Chapter 16

Question 1

How many sensory modalities can a single sensory neuron have?

a) One
b) Dozens
c) Hundreds
d) Thousands
e) None

Answer 1

a) One

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT an event in the process of sensation?

a) Stimulation of sensory receptors
b) Transduction of the stimulus
c) Activation of effector
d) Generation of impulses
e) Integration of sensory input.

Answer 2

c) Activation of effector

Question 3

Sensory receptors that are located in blood vessels and visceral organs and whose signals are not usually consciously perceived are the

a) Exteroreceptors
b) Interoceptors
c) Proprioceptors
d) Nociceptors
e) None of the answers selections are correct

Answer 3

b) Interoceptors

Question 4

Which type of sensory receptor responds to stimuli resulting from physical or chemical damage to tissue?

a) Photoreceptors
b) Mechanoreceptors
c) Proprioceptors
d) Nociceptors
e) Thermoreceptors

Answer 4

d) Nociceptors

Question 5

The process in which the frequency of nerve impulses in the first-order neuron decreases during prolonged stimulus is called

a) selectivity.
b) adaptation.
c) perception.
d) modality.
e) transduction.

Answer 5

b) adaptation.

Question 6

Which of the following is a type of slowly adapting touch receptor?

a) Corpuscle of touch (Meissner corpuscle)
b) Type 1 cutaneous mechanoreceptor (Merkel disc)
c) Lamellated (Pacinian) corpuscle
d) Hair root receptor
e) Photoreceptor

Answer 6

b) Type 1 cutaneous mechanoreceptor (Merkel disc)

Question 7

Which of the following is a type of a rapidly adapting touch receptor?

a) Corpuscle of touch (Meissner corpuscle)
b) Type 1 cutaneous mechanoreceptor (Merkel disc)
c) Lamellated (Pacinian) corpuscle
d) Both the corpuscle of touch and the type 1 cutaneous mechanreceptor
e) All of these choices

Answer 7

a) Corpuscle of touch (Meissner corpuscle)

Question 8

What layer of the skin contains the cold thermoreceptors?

a) Stratum lucidum
b) Dermis
c) Stratum basale
d) Stratum corneum
e) Hypodermis

Answer 8

c) Stratum basale

Question 9

Visceral pain results from stimulating

a) nociceptors.
b) lamellated (Pacinian) corpuscles.
c) exteroreceptors.
d) proprioceptors.
e) thermoreceptors.

Answer 9

a) nociceptors.

Question 10

Which of the following statements about proprioception is INCORRECT?

a) Proprioceptive sensations allow us to estimate the weight of certain objects.
b) Proprioceptors are slowly adapting receptors.
c) Proprioceptors are embedded in muscles and tendons
d) Proprioceptive sensations allow us to determine position of body structures relative to each other.
e) Proprioceptive sensations are used to activate the nervous system in response to threatening situations.

Answer 10

e) Proprioceptive sensations are used to activate the nervous system in response to threatening situations.

Question 11

The main function of muscle spindles is

a) to sense tension applied to a tendon.
b) to sense referred pain.
c) to perceive cutaneous sensations.
d) to sense changes in muscle length.
e) to sense muscle fatigue.

Answer 11

d) to sense changes in muscle length.

Question 12

Which of the following are proprioceptors found in the articular capsules of synovial joints?

a) Tendon organs
b) Gamma motor neurons
c) Muscle spindles
d) Kinesthetic receptors
e) Tactile receptors

Answer 12

d) Kinesthetic receptors

Question 13

The postcentral gyri of the parietal lobes of the cerebral cortex

a) are considered the primary gustatory area.
b) receive body sensory information.
c) control voluntary body movements.
d) receive visual information.
e) provide the ability to move the eyeballs.

Answer 13

b) receive body sensory information.

