DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY

STUDY QUESTIONS
UCC

1. Which of the following is not true of neurons?

a) They respond to physical and chemical stimuli.
b) They are the most abundant cells of nervous tissues.
c) They all conduct nerve impulses.
d) They all release chemical regulators.
e) They cannot divide mitotically.

2. The neuroglia that form myelin sheaths around axons in the CNS are called?
a) Microglia
b) Oligodendrocytes
c) Schwann cells
d) Astrocytes
e) Satellite cells

3. The following statements concerning nerve impulses are correct EXCEPT

a) It is the actual movement of Na+ and K+ ions.
b) It travels in only one direction
c) It is an all-or-none response
d) It always progresses from dendrides, to cell body, to axon
e) None of the above.

4. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter at the synapses of

a) Neurons in the CNS.
b) Certain autonomic nerve endings.
c) Somatic motor neurons at the neuromuscular junction.
d) All of the above
e) A and c only.
5. Which of the following is not representative of the catecholamine neurotransmitter?
a) Dopamine
 b) Acetylcholine
c) Norepinephrine
d) Epinephrine
e) None of the above.

6. The organization of the sensory system includes:

a) Stimulus
b) Receptor
c) Afferent pathway
d) Sensory cortex
e) All of the above

7. The interpretation of a nerve impulse that is transmitted to the brain from a sensory organ
is referred to as
a) A sensation
b) A response
c) Perception
d) Recognition
e) Integration of information

8. The type A beta nerve fibres subserve which kind of somatic sensation?
a) Pain and touch
b) Pressure and vibration
c) Touch and pressure
d) Slow and fast pain
e) None of the above

9. Which of the following neurons has the largest diameter and highest velocity of
conduction?
a) A beta fibre
 b) A delta fibre
c) A gamma fibre
d) A alpha fibre
e) C fibre

10. Stimulation of tactile receptors in the skin or tissues immediately beneath it results in
a) Vibration sensation
b) Pressure sensation
c) Touch sensation
d) Proprioceptive sensation
e) All of the above

11. This receptor detects low-frequency vibrations and touch. It has great sensitivity and
present in non-hairy pars of the skin and are particularly abundant in the fingertips, lips
and other areas of the skin:
a) Merkel’s disc
b) Pacinian’s corpuscle
c) Meissner’s corpuscle
d) Ruffuni’s corpuscle
e) Hair follicle receptor
12. The following statements regarding transmission of tactile sensations in peripheral
nerves are false except
a) Generally, fine touch, vibrations, and proprioception are transmitted via small
myelinated fibres.
b) Pain, temperature, crude touch and pressure are transmitted via the small
myelinated nerve fibres only.
c) Some free nerve endings transmit nerve impulses by way of Type C unmyelinated
fibres at velocities up to 2m/sec.
d) The A delta fibres is sensory
e) The group Ia fibres are the afferent neurons for muscle spindles.
13. Sensations which must be transmitted rapidly, with spatial and temporal fidelity are
carried through
a) The anterior spinothalamic tracts
 b) The lateral spinothalamic tracts
c) The dorsal column
d) All of the above
e) A and c

14. Which of the following statements concerning somatosensory homunculus is false?

a) It shows specific topographical representation of the body on the surface of the
brain
b) The representation is not out of scale
c) Areas mapping the hand, tongue and lips are largely represented
d) The body is represented inferiolaterally
e) None of the above.

