D312 Nervous System Lab Questions and Explanations

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Western Governors University

D312 Anatomy and Physiology I with Lab

Prof. Name

Date

D312: Anatomy and Physiology I with Lab

Lab Questions – Section 5: Nervous System

This section addresses key structural and functional principles of the nervous system, integrating anatomical identification with physiological relevance. Each question is presented as embedded within the instructional content, followed by direct answers and expanded explanations to support conceptual understanding. Tables are used where comparisons or matching are required. The content has been rewritten to maintain academic integrity while preserving APA-style formatting and terminology.

Central Nervous System Components

Which structures are part of the central nervous system? (Select three answers.)

The central nervous system (CNS) consists of structures responsible for processing and integrating information. It excludes nerves that extend into the periphery.

Option	Structure	Evaluation	Rationale
a	Somatic nerves	Incorrect	Somatic nerves belong to the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and transmit voluntary motor and sensory signals.
b	Medulla oblongata	Correct	This brainstem region regulates vital autonomic functions such as respiration and heart rate and is part of the CNS.
c	Pons	Correct	The pons serves as a relay center within the brainstem and facilitates communication between major brain regions.
d	Spinal cord	Correct	The spinal cord is a core CNS structure that conducts sensory and motor information between the brain and body.

Answer: Medulla oblongata, pons, and spinal cord.

Neuronal Structure and Function

Parts of a Neuron

Understanding neuron anatomy is essential for explaining how nervous tissue transmits information. Each labeled component plays a specialized role.

Label	Neuron Component	Description
A	Terminal arborizations	Branched endings of the axon that form synaptic contacts with target cells through synaptic knobs.
B	Axon	A long, singular extension that conducts electrical impulses away from the cell body.
C	Soma	The neuron’s cell body, containing the nucleus and organelles required for metabolic maintenance.
D	Dendrites	Short, branching processes that receive incoming signals and convey them toward the soma.

Which part of a neuron carries information to other neurons, muscles, glands, or lymphatic tissue?

Option	Structure	Evaluation	Rationale
a	Axon	Correct	The axon propagates action potentials away from the soma to communicate with effector cells.
b	Soma	Incorrect	The soma integrates signals but does not transmit impulses to other cells.
c	Cell body	Incorrect	Another term for soma, responsible for metabolism rather than signal transmission.
d	Dendrites	Incorrect	Dendrites receive incoming signals rather than sending them outward.

Answer: Axon.

Cerebrum Language Areas

Cerebrum Labeling

Language comprehension and speech production are localized to distinct cortical regions.

Area A: Broca’s area
Area B: Wernicke’s area

Lobes of the Cerebrum and Associated Functions

Which lobe corresponds to each neurological function?

Question	Primary Function	Correct Lobe	Explanation
Motor speech, reasoning, and planning	Executive control and speech production	Frontal lobe	Contains Broca’s area and governs voluntary motor activity, decision-making, and planning.
Sensory association and spatial awareness	Integration of tactile and positional input	Parietal lobe	Processes somatosensory information via the postcentral gyrus.
Visual interpretation	Visual perception and processing	Occipital lobe	Houses primary and associative visual cortices.
Hearing, smell, emotion, learning, memory	Auditory processing and memory formation	Temporal lobe	Includes auditory cortex, Wernicke’s area, and memory-related structures.

Cerebral Circulation and Metabolism

Which arteries supply the brain?

The brain receives oxygenated blood from paired arterial systems to ensure continuous perfusion.

Answer: Bilateral internal carotid arteries and bilateral vertebral arteries.

What is the only source of energy for the brain?

Neural tissue relies almost exclusively on one metabolic substrate under normal physiological conditions.

Answer: Glucose.

Which substances can cross the blood–brain barrier?

Certain small or lipid-soluble molecules are capable of diffusing across the blood–brain barrier.

Answer: Alcohol, anesthetics, and glucose.

Cerebrospinal Fluid and Spinal Cord Anatomy

Which structure produces cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)?

Option	Structure	Evaluation	Rationale
a	Dural sinuses	Incorrect	Function in venous drainage rather than CSF production.
b	Choroid plexus	Correct	Specialized capillary networks within the ventricles that secrete CSF.
c	Meninges	Incorrect	Protective connective tissue layers surrounding the CNS.
d	Pia mater	Incorrect	Thin meningeal layer adhering to the CNS, not secretory.

Answer: Choroid plexus.

Where is gray matter located in the spinal cord?

Option	Structure	Evaluation	Rationale
a	Dorsal horn	Correct	Contains gray matter responsible for processing sensory input.
b	Dorsal column	Incorrect	Composed of white matter tracts.
c	Ventral column	Incorrect	Primarily associated with motor output pathways.
d	Central canal	Incorrect	A CSF-filled space, not neural tissue.

Answer: Dorsal horn.

Synapses, Glial Cells, and Neural Organization

Electrical synapses (gap junctions) are characteristic of which tissues?

Electrical synapses allow rapid, synchronized activity.

Answer: Cardiac muscle and smooth muscle.

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

Option	Term	Evaluation	Rationale
a	Ganglion	Incorrect	Refers to collections of neuron cell bodies in the PNS.
b	Nerve	Correct	A nerve is a bundle of axons located in the PNS.
c	Tract	Incorrect	A bundle of axons within the CNS.
d	Nucleus	Incorrect	A cluster of neuron cell bodies in the CNS.

Answer: Nerve.

Which glial cell functions as the resident macrophage within the CNS?

Option	Cell Type	Evaluation	Rationale
a	Astrocyte	Incorrect	Provides metabolic and structural support but is not immune-focused.
b	Schwann cell	Incorrect	Myelinates axons in the PNS.
c	Microglia	Correct	Acts as the primary immune defense cell within the CNS.
d	Satellite cell	Incorrect	Supports neuron cell bodies in PNS ganglia.

Answer: Microglia.

What is a neural synapse?

Option	Description	Evaluation	Rationale
a	CSF-filled brain cavity	Incorrect	Describes a ventricle.
b	Peripheral neuron cell body cluster	Incorrect	Defines a ganglion.
c	Specialized communication junction	Correct	A synapse enables signal transmission between neurons or effector cells.
d	CNS axon bundle	Incorrect	Refers to a tract.

Answer: A specialized junction mediating communication between neurons.

References

Marieb, E. N., & Hoehn, K. (2022). Human anatomy & physiology (12th ed.). Pearson Education.

OpenStax. (2023). Anatomy and physiology. Rice University. https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology

D312 Nervous System Lab Questions and Explanations

Tortora, G. J., & Derrickson, B. H. (2023). Principles of anatomy and physiology (16th ed.). Wiley.