Question 14

Which of the following types of neurons conduct impulses from the peripheral somatic sensory receptors to the brain stem or spinal cord?

a) First order neuron
b) Second order neuron
c) Third order neuron
d) Fourth order neuron
e) Higher order neuron

Answer 14

a) First order neuron

Question 15

Which of the following types of neurons conduct sensory impulses from the brain stem and spinal cord to the thalamus?

a) First order neuron
b) Second order neuron
c) Third order neuron
d) Fourth order neuron
e) Higher order neuron

Answer 15

b) Second order neuron

Question 16

Which of the following types of neurons conduct impulses from the thalamus to the primary somatosensory area of the cerebral cortex?

a) First order neuron
b) Second order neuron
c) Third order neuron
d) Fourth order neuron
e) Higher order neuron

Answer 16

c) Third order neuron

Question 17

Proprioception means awareness of

a) visual acuity.
b) body temperature.
c) color vision.
d) body position.
e) pain.

Answer 17

d) body position.

Question 18

Which of the following type of neurons have their cell bodies in the spinal cord or brain stem and their axons terminating in neuromuscular junctions?

a) upper motor neurons
b) lower motor neurons
c) somatic sensory neurons
d) preganglionic autonomic neurons
e) postganglionic autonomic neurons

Answer 18

c) somatic sensory neurons

Question 19

Which of the following types of neurons have axons that extend from the brain to the lower motor neurons?

a) upper motor neurons
b) primary neurons
c) somatic sensory neurons
d) preganglionic autonomic neurons
e) postganglionic autonomic neurons

Answer 19

a) upper motor neurons

Question 20

Which of the neurons in the diagram would most likely pick up an itch sensation?

a) A
b) B
c) C
d) Both A and B
e) All of these choices

Answer 20

a) A

Question 21

Which of the neurons in the diagram is modified in a manner that helps enhance the sensitivity of the receptor?

a) A
b) B
c) C
d) None of these choices
e) All of these choices

Answer 21

b) B

Question 22

Which of the labeled structures in the diagram is a pain receptor?

a) A (Nerve Ending)
b) B (Merkel Disc)
c) C (Meissner Corpuscle)
d) D (Ruffini Corpuscle)
e) E (Lammelated/Pacinian Corpuscle)

Answer 22

a) A

Question 23

Which of the labeled structures in the diagram is a cutaneous mechanoreceptor that senses pressure and fast vibrations?

a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D
e) E

Answer 23

e) E

Question 24

Which of the labeled structures in the diagram senses touch, pressure and slow vibrations?

a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D
e) E

Answer 24

c) C

Question 25

Which of the labeled structures in the diagram represents a type II cutaneous mechanoreceptor that monitors the stretching of skin?

a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D
e) E

Answer 25

d) D

Question 26

Which of the labeled structures in the diagram is a lamellated corpuscle?

a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D
e) E

Answer 26

e) E

Question 27

What do colored regions on body’s surface in the diagram represent?

a) Dermatomes
b) Areas of referred pain
c) Regions of nociceptors
d) Areas supplied by the primary somatosensory area
e) Motor nuclei

Answer 27

b) Areas of referred pain

Question 28

Which labeled neuron conducts impulses from the thalamus to the primary somatosensory area of the cerebral cortex?

a) A
b) B
c) C
d) More than one answer selection is correct.
e) None of the answer selections are correct.

Answer 28

c) C

Question 29

Which labeled neuron conducts impulses from the peripheral somatic receptors into the brain or spinal cord?

a) A
b) B
c) C
d) More than one answer selection is correct.
e) None of the answer selections are correct.

Answer 29

a) A

Question 30

Which labeled neuron is considered to be a second-order neuron?

a) A
b) B
c) C
d) More than one answer selection is correct.
e) None of the answer selections are correct.

Answer 30

b) B

Question 31

Which of the labeled structures in the diagram of the trigeminothalamic pathway is the trigeminothalamic tract?

a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D
e) E

Answer 31

a) A

Question 32

Which of the labeled structures in the diagram of the trigeminothalamic pathway is the trigeminal ganglion?

a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D
e) E

Answer 32

b) B

Question 33

Which of the labeled structures in the diagram of the trigeminothalamic pathway is the trigeminal nerve?

a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D
e) E

Answer 33

c) C

Question 34

Which of the labeled structures in the diagram of the trigeminothalamic pathway is a second-order neuron?

a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D
e) E

Answer 34

e) E

Question 35

Which of the labeled structures in the diagram of the trigeminothalamic pathway is the first-order neuron?

