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.
Psychology Degree FREE Psychology Degree Biological Bases of Behavior Questions and Answers 2
Which neurotransmitter is most directly involved in the regulation of mood, sleep, and appetite?