UNDERSTANDING PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
CHAPTER 14 EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 2026 VERIFIED.
What are the two divisions of the nervous system? - ANS Structural (CNS and PNS) and
functional (SNS and ANS)
Where is the CNS contained? - ANS Within the brain and spinal cord
What is the PNS composed of? - ANS cranial and spinal nerves (those innervating the
muscles, organ, skin etc)
Spinal nerves that carry impulses toward the CNS are called - ANS afferent - sensory
Spinal nerves that carry impulses away from the CNS are called - ANS efferent - motor
What constitutes nervous tissue? - ANS the neuron and neuroglial cells (nonnerve cells)
Neuron - ANS a specialized cell transmitting nerve impulses; a nerve cell
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 1 OF 23
,neuroglial cell - ANS Specialized cell of the nervous system that produces myelin,
communicates between cells, and maintains the ionic environment; provides supportive and
maintenance functions
What is the neuron composed of? - ANS dendrites, cell body, axon
What does the myelin sheath do? - ANS covers the axon of some neurons and helps speed
neural impulses
T/F The neuron is further divided into unipolar, pseudounipolar, bipolar, and multipolar
categories, according to its structure and particular mechanics of impulse transmission -
ANS True
The region between adjacent neurons - ANS synapse
the region between the neuron and muscle - ANS neuromuscular junction
neurotransmitters are responsible for - ANS chemical conduction across the synapse
T/F The nerve impulse is regulated predominantly by a balance of inhibitory postsynaptic
potentials (IPSPs) and excitatory postsynanptic potentials (ESPSs), temporal and spatial
summation, and convergence and divergence - ANS True
What is the largest part of the brain that contains gray matter and white matter? - ANS The
cerebrum
Cerebral cortex - ANS outer region of the cerebrum, containing sheets of nerve cells; gray
matter of the brain; composed mostly of cell bodies
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, The brain is divided into what three regions? - ANS forebrain, hindbrain, and midbrain
Forebrain - ANS The largest and most complicated region of the brain, including the
thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system, and cerebrum; includes the telencephalon (the two
cerebral hemispheres) and allows conscious perception of internal and external stimuli, thought
and memory processes, and voluntary control of skeletal muscles. The deep portion of the
forebrain is termed the diencephalon and processes incoming sensory data. The center for
voluntary control of skeletal muscle movements is located along the precentral gyrus in the
frontal lobe, whereas the center for perception is along the postcentral gyrus in the parietal
lobe. The Broca area (inferior frontal gyrus - motor function) and the Wernicke area (superior
temporal gyrus - sensory function) are major speech centers.
Midbrain - ANS A small part of the brain above the pons that integrates sensory information
and relays it upward; center for auditory and visual reflexes
Hindbrain - ANS An area of the brain that coordinates information coming into and out of the
spinal cord; allows sampling and comparison of sensory data, which are received from the
periphery and motor impulses of the cerebral hemispheres, for the purpose of coordination and
refinement of skeletal muscle movement.
The spinal cord contains most of the nerve fibers that connect the brain with the ____________
- ANS periphery
Corticospinal tracts - ANS carry signals from cerebral cortex for precise, finely coordinated
movements
Rubrospinal and reticulospinal tracts - ANS descending extrapyramidal tracts that coordinate
movement
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 3 OF 23
CHAPTER 14 EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 2026 VERIFIED.
What are the two divisions of the nervous system? - ANS Structural (CNS and PNS) and
functional (SNS and ANS)
Where is the CNS contained? - ANS Within the brain and spinal cord
What is the PNS composed of? - ANS cranial and spinal nerves (those innervating the
muscles, organ, skin etc)
Spinal nerves that carry impulses toward the CNS are called - ANS afferent - sensory
Spinal nerves that carry impulses away from the CNS are called - ANS efferent - motor
What constitutes nervous tissue? - ANS the neuron and neuroglial cells (nonnerve cells)
Neuron - ANS a specialized cell transmitting nerve impulses; a nerve cell
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 1 OF 23
,neuroglial cell - ANS Specialized cell of the nervous system that produces myelin,
communicates between cells, and maintains the ionic environment; provides supportive and
maintenance functions
What is the neuron composed of? - ANS dendrites, cell body, axon
What does the myelin sheath do? - ANS covers the axon of some neurons and helps speed
neural impulses
T/F The neuron is further divided into unipolar, pseudounipolar, bipolar, and multipolar
categories, according to its structure and particular mechanics of impulse transmission -
ANS True
The region between adjacent neurons - ANS synapse
the region between the neuron and muscle - ANS neuromuscular junction
neurotransmitters are responsible for - ANS chemical conduction across the synapse
T/F The nerve impulse is regulated predominantly by a balance of inhibitory postsynaptic
potentials (IPSPs) and excitatory postsynanptic potentials (ESPSs), temporal and spatial
summation, and convergence and divergence - ANS True
What is the largest part of the brain that contains gray matter and white matter? - ANS The
cerebrum
Cerebral cortex - ANS outer region of the cerebrum, containing sheets of nerve cells; gray
matter of the brain; composed mostly of cell bodies
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 2 OF 23
, The brain is divided into what three regions? - ANS forebrain, hindbrain, and midbrain
Forebrain - ANS The largest and most complicated region of the brain, including the
thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system, and cerebrum; includes the telencephalon (the two
cerebral hemispheres) and allows conscious perception of internal and external stimuli, thought
and memory processes, and voluntary control of skeletal muscles. The deep portion of the
forebrain is termed the diencephalon and processes incoming sensory data. The center for
voluntary control of skeletal muscle movements is located along the precentral gyrus in the
frontal lobe, whereas the center for perception is along the postcentral gyrus in the parietal
lobe. The Broca area (inferior frontal gyrus - motor function) and the Wernicke area (superior
temporal gyrus - sensory function) are major speech centers.
Midbrain - ANS A small part of the brain above the pons that integrates sensory information
and relays it upward; center for auditory and visual reflexes
Hindbrain - ANS An area of the brain that coordinates information coming into and out of the
spinal cord; allows sampling and comparison of sensory data, which are received from the
periphery and motor impulses of the cerebral hemispheres, for the purpose of coordination and
refinement of skeletal muscle movement.
The spinal cord contains most of the nerve fibers that connect the brain with the ____________
- ANS periphery
Corticospinal tracts - ANS carry signals from cerebral cortex for precise, finely coordinated
movements
Rubrospinal and reticulospinal tracts - ANS descending extrapyramidal tracts that coordinate
movement
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 3 OF 23
