Question 1

Neurons in each half of the cerebellum synapse on targets in the thalamus and other subcortical structures, and therefore regulate the effectors on the side of the body.

Accepted Answer

A)  ipsilateral ; ipsilateral 
B)  ipsilateral ; contralateral 
C)  contralateral ; ipsilateral 
D)  contralateral ; contralateral

Question 2

The supplementary motor area SMA) is particularly active during externally guided movements.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Franz and colleagues 1996) asked a patient who had had his corpus callosum surgically severed to draw figures like the ones here, each simultaneously with a different hand.  Compared to neurologically intact control participants, they found that this patient

Accepted Answer

A)  was better at producing movements simultaneously with both hands, even when they differed in direction. 
B)  was selectively impaired when simultaneously producing movements with each hand when they differed in direction. 
C)  performed poorly and was especially impaired when the figures closely resembled each other. 
D)  was better at producing movements simultaneously with both hands only when they differed in direction.

Question 4

Which of the following statements best describes the population vector associated with a reaching movement from left to right?

Accepted Answer

A)  The population vector shifts from right to left only while the arm is actually moving. 
B)  The population vector shifts from left to right only after the arm has moved and stopped. 
C)  The population vector shifts from left to right only while the arm is actually moving. 
D)  The population vector shifts from left to right before the arm begins to move.

Question 5

Hemiplegia is the

Accepted Answer

A)  paralysis of the side of the body that is contralateral to the injured brain region. 
B)  paralysis of the side of the body that is ipsilateral to the injured brain region. 
C)  loss of sensory feedback from the side of the body that is contralateral to the injured brain region. 
D)  loss of sensory feedback from the side of the body that is ipsilateral to the injured brain region.

Question 6

A patient has damage to the basal ganglia, particularly within the striatum, and demonstrates both chorea and hyperkinesia. What is your diagnosis?

Accepted Answer

A)  Parkinson's disease 
B)  Huntington's disease 
C)  hypermetria 
D)  bradykinesia

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a part of the basal ganglia?

Accepted Answer

A)  the putamen 
B)  the claustrum 
C)  the caudate 
D)  the globus pallidus

Question 8

The fact that the population vector recorded in the motor cortex precedes the corresponding reaching movement indicates that motor cortex activity

Accepted Answer

A)  is primarily involved in the planning of movement. 
B)  is independent of voluntary movement. 
C)  automatically leads to movement. 
D)  is related to the movement of specific muscle groups.

Question 9

When you first learn how to execute the complex motor sequence that comprises a slam dunk in basketball, a circuit including the is active. After much practice, once you have learned the sequence well, a second circuit involving the is active.

Accepted Answer

A)  parietal cortex ; lateral premotor area 
B)  lateral premotor area ; supplementary motor area 
C)  supplementary motor area ; parietal cortex 
D)  basal ganglia ; parietal cortex

Question 10

Single-cell recording studies have indicated that the may be especially important in the control of internally guided motor sequences, whereas the may be especially important in the control of externally guided motor sequences.

Accepted Answer

A)  supplementary motor cortex ; premotor cortex 
B)  premotor cortex ; supplementary motor cortex 
C)  basal ganglia ; cerebellum 
D)  cerebellum ; basal ganglia

Question 11

Neurons in the spinal cord that can mediate sequences of motor actions even in the absence of external sensory feedback signals are called

Accepted Answer

A)  proximal effectors. 
B)  central pattern generators. 
C)  alpha motor neurons. 
D)  ventral root neurons.

Question 12

In performing a sequence of complex actions, such as playing the piano, each movement is planned primarily in relation to the immediately preceding and subsequent movements.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

In the days following her stroke, Patient E cannot refrain from reaching out and grasping nearby objects even when she has been asked not to do so. This syndrome probably is the result of the abnormal dominance of the

Accepted Answer

A)  lateral supplementary motor area loop. 
B)  lateral premotor loop. 
C)  medial supplementary motor area loop. 
D)  medial premotor loop.

Question 14

Single-cell recording studies of the motor control of reaching movements have demonstrated that neurons in the motor cortex are selectively active based on the

Accepted Answer

A)  distance through which a reaching movement must pass. 
B)  direction in which a reaching movement is generated. 
C)  speed at which a reaching movement is performed. 
D)  final arm position achieved once a reaching movement is completed.

Question 15

Using single-cell recording, a researcher isolates a neuron in the motor cortex of a monkey that is extremely active when the monkey moves its arm from left to right. In subsequent trials, the animal is required to move its arm from the starting to the ending locations diagrammed here.  Which, if any, of these additional trials will also increase activity in this neuron?

Accepted Answer

A)  C only 
B)  A and B 
C)  A, B, and D 
D)  D only

Question 16

The two general subtypes of apraxia are

Accepted Answer

A)  ideomotor and ideational. 
B)  ideational and associative. 
C)  associative and apperceptive. 
D)  apperceptive and ideomotor.

Question 17

Which of the following types of motor behavior probably relies the most on the function of a central pattern generator?

Accepted Answer

A)  walking 
B)  speaking 
C)  drawing 
D)  juggling

Question 18

Alpha motor neurons in the spinal cord communicate with muscle fibers by releasing acetylcholine, which influences muscle activity by

Accepted Answer

A)  depolarizing neurons in the peripheral nervous system. 
B)  directly causing muscle contractions. 
C)  hyperpolarizing peripheral motor neurons. 
D)  inhibiting neurons in the dorsal root of the spinal cord.

Question 19

The neurotransmitter responsible for translating action potentials into mechanical actions at muscles is

Accepted Answer

A)  norepinephrine. 
B)  dopamine. 
C)  acetylcholine. 
D)  serotonin.

Question 20

seems) particularly important in the control and planning of complex motor sequences as opposed to simple movements.

Accepted Answer

A)  The primary motor cortex 
B)  The primary somatosensory cortex 
C)  The motor cortex regions in the prefrontal lobes 
D)  The motor cortex regions in the parietal lobes

Exam 8: Action