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NSC 302 - Exam 1 Questions and Correct
Answers
Anterior (rostral) Ans: front of brain
Posterior (caudal) Ans: toward the tail
Dorsal Ans: Top/up/back
Ventral Ans: Bottom/down/belly side
Lateral Ans: away from the midline
Medial Ans: toward the midline
4 elements of the CNS Ans: Cerebrum, cerebellum, brain stem,
spinal cord
Dorsal root spinal nerve Ans: Carries afferent (sensory) info into
the spinal cord
Ventral root spinal nerve Ans: Carries efferent (motor) information
from the spinal cord
Dorsal root ganglia Ans: clusters of sensory neuron cell bodies
outside the spinal cord
Are the dorsal root ganglia in the somatic or visceral peripheral
nervous system? Ans: Somatic
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Somatic PNS Ans: The part of the peripheral nervous system that
innervates the skin, joints, and skeletal muscles.
Visceral (autonomic) PNS Ans: Neurons which innervate the
internal organs, blood vessels, and glands; sympathetic division
prepares body for action; parasympathetic division prepares body
for rest.
Cranial nerves Ans: 12 nerves from brain stem, mostly innervate
the head, some from CNS and PNS
3 meninges (from dorsal to ventral) that surround the brain Ans:
Dura mater (hard), Arachnoid membrane, pia mater (soft)
ventricles of the brain Ans: canals and caverns in the brain that
contain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
Choroid plexus Ans: specialized tissue in ventricles that secretes
CSF
Where is CSF reabsorbed? Ans: Subarachnoid space or lymphatic
system
CLARITY Visualization Technique Ans: replace lipids in brain with
transparent liquid, allows view of non-lipid structures
CT (computed tomography) Ans: scan a series of X-ray
photographs taken from different angles and combined by
computer into a composite representation of a slice of the brain's
structure. Quick, cheap, easy. Does not provide detail
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) Ans: Measures how hydrogen
atoms respond to perturbations of strong magnetic field. Signals
© 2025 All rights reserved
NSC 302 - Exam 1 Questions and Correct
Answers
Anterior (rostral) Ans: front of brain
Posterior (caudal) Ans: toward the tail
Dorsal Ans: Top/up/back
Ventral Ans: Bottom/down/belly side
Lateral Ans: away from the midline
Medial Ans: toward the midline
4 elements of the CNS Ans: Cerebrum, cerebellum, brain stem,
spinal cord
Dorsal root spinal nerve Ans: Carries afferent (sensory) info into
the spinal cord
Ventral root spinal nerve Ans: Carries efferent (motor) information
from the spinal cord
Dorsal root ganglia Ans: clusters of sensory neuron cell bodies
outside the spinal cord
Are the dorsal root ganglia in the somatic or visceral peripheral
nervous system? Ans: Somatic
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 2 | Page
Somatic PNS Ans: The part of the peripheral nervous system that
innervates the skin, joints, and skeletal muscles.
Visceral (autonomic) PNS Ans: Neurons which innervate the
internal organs, blood vessels, and glands; sympathetic division
prepares body for action; parasympathetic division prepares body
for rest.
Cranial nerves Ans: 12 nerves from brain stem, mostly innervate
the head, some from CNS and PNS
3 meninges (from dorsal to ventral) that surround the brain Ans:
Dura mater (hard), Arachnoid membrane, pia mater (soft)
ventricles of the brain Ans: canals and caverns in the brain that
contain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
Choroid plexus Ans: specialized tissue in ventricles that secretes
CSF
Where is CSF reabsorbed? Ans: Subarachnoid space or lymphatic
system
CLARITY Visualization Technique Ans: replace lipids in brain with
transparent liquid, allows view of non-lipid structures
CT (computed tomography) Ans: scan a series of X-ray
photographs taken from different angles and combined by
computer into a composite representation of a slice of the brain's
structure. Quick, cheap, easy. Does not provide detail
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) Ans: Measures how hydrogen
atoms respond to perturbations of strong magnetic field. Signals
© 2025 All rights reserved
