EPPP BIOLOGICAL BASES OF BEHAVIOR
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION TEST
2026 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
⩥ Damage to Broca's area produces what speech pattern? Answer:
Nonfluent, effortful speech with intact comprehension (Broca's aphasia).
⩥ What is the main function of the parasympathetic nervous system?
Answer: "Rest and digest" — conserves energy, slows heart rate,
promotes digestion.
⩥ Which neurotransmitter is central to reward and reinforcement?
Answer: Dopamine (mesolimbic pathway: VTA → nucleus accumbens).
⩥ Function of the corpus callosum? Answer: Connects cerebral
hemispheres for interhemispheric communication.
⩥ Which lobe supports executive functions? Answer: Frontal lobe —
planning, judgment, inhibition, working memory.
⩥ What is the brain's sensory relay (except smell)? Answer: Thalamus
— routes incoming sensory data to cortex.
, ⩥ Primary role of the limbic system? Answer: Emotion and memory
integration (amygdala + hippocampus).
⩥ Typical left-hemisphere specialization? Answer: Language and
analytic reasoning (vs. right: spatial, emotional).
⩥ Which brainstem structure regulates heart rate and respiration?
Answer: Medulla oblongata — vital autonomic functions.
⩥ Which structure coordinates balance and movement? Answer:
Cerebellum — smooth, coordinated motor control.
⩥ Neurotransmitter for mood, appetite, and sleep? Answer: Serotonin.
⩥ Which is not part of the brainstem? Answer: Thalamus (brainstem =
midbrain + pons + medulla).
⩥ What does the reticular activating system control? Answer: Arousal
and alertness.
⩥ Damage to the occipital lobe causes what? Answer: Cortical blindness
or visual deficits.
⩥ Which neuronal part receives input? Answer: Dendrites.
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION TEST
2026 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
⩥ Damage to Broca's area produces what speech pattern? Answer:
Nonfluent, effortful speech with intact comprehension (Broca's aphasia).
⩥ What is the main function of the parasympathetic nervous system?
Answer: "Rest and digest" — conserves energy, slows heart rate,
promotes digestion.
⩥ Which neurotransmitter is central to reward and reinforcement?
Answer: Dopamine (mesolimbic pathway: VTA → nucleus accumbens).
⩥ Function of the corpus callosum? Answer: Connects cerebral
hemispheres for interhemispheric communication.
⩥ Which lobe supports executive functions? Answer: Frontal lobe —
planning, judgment, inhibition, working memory.
⩥ What is the brain's sensory relay (except smell)? Answer: Thalamus
— routes incoming sensory data to cortex.
, ⩥ Primary role of the limbic system? Answer: Emotion and memory
integration (amygdala + hippocampus).
⩥ Typical left-hemisphere specialization? Answer: Language and
analytic reasoning (vs. right: spatial, emotional).
⩥ Which brainstem structure regulates heart rate and respiration?
Answer: Medulla oblongata — vital autonomic functions.
⩥ Which structure coordinates balance and movement? Answer:
Cerebellum — smooth, coordinated motor control.
⩥ Neurotransmitter for mood, appetite, and sleep? Answer: Serotonin.
⩥ Which is not part of the brainstem? Answer: Thalamus (brainstem =
midbrain + pons + medulla).
⩥ What does the reticular activating system control? Answer: Arousal
and alertness.
⩥ Damage to the occipital lobe causes what? Answer: Cortical blindness
or visual deficits.
⩥ Which neuronal part receives input? Answer: Dendrites.