a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D
e) E

Answer 35

d) D

Question 36

Which of the following is a direct motor pathway?

a) Anterior corticospinal tract
b) Corticobulbar tract
c) Lateral corticospinal tract
d) Both Anterior corticospinal and Corticobulbar tract.
e) All of these choices

Answer 36

e) All of these choices

Question 37

The basal nuclei regulate skeletal muscle movements by

a) suppressing unwanted movements.
b) influencing muscle tone.
c) initiating and terminating movements.
d) both suppressing unwanted movements and influencing muscle tone.
e) All of these choices

Answer 37

e) All of these choices

Question 38

Which of the following does NOT occur during sleep?

a) Sympathetic division of ANS is stimulated.
b) Decreased heart rate.
c) Decreased blood pressure.
d) Skeletal muscle tone decreases.
e) Dream during REM sleep.

Answer 38

a) Sympathetic division of ANS is stimulated.

Question 39

You are sitting on a sunny Florida beach experiencing the sensation of warmth. Describe the anatomical structures and physiological events that allow you to perceive the warmth of the sun.

Answer 39

Thermoreceptors, which are distributed throughout the skin, must be present to sense the thermal stimuli. The warmth from the sun stimulates the warm thermoreceptors to become activated by warming the receptive field of thermoreceptors and stimulating the production of graded potentials. When the graded potentials reach threshold, they trigger nerve impulses in the themoreceptor, which serves as a first-order neuron that transmits the information to the CNS where a second order neuron conducts impulses via neurons of the spinothalamic tract to the thalamus. From the thalamus, third order neurons conduct impulses to the primary somatosensory area of the cerebral cortex where the impulses are perceived as a feeling of warmth.

Question 40

Synesthesia is a condition in which stimulation of one sensory modality results in perception of another. One man reportedly tastes shapes. Many synesthetic people hear colors. Based on what you know about sensation, propose a physiological mechanism that explains the phenomenon of synesthesia.

Answer 40

Usually a given receptor can only convey a single type of sensory modality. For instance, photoreceptors can usually only relay impulses related to light intensity. Some receptors can relay different modalities based on the type of stimulus received. Lamellated corpuscles relay information about pressure in response to low frequency stimulation but relay information about vibration in response to higher frequency stimulation. Perhaps some types of synesthesia result from anomalous receptors that can send very different information in response to different frequency or intensity of stimulation. A stronger explanation for the phenomenon may be related to the fact that sensations are interpreted based on which part of the cerebral cortex receives the impulses from the 3rd order neuron in the sensory pathway. Synesthetic patients may have unusual distributions of neurons to the cerebral cortex. Most people would sense the taste “sweet” because their 3rd order neuron carrying those impulses terminated in the gustatory area. The man who tastes shapes may have a “sweet” neuron that terminates in the “shape” area of the visual cortex.

Question 41

A viral infection has damaged a patient’s tectospinal tract. What signs of this damage probably helped the physicians diagnose the problem?

Answer 41

The tectospinal tract is an extrapyramidal, or indirect, motor pathway. It conveys nerve impulses from the superior colliculus to contralateral skeletal muscles that move the head and eyes in response to visual stimuli. One sign of such damage would be the inability of the patient to turn his head toward a flashing light. The patient would also be unable to follow movements of the physician’s finger with his eyes. The patient would probably be unable to read words scrolling across a screen. Each of these deficits relates to the inability to move the head or eyes in response to visual stimuli and would alert the physician to damage of the tectospinal tract.

Question 42

Describe the role of the reticular activating system in sleep, arousal, and consciousness.

Answer 42

A variety of sensory stimuli feed into the RAS, which feeds into the thalamus and cerebral cortex to increase neuronal activity, causing arousal from sleep and maintaining consciousness. During periods of high ATP use, adenosine accumulates and binds to A1 receptors, inhibiting cholinergic neurons in the RAS, and inducing sleep.

Question 43

Compare short-term memory versus long-term memory with regard to specific changes that are thought to occur in the brain.