15. Which of the following is the function of the primary motor cortex?
a) Controls fine discrete movements of the hands and feet on same side of the
body.
b) Controls fine discrete movements of the hands and feet on opposite side of
the body.
c) Control of gross motor movements
d) Ensures coordination
e) Controls banlance

16. The area in the cerebral cortex involved in the planning movements or strategy for motor
activity is called the
a) Prefrontal area
b) Primary motor cortex
c) Premotor cortex
d) Basal ganglia
e) Supplementary motor area

17. Lesion to the somatosensory cortex may result in the following except
a) Poor discrete localization of body parts
b) Inability to judge pressure
 c) Inability to judge shapes or forms of objects
d) Perception of pain and temperature
e) None of the above

18. Which of the statements below is false concerning cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)?
a) CSF has high sodium and hydrogen ions than in plasma
b) CSF has high glucose concentration than in plasma
c) CSF has low proteins than in plasma
d) CSF has few cells and lymphocytes than in plasma.
e) CSF is a clear colourless fluid

19. Which of the following statements concerning the classic stretch reflex is incorrect?
a) It monosynaptic
b) The afferent neuron synapses directly on the motor neuron
c) The muscle spindle is the receptor organ
d) The length of the muscle spindle organ, and therefore its sensitivity to stretch, is
regulated by activation/inhibition of the gamma motor neuron
e) There is a reciprocal inhibition of agonist muscle fibres

20. The brain receives which percentage of the total resting cardiac output?
a) 10%
b) 15%
c) 20%
d) 20%
e) 25%

21. Which of the following explains why the brain needs constant adequate blood supply?
a) Stopping blood flow to the brain for more than five seconds may lead to altered
level of consciousness
b) There is no store of oxygen in the brain
c) The brain does not store glucose
d) The brain is not capable of much anaerobic metabolism
 e) All of the above

22. The brain is an active organ, its total energy is used for which of the following?
a) Generation, release and uptake of neurotransmitters
b) Maintenance and restoration of ionic gradients across the cell membrane
c) molecular transport
d) Biosynthesis
e) All of the above

23. Which of the following is true regarding blood-brain barrier?

a) Its integrity may be affected by inflammation or infection
b) It maintains the constancy of the environment of the neurons in the central
nervous system
c) It is a structural and functional barrier which impedes and regulates the influx of
most compounds from blood to brain
d) It is formed by endothelial cells of capillary, Basement membrane and Foot
process of astrocytes.
e) All of the above are correct

24. Which of the following transport mechanisms is most abundant across the blood-brain
barrier?
a) Passive diffusion
b) Vesicular transport
c) Active transport
d) Active and carrier-mediated transport
e) All of the above

25. All of the following can easily penetrate the blood-brain barrier except..
a) Carbon dioxide
b) Oxygen
c) Water
 d) Steroids hormones
e) Proteins

26. Which of the following forms part of the circumventricular organs?

a) The neurohypophysis
b) The area postrema
c) Organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis
d) Subfornical organ
e) All of the above

27. Control of cerebral blood flow by adjustment in vessel diameter is referred to as

a) Cerebral perfusion
b) Cerebral autoregulation
c) Cerebral hyperaemia
d) Cerebral hypoxia
e) Cerebral flow

28. The mechanism by which low O2 or pH or high CO2, adenosine, or K+ increase cerebral
flow is known as
a) Pressure autoregulation
b) Viscosity autoregulation
c) Chemical autoregualtion
d) Metabolic autoregulation
e) Neural regulation of cerebral flow

29. By what mechanism does increased carbon dioxide and decreased pH and oxygen
concentrations stimulate increased cerebral flow and perfusion?
a) Vasoconstriction
b) Vasodilation
c) filtration
d) secretion
e) reabsorption

30. Which of the following concerning the medial lemniscal system is false?
a) Has speed of transmission of impulses similar to the anterolateral spinothalamic
tract
 b) It deals with transmission of proprioception, fine touch, vibration and two point
discrimination
c) Its first order neurons terminate in the medulla
d) Its tracts give off lots of collaterals
e) The mechanism of lateral inhibitions makes it transmit information with much
spatial fidelity

31. The spinal cord level of the central nervous system is responsible for the following
except,
a) Reflexes that withdraw body segments from painful objects
b) Reflexes that stiffen the legs to support the body against gravity
c) Reflexes that control gastrointestinal movements
d) Reflexes that control rate and depth of respiration

