A&P Nervous System Practice Test

The basic functions of the nervous system include

Integration, Sensation, Response

____________________ are involved in insulin and myelination in the Central Nervous System.

Oligodendrocyte

_______ enter the spinal cord through the dorsal nerve root

Sensory axons

Which neurotransmitter is released at neuromuscular junctions?

Acetylcholine

What are the four major regions of the brain?

Cerebrum, Diencephalon, Brainstem and Cerebellum

Identify the statement that best differentiates gray matter and white matter.

Gray matter consists of cell bodies and dendrites, white matter consists mostly of myelinated axons.

In the Spinal Cord, the _________________ matter contains dendrites and cell bodies and the _________ matter contains myelinated axons.

Grey; white

What is the name for the topographical representation of the sensory input to the somatosensory cortex?

homunculus

A __________________________ is a specific segment of skin supplied by a single spinal nerve.

Dermatome

Which of the following is NOT a glial cell of the Central Nervous System?

Satellite cells

Voltage-gated Na+ channels open upon reaching what state?

threshold

___________ is the area which controls voluntary skeletal muscle activity.

Primary Motor Cortex

Which of the following events is NOT a characteristic of an action potential?

As Na+ enter, the inside of the plasma membrane becomes more negative

The ______________________________ area processes motor information and is located in the _____________ lobe.

Premotor cortex; frontal

Which of the following is NOT a lobe of the cerebrum?

Hypothalamic lobe

A group of Neuron Cell bodies in the Central Nervous System is called

Nucleus

The junction of a neuron with another cell is a/an __________.

synapse

Receptors can be classified into types on the basis of which of the following criteria:

Cell type

Which of the following is TRUE regarding the spinal cord?

Ascending tracts carry information to the brain

Where in the brain is the location of conscious thought processes and the origin of intellectual function?

Cerebrum

_______ is the connective tissue which covers individual axons.

Endoneurium

The ____________________ is an ascending tract associated with fine touch and proprioceptive sensations.

Dorsal column system

_____ are involved in immune surveillance and phagocytosis in the Central Nervous System

Microglia

Which of the following is NOT a TASTE?

Spicey

__________ interpret the chemical stimuli within the body.

Chemoreceptors

The _____________________ area processes visual information and is located in the ___________ lobe.

Visual association area; occipital

Which term describes a bundle of axons in the peripheral nervous system?

nerve

There are _____ spinal nerves

31

Which part of a neuron transmits an electrical signal to a target cell?

Axon

____________ are collections of neuron cell bodies located outside of the central nervous system.

Ganglia

The ___________________ controls smooth muscle and glandular tissue in the digestive system.

Enteric nervous system

In the Spinal Cord, the _____matter contains dendrites and cell bodies and the _____ matter contains myelinated axons.

Grey, White

What is the function of the Astrocyte cells?

Support and maintenance of neurons in the CNS

An action potential occurs when____________________

The membrane potential reaches threshold level

Which neurotransmitter is released at neuromuscular junctions?

Acetylcholine

The spinal nerves consist of ____ covered with endoneurium, ____ covered with perineurium.

Axons, fasicles

________________ receive sensory information from the periphery

Dorsal Root Ganglion

A nerve plexus is ________________________

a network of nerve fibers

Draw and label the main parts of a multipolar neuron (CNS). Which glial cell is involved with myelination?

Oligodendrocytes

An _______________ is a receptor that interprets stimuli from organs and tissues within the body.

Interoceptor

______ is the connective tissue layer of the outer covering of the nerve

Epineurium

The parasympathetic fibers originate from ___________

brainstem and sacral spine

The ____________________ is an ascending tract associated with fine touch and proprioceptive sensations.

Dorsal column system

Which type of fiber could be considered the longest?

Preganglionic parasympathetic

Which term describes a bundle of axons in the peripheral nervous system?

Nerve

Which location on the body has the largest region of somatosensory cortex representing it, according to the sensory homunculus?

lips

What are the names of the specialized cells found in the retina which initiate the process of visual stimuli?

Rod & Cone Photoreceptors

The ______________________________ area processes motor information and is located in the _____________ lobe.

Premotor cortex; frontal

What are the four major regions of the brain?

Cerebrum, Diencephalon, Brainstem and Cerebellum

The sympathetic nervous system contains _______ ganglion.

23

Which of the following is FALSE regarding the Brainstem?

The medulla oblongata is involved in respiratory and cardiac functioning

The pons is involved in breathing

The brainstem integrates information about visual, auditory and somatosensory space

The brainstem is made up of hypothalamus and thalamus

The brainstem is made up of hypothalamus and thalamus

________ enter the spinal cord through the dorsal nerve root

Sensory axons

During depolarization of the plasma membrane __________

Na+ moves rapidly into the cell

Which of the following is FALSE regarding Autonomic tone?

More sympathetic signal includes release of acetylcholine (Ach)

The balance of autonomic tone is achieved by neurotransmitter release

All of the answers are FALSE

Organs receive inputs from both sympathetic and parasympathetic input

More sympathetic signal includes release of acetylcholine (Ach)

Where are taste buds located?

Papillae of the tongue

The nervous system _____

maintains homeostasis

monitors internal and external stimuli

All of the choices are correct

transmits information in the form of action potentials

All of the choices are correct

_______ is the area in the brain which receives general somatic sensory information

Primary Somatosensory Cortex

_______ is involved in integrating information, maintaining homeostasis and has an autonomic response and endocrine system components.

Hypothalamus

_____ are processes that conduct electric signals toward the cell body.

Dendrites

______ respond to physical stimuli such as pressure and vibration

Mechanoreceptors

A bundle of Axons in the Central Nervous System is called

Njucleus

___ are involved in insulin and myelination in the Central Nervous System.

Oligodendrocytes

Which of the following is TRUE regarding the spinal cord?

Peripheral information travels into the anterior horn via the anterior root

Ascending tracts carry information to the brain

Motor information travels out through the dorsal horn via the dorsal root

Ascending tracts carry information to the brain

Ascending tracts carry information from the brain

_____ and _____________ are glial cells found in the central nervous system

Satellite and Schwann cells

Astrocytes and Oligodendrocytes

Astrocytes and Schwann cells

Ependymal cells and Satellite cells

Astrocytes and Oligodendrocytes

Choose ONE of the senses and describe how the sensation is perceived and how the information is sent to the brain. Provide detail on this.

How Hearing Works:

1. Sound waves enter the ear
   Sound starts as vibrations in the air. These vibrations travel into the outer ear (the part you can see, called the pinna) and move through the ear canal until they reach the eardrum (tympanic membrane).

2. The middle ear amplifies the sound
   When the eardrum vibrates, it moves three tiny bones in the middle ear — the malleus (hammer), incus (anvil), and stapes (stirrup). These bones amplify the vibrations and send them to the inner ear.

3. The inner ear turns vibrations into electrical signals
   The vibrations reach the cochlea, a spiral-shaped, fluid-filled structure in the inner ear. Inside the cochlea are hair cells that bend in response to the movement of the fluid.

4. The auditory nerve sends information to the brain
   These electrical signals travel along the auditory nerve to the brainstem and then to the auditory cortex in the temporal lobe of the brain.

5. The brain interprets the sound
   The brain processes these signals to recognize the sound’s pitch, loudness, and location. This allows you to understand what you’re hearing — for example, identifying it as music, speech, or a dog barking.

Draw the spinal cord and label the key components of the spinal cord. Add detail about where ascending / descending tracts travel.

Describe the Spinothalamic Tract in the Spinal Cord. Is the tract / column sensory or motor? Ascending or descending? Where in the spinal cord does it run? Where does the information come from and go to?

The spinothalamic tract is a sensory pathway in the spinal cord. It is ascending. It is located in the white matter of the spinal cord. Information comes and goes from the sensory receptors in the skin to the thalamus.

Name the four spinal nerve plexuses. For each one, add detail of which level of the spinal cord does it come from. Further, provide details of where in the body the plexus is involved.

1. Cervical plexus
   spinal level C1-C4
   supplies muscles and skin of the neck, shoulders, and upper chest. 

2. Brachial plexus
   C5-T1
   muslces of the upper limbs

3. Lumbar plexus
   L1-L4
   lower abdomen muslces and hip flexors

4. Sacral plexus
   L4-S4
   buttocks, high, lower leg, and foot
   supplies nerves to the thighs and most of the legs and foot

How many Spinal Nerves are there? Do spinal nerves contain sensory fibers, motor fibers or both? Where does the sensory axon enter the spinal cord? Where does the motor fiber exit the spinal cord?

There are 31 spinal nerves. Spinal nerves contain both sensory and motor fibers. The sensory axons enter through the dorsal root. While the motor fiber exits the spinal cord through the ventral root.

Draw and label the following lobes of the Cerebrum: Frontal Lobe, Parietal Lobe, Temporal Lobe, Occipital Lobe.

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