Question 1

A patient suffers a stroke that damages the right parietal lobe of the brain. Which of the following symptoms is most likely to occur as a result of this injury?

Accepted Answer

Difficulty perceiving sensory information from the left side of the body

Question 2

Which of the following best explains why the two-point discrimination threshold is lower on the fingertips than on the back?

Accepted Answer

Fingertips have smaller receptive fields and less convergence of sensory neurons

Question 3

A person touches a hot stove and immediately withdraws their hand before feeling pain. Which neural pathway is responsible for this rapid, reflexive action?

Accepted Answer

Reflex arc integrated at the level of the spinal cord

Question 4

Which of the following statements about the labeled line coding hypothesis is correct?

Accepted Answer

It states that each sensory receptor is associated with a specific sensation and pathway to the brain

Question 5

A patient with damage to the hippocampus, as seen in the case of Henry Molaison, would most likely experience which of the following deficits?

Accepted Answer

Inability to form new long-term memories

Question 6

Which type of somatosensory nerve fiber is responsible for transmitting fast, sharp pain, and what is its approximate conduction velocity?

Accepted Answer

A delta fibers; 12–30 m/s

Question 7

Which of the following best describes the function of lateral inhibition in sensory processing?

Accepted Answer

It enhances contrast and spatial resolution by inhibiting neighboring neurons

Question 8

A person is unable to recognize objects by touch (astereognosis) but can still feel them. Which brain region is most likely damaged?

Accepted Answer

Somatosensory association area in the parietal lobe

Question 9

Which of the following is true regarding the TRPV1 receptor?

Accepted Answer

It is activated by heat and capsaicin, contributing to the sensation of pain

Question 10

A patient reports a burning pain in a limb that was amputated years ago. This phenomenon is best explained by which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Phantom limb sensation due to labeled line coding

Question 11

Which of the following best explains why the homunculus representation in the somatosensory cortex has disproportionately large hands and lips?

Accepted Answer

These areas have more sensory neurons and smaller receptive fields

Question 12

Which of the following is a key difference between tonic and phasic sensory receptors?

Accepted Answer

Tonic receptors continue to fire as long as the stimulus is present, while phasic receptors respond only at the beginning or end of a stimulus

Question 13

Which of the following best describes the role of the thalamus in sensory processing?

Accepted Answer

It relays most sensory information to the appropriate areas of the cerebral cortex

Question 14

A patient with a lesion in the left frontal lobe is most likely to experience which of the following deficits?

Accepted Answer

Difficulty with speech production (Broca's aphasia)

Question 15

Which of the following best explains the phenomenon of referred pain?

Accepted Answer

Pain signals from visceral and somatic sources converge on the same ascending tract in the spinal cord

Question 16

Which of the following equations correctly represents the relationship between action potential frequency ($$f$$), stimulus intensity ($$I$$), and a proportionality constant ($$k) in $$sensory neurons?

Accepted Answer

$$f = k 	imes I$$

Question 17

Which of the following best describes the function of the basal ganglia?

Accepted Answer

Regulation of voluntary motor movements and procedural learning

Question 18

Which of the following is a characteristic of C fibers in the somatosensory system?

Accepted Answer

Small diameter and unmyelinated, transmitting slow, dull pain

Question 19

Which of the following best explains why a person can feel a vibration but not a steady pressure when a tuning fork is placed on their skin?

Accepted Answer

Pacinian corpuscles are rapidly adapting and respond to vibration, not steady pressure

Central Nervous System and Somatosensory System: Structure, Function, and Sensory Processing

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