32. In which sensory transduction pathway does hyperpolarization of the receptor cell
activate transmission in the pathway?
a) Phototransduction
b) Auditory signaling
d) Olfactory signaling
e) Balance and orientation signaling

33. The autonomic functions of the brain include:

a) Metabolism
b) Digestion
c) Excretion
d) All of the above

34. Which area of the cortex is responsible for speech production and articulation?
a) Auditory cortex
b) Broca’s area
c) Visual cortex
d) Wernicke’s area

35. Which special sensory system has its input most linked to the limbic system?
a) The olfactory system
 b) The gustatory system
c) The visual system
d) The auditory system

36. The area in the cerebral cortex involved in the planning movements or strategy for motor
activity is called the
a. Prefrontal area
b. Primary motor cortex
c. Premotor cortex
d. Basal ganglia
37. Which of the following statements concerning vision is false?
a) The eyes are specialized sensory organs that interpret visual impulses
b) The position of the eyes permits binocular vision
c) Only a limited part of the electromagnetic spectrum can excite the photoreceptor cells
within the eyes.
d) Incoming light waves are refracted within the eyes.

38. Which of the following functions as the receptor for the auditory system?
a) The organ of corti
b) The hair cells
c) The basilar fibres
d) The stereocillia

39. The following statements about the action potential are true except
a) The amplitude or magnitude of the action potential is directly related to the diameter
of axis
b) The magnitude of the action potential is directly related to the intensity of the
stimulus
c) The duration of the refractory period is inversely related to the diameter of the axon
d) The duration of the action potential is inversely related to the diameter of axons
40. Substance P is released from
a) Nociceptive afferent endings
b) First order nociceptive terminal in the dorsal horn
c) First order mechanosensitive terminals in the dorsal horn
d) Terminals of descending fibres from the raphe nucleus in the dorsal horn
e) Both A and B above

41. Peripheral inhibition of pain transmission is achieved through stimulation of

a) Small myelinated pain fibres
b) Small unmyelinated pain fibres
c) Small non-pain carrying fibres
d) Type A beta fibres
e) Type A alpha fibres.

42. Which of the following functions best under low light conditions?
a) Cones
b) Rods
c) Amacrine cells
d) Bipolar cells
e) Ganglion cells

43. Concerning the ascending pain pathway,

a) Produces pain
b) Increases perception of pain
c) Can be inhibited
d) Forms the spinothalamic tract
e) All of the above are correct

44. Which of the following regarding the descending pain pathway is correct?
a) Produces pain
b) Inhibits pain through the release of substance P
c) Forms part of the corticospinal tract
d) Inhibits pain by post-synaptic inhibition at first synapse
e) Inhibits pain by pre-synaptic inhibition at first synapse

45. Which of the following neurotransmitters is predominantly utilized by the

neospinothalamic pathway?
a) Substance P
b) Acetylcholine
c) Glutamate
d) Dopamine
e) aspartate

46. Which of the following neurotransmitters is predominantly utilized by the

paleospinothalamic pathway?
a) Substance P
 b) Acetylcholine
c) Glutamate
d) Dopamine
e) Aspartate

47. Which of the following tracts directly synapses on the lower motor neurons?
a) The tectospinal tract
b) The rubrospinal tract
c) The vestibulospinal tract
d) The corticospinal tract
e) The propriospinal tract
48. Which of the following are clinical features of lesions to the lower motor neuron?
a) Decreased muscle tone
b) Hyporeflexia
c) Flaccid paralysis
d) Muscle atrophy
e) All of the above
49. Which of the following neurons transmits sensory information from the muscle spindle to
the spinal cord?
a) Type Ia
b) Type Ib
c) Type III
d) Type IV
e) None of the above
50. Which of the following neurons innervates the extrafusal fibres of skeletal muscles?
a) Alpha motor neurons
b) Gamma motor neurons
c) Renschaw cells
d) B type fibres
e) None of the above