Answer 43

Short-term memory depends more on electrical and chemical events in the brain than on structural changes, such as forming new synapses. Long-term memory is thought to involve high-frequency stimulation within the hippocampus at glutamate synapses. Nitric oxide and other neurotransmitters may also be involved. For long term memory, neurons develop new presynaptic terminals, larger synaptic end bulbs, and more dendritic branches.

Question 44

What category of receptor cell is used to sense touch, vibration and pressure?

a) photoreceptor
b) mechanoreceptor
c) thermoreceptor
d) chemoreceptor
e) osmoreceptor

Answer 44

b) mechanoreceptor

Question 45

What category of receptor cell is used to sense changes in temperature?

a) photoreceptor
b) mechanoreceptor
c) thermoreceptor
d) chemoreceptor
e) osmoreceptor

Answer 45

c) thermoreceptor

Question 46

What category of receptor cell is used to sense light?

a) photoreceptor
b) mechanoreceptor
c) thermoreceptor
d) chemoreceptor
e) osmoreceptor

Answer 46

a) photoreceptor

Question 47

What category of receptor cell is used to sense changes in the concentration of chemicals in body fluids?

a) photoreceptor
b) mechanoreceptor
c) thermoreceptor
d) chemoreceptor
e) proprioceptor

Answer 47

d) chemoreceptor

Question 48

What category of receptor cell is used to sense changes in the osmotic pressure of body fluids?

a) photoreceptor
b) mechanoreceptor
c) thermoreceptor
d) chemoreceptor
e) osmoreceptor

Answer 48

e) osmoreceptor

Question 49

All of the following types of stimuli are sensed by free nerve endings EXCEPT

a) pain.
b) tickle.
c) temperature.
d) pressure.
e) itch.

Answer 49

d) pressure.

Question 50

Which of the following types of stimuli is sensed using encapsulated nerve endings?

a) pain
b) tickle
c) temperature
d) itch
e) vibration

Answer 50

e) vibration

Question 51

Which of the following is an example of a specialized sensory receptor cell that is known as a “separate cell”?

a) Corpuscle of touch (Meissner corpuscle)
b) photoreceptor cell in retina
c) lamellataed (Pacinian) corpuscle
d) hair root plexus
e) astrocyte

Answer 51

b) photoreceptor cell in retina

Question 52

Visceral pain coming from the lung and diaphragm is referred to which location(s) in the diagram?

a) A
b) B
c) C
d) G
e) H

Answer 52

a) A

Question 53

Visceral pain coming from the liver and gallbladder is referred to which location(s) in the diagram?

a) B
b) G
c) H
d) F
e) D

Answer 53

a) B

Question 54

Visceral pain coming from the stomach is referred to which location(s) in the diagram?

a) B
b) G
c) H
d) F
e) E

Answer 54

b) G

Question 55

Visceral pain coming from the pancreas is referred to which location(s) in the diagram?

a) B
b) D
c) H
d) F
e) E

Answer 55

c) H

Question 56

Visceral pain coming from the ovaries is referred to which location(s) in the diagram?

a) D
b) E
c) B
d) F
e) A

Answer 56

d) F

Question 57

Visceral pain coming from the heart is referred to which location(s) in the diagram?

a) C
b) G
c) B
d) H
e) A

Answer 57

a) C

Question 58

Visceral pain coming from the urinary bladder is referred to which location(s) in the diagram?

a) D
b) F
c) E
d) H
e) G

Answer 58

c) E

Question 59

Visceral pain coming from the kidney is referred to which location(s) in the diagram?

a) D
b) B
c) G
d) H
e) F

Answer 59

a) D

Question 60

Which disorder is characterized by difficulty in falling asleep and staying asleep?

a) narcolepsy
b) insomnia
c) sleep apnea
d) coma
e) amnesia

Answer 60

b) insomnia

Question 61

Which disorder is characterized by involuntary periods of sleep that occur throughout the day?

a) narcolepsy
b) insomnia
c) sleep apnea
d) coma
e) amnesia

Answer 61

a) narcolepsy

Question 62

Which disorder is characterized by a person’s breathing repeatedly stopping for 10 or more seconds while sleeping?

