Download Analyzed by Symptoms and history Diagnosis 1. Walking down a

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Symptoms and history
1. Walking down a dark New York street late at night you suddenly
feel the metal barrel of a pistol press against your head behind
your ear and hear the instructions “Don’t move a muscle while I
slip your wallet out of your pocket”. Unfortunately you do move,
the gun is fired and the bullet enters the brain. Breathing and
heart beat stop almost immediately. Where is the bullet?
2. “Little Mo” was extremely short for his age. His doctors
concluded the brain was not stimulating the proper release of
hormones necessary for growth. What area of the brain are they
probably focusing on?
Diagnosis
Medulla (in the brainstem)
3. You’re in the Dome parking lot at 2 AM when a guy in a hockey
mask holding a long-bladed knife jumps out at you. What system
of nerves would arouse your body to action? (be specific)
Sympathetic nervous system (a part
of the autonomic nervous system)
4. On Justin’s 21st birthday he & his buddies celebrated a bit too
much. When the police stopped his car Justin’s speech was
slurred, he couldn’t walk a straight line or balance on one foot. He
nearly missed his face altogether when asked to touch his nose
while his eyes were closed. The impaired functioning of what part
of Justin’s brain is responsible for these difficulties with motor
coordination and balance? Which neurotransmitter is being
stimulated?
5. Uncle Ed suffered a stroke which damaged a portion of his
cortex. He shows some weakness and partial paralysis of his right
leg. What area of his cortex was affected by the stroke? (be
specific)
Cerebellum, GABA
6. Paul suffered from encephalitis (a brain infection) while in
college. He received good medical attention but still the infection
took its toll on certain parts of his brain, so that now Paul cannot
store new long-term memories. What part of the brain did the
encephalitis damage?
Hippocampus (in the limbic system)
7. Leon’s car was broadsided by a semi causing Leon’s head to
smash against the driver’s side window damaging the area behind
his ear. He is unable to comprehend the meaning of others’
speech. What specific area was affected, and in which lobe is it
located?
Wernicke’s area in the temporal lobe
8. Jeff suffered serious injuries when his car crashed but he was
still able to crawl out of the car and pull his sister out as well.
Name three of the neurotransmitters that helped him function in
this situation and tell how.
Norepinephrine – fight or flight
Acetylcholine – muscle movement
Endorphins – pain relief
Pituitary gland (hypothalamus directs)
Left motor cortex in the frontal lobe
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9. Wayne has been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. What
neurotransmitter change seems to underlie schizophrenia? Is it
high or low?
Dopamine, high
10. Siggy the Rat had a stimulating electrode implanted in his
brain. Siggy presses a bar to activate that electrode-something he
would rather do than eat, sleep or have sex. Sometimes he
presses 7000 times/hr. What is Siggy’s electrode stimulating?
Hypothalamus (reward pathways)
11. Brett was a superior student and had a full scholarship, but
following a head injury he can no longer plan, organize or follow
through with tasks necessary for school. (In addition he no longer
shows concern for others or for common social courtesies. He’s
rude and disinhibited.) Where was his injury?
Frontal lobe/prefrontal cortex
12. Jan suffered a concussion in a car accident. Since that day she Hypothalamus
has notice a dramatic decrease in her sexual libido, a lack of
appetite and an absence of thirst. She never thinks of having a
drink until her lips actually dry and crack. What part of her brain
might have been affected by the car accident?
13. Philip is hooked on cocaine. What neurotransmitter seems
most closely related to the pleasure such drugs produce and their
addictive qualities?
Dopamine
16. Michael J. Fox has Parkinson’s disease, a motor disorder
related to the death of cells that produce ____________in a part
of the brain called the substantia nigra in the brainstem.
Dopamine
17. Gwen’s brain has a congenital anomaly (a difference in brain
anatomy that she was born with) - it lacks the main connection
between the right and left hemispheres. What was Gwen born
without?
Corpus callosum
18. Sara’s grandfather has developed Alzheimer’s disease. What
can you tell her about probable changes in his brain chemistry and
structure?
Acetylcholine
19. You’re taking a short cut thru a back yard to get to your car
Parasympathetic nervous system (a
and encounter two unrestrained Dobermans who begin pursuit.
component of the autonomic nervous
You run faster than you have ever run before, and dive into your
system)
car just in the nick of time. It takes 10 minutes for your pulse and
breathing to slow down to normal. What part of the nervous
system slows heart rate and breathing down to normal afterwards?
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20. Amy was having a really bad week. On Monday her vision got
blurrier and blurrier until she could no longer see at all. On
Tuesday she found she couldn’t hear. On Wednesday her sense of
taste went. On Thursday she lost her sense of touch. Her CAT
scan revealed a single brain tumor was probably producing all of
these deficits. What single part of the brain in involved in all of
these sensory processes?
Thalamus (the thenthory
thwithboard!)
21. Pete was struck by lightening when he insisted on finishing his
18 holes of golf despite the lightening packed thunderstorm. He
was looking down; lