BAPSY BAPSY Bachelor of Arts in Psychology 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 key 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 an axon?
- To speed up the transmission of neural impulses (Correct answer)
- To produce neurotransmitters
- To receive incoming signals from other neurons
- To regulate the cell's metabolic activity
Correct answer: To speed up the transmission of neural impulses
The myelin sheath insulates the axon and enables saltatory conduction, which greatly increases the speed of nerve impulse transmission.
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 motor coordination
- Impaired visual processing
Correct answer: Difficulty comprehending spoken language
Wernicke's area in the left temporal lobe is responsible for language comprehension, so damage leads to receptive aphasia.
Question 4: 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
- Central nervous system
Correct answer: Parasympathetic nervous system
The parasympathetic division calms the body after stress by slowing heart rate, increasing digestion, and conserving energy.
Question 5: During an action potential, what happens during the depolarization phase?
- Sodium ions rush into the neuron, making the interior more positive (Correct answer)
- Potassium ions flow out of the neuron rapidly
- The neuron returns to its resting potential
- Chloride ions enter through voltage-gated channels
Correct answer: Sodium ions rush into the neuron, making the interior more positive
Depolarization occurs when voltage-gated sodium channels open, allowing Na+ to flow inward and reversing the membrane's charge.
Question 6: 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.
Which neurotransmitter is most directly involved in the regulation of mood, sleep, and appetite?