a) narcolepsy
b) insomnia
c) sleep apnea
d) coma
e) amnesia

Answer 62

c) sleep apnea

Question 63

Which condition is a state of unconsciousness in which a person’s responses to stimuli are reduced or absent?

a) narcolepsy
b) insomnia
c) sleep apnea
d) coma
e) amnesia

Answer 63

d) coma

Question 64

Which condition is characterized by a lack of memory for events occurring after the trauma or disease that caused the condition?

a) narcolepsy
b) retrograde amnesia
c) sleep apnea
d) coma
e) anterograde amnesia

Answer 64

e) anterograde amnesia

Question 65

What are the three types of sensory receptors categorized based on their location and the origin of stimuli that activate them? What is the nature of the stimuli that cause their excitation?

Answer 65

(1) Exteroceptors are sensitive to stimuli originating outside the body and provide information about the external environment such as hearing, vision, smell, taste, touch, pressure and temperature. (2) Interoceptors monitor conditions in the internal environment such as blood pressure. The sensations are usually not consciously perceived. (3) Proprioceptors are located in muscles, joints, tendons and the inner ear. They provide information about body position by detecting muscle tension, the position and movement of the joints.

Question 66

List the six types of sensory receptors categorized based on the type of stimulus they detect and describe the types of stimuli that each type can detect.

Answer 66

(1) Mechanoceptors: detect mechanical stimuli such as touch, pressure, and stretch. (2) Thermoreceptors: detect changes in temperature. (3) Nociceptors: respond to painful stimuli. (4) Photoreceptors: detect light. (5) Chemoreceptors: detect chemicals in the mouth (taste), nose (smell) and body fluids. (6) Osmoreceptors: detects osmotic pressure of body fluids.

Question 67

What is phantom limb sensation and describe why the patient experiences these sensations?

Answer 67

When a limb has been amputated, the patient still feels the sensations of itch, pressure, tingling or pain as if the limb is still there. It is believed that the cerebral cortex interprets impulses arising in the proximal portions of sensory neurons that previously carried impulses from the limb as coming from the non-existing limb. Another possible explanation is that the brain contains networks of neurons that generate sensations of body awareness.

Question 68

The process of sensation begins in a _____, which can be either a primary sensory neuron or a separate cell.

a) sensory receptor cell.
b) signal transducer cell.
c) secondary sensory neuron.
d) effector cell.
e) association neuron.

Answer 68

a) sensory receptor cell.

Question 69

_____ is a term used to describe pain that is felt at a site remote from the place of origin.

a) Referred pain
b) Visceral pain
c) Slow pain
d) Fast pain
e) Sympathetic pain

Answer 69

a) Referred pain

Question 70

The integration centers for sensations that are consciously perceived (like vision, smell, taste, and pain) are found in the

a) cerebellum.
b) basal nuclei.
c) pontine nuclei.
d) cerebral cortex.
e) thalamus.

Answer 70

d) cerebral cortex.

Question 71

Which of the following regions of the brain compares the intentions of skeletal muscle movements with the actual movement performed and then sends out corrective feedback to upper motor neurons?

a) hypothalamus
b) thalamus
c) basal nuclei
d) cerebellum
e) cerebrum

Answer 71

d) cerebellum

Question 72

All of the following result from some form of malfunction by the basal nuclei EXCEPT

a) Huntington’s disease.
b) Parkinson’s disease.
c) Tourette’s syndrome.
d) obsessive-compulsive disorder.
e) synesthesia.

Answer 72

e) synesthesia.

Question 73

Infants spend approximately 50% of their sleeping time in

a) stage one NREM sleep.
b) stage two NREM sleep.
c) stage three NREM sleep.
d) stage four NREM sleep.
e) REM sleep.

Answer 73

e) REM sleep.

Question 74

Which of the following stages of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep is considered the deepest level of sleep?

a) Stage one
b) Stage two
c) Stage three
d) Stage four
e) None of the selections are correct.

Answer 74

d) Stage four

Question 75

During the process of learning, the brain shows a characteristic called _____, which is the ability to change in response to intensive usage for a particular task like memorizing a page of physiology notes.

a) bradykinesia
b) hypokinesia
c) plasticity
d) amnesia
e) palsy

Answer 75

c) plasticity