
- Somatic nervous system
- Enteric nervous system
Correct answer: Parasympathetic nervous system
The parasympathetic division conserves energy and promotes calming functions such as digestion, slowed heart rate, and relaxation.