1. Endogenous opiods are morphine-like compounds that functions as

a. Analgesic
 b. Antidepressant
c. Antihypnotic
d. Sedation
e. Aphrodisiac
2. The mechanism of action of endogenous opiods is through
a. Inhibition of substance P transmission
b. Facilitation of substance P transmission
c. Inhibition of serotonin uptake
d. Inhibition of epinephrine degradation
e. Activation of COMT

3. The spinal cord controls all the following reflexes except

a. Posture

b. Heartbeat

c. Walking

d. Urination

e. Withdrawal

4. The function of cortical level of the CNS includes

a. Control of blood pressure

b. Control of respiration rate

c. Initiation and moderation of movement

d. Equilibrium reflex

5. Portion of the cerebral cortex responsible for motor activities

a. Precentral gyrus

b. Postcentral gyrus

c. Angular gyrus

d. Parahippocampal gyrus
 e. Lateral gyrus

6. Portion of the cerebral cortex responsible for somatosensory perception

a. Precentral gyrus

b. Postcentral gyrus

c. Angular gyrus

d. Parahippocampal gyrus

e. Lateral gyrus

7. Portion of the cerebral cortex responsible for personality

a. Frontal lobe

b. Parietal lobe

c. Occipital lobe

d. Temporal lobe

e. Insula

8. In the homunculus, which of the following has the largest representation?

a. Stomach

b. Genital

c. Back of the chest

d. Fingers

e. Armpit

9. Motor fibre of muscle spindle is classified as

A. Aα fibre

B. Aβ fibres

C. Aγ fibres

d. B motor fibres

e. C fibres

10. Lower motor neuron fibre of skeletal muscle is classified as

A. Aα fibre

B. Aβ fibres
 C. Aγ fibres

d. B motor fibres

e. C fibres

11. Sensory fibres carrying pain and temperature modality is classified as

A. Aα fibre

B. Aβ fibres

C. Aγ fibres

d. B motor fibres

e. C fibres

12. The corticospinal tracts decussate at the lower boarder of medulla called

a. Pyramid

b. Red nucleus

c. Reticular nuclei

d. Vestibular nuclei

e. Restiform body

13. Reflex action

a. No contribution from the brain

b. Voluntary

c. Does not involve spinal cord

d. Use for only withdrawal activity

e. Effectors are not involved

14. Continuous stretching of skeletal muscle results in

a. Activation of intrafusal muscles

b. Impulses sent through spindle afferents

c. Activation of motor nerve innervating that muscle

d. Contraction of the muscle being stretched

e. All of the above

1. Answer the following questions briefly:
a) Draw a labeled diagram of a compound action potential of a mixed nerve.
b) State the relationship between the sizes of neurons and the characteristics of their
action potentials.
c) Explain the physiological and clinical importance of the neuronal size-potential
relationship in (b).
2. Write short notes on pain physiology on the following headlines:
a) Definition of pain
b) Stimulus of pain
c) Pain receptors
d) Transmission of pain signals
e) Pain reception
f) Modulation of pain
g) Why is it almost impossible to sleep when there is severe pain?
3. Give reasons why adequate blood flow to the brain is essential for its normal functions
4. Answer the following questions briefly:
a) What are upper motor and lower motor neurons?
b) State the clinical features of lesions to upper and lower motor neurons
c) State the functions of motor areas of the brain in execution of motor functions.
5. State the functions of the hypothalamus
6. State the functions of motor areas of the brain.
Check list
1. B
2. B
3. B
4. D
5. B
6. E
7. C
8. C
9. D
10. C
11. C
12. A
13. C
14. B
15. B
16. C
17. A
18. B
19. E
20. B
21. E
22. E
23. E
24. D
25. E
26. E
27. B
28. B
29. B
30. A
31. D
32. A
33. D
34. B
35. A
36. C
37. A
38. B
39. B
40. B
41. D
42. B
43. E
44. E
45. C
46. A
47. D
48. E
49. A
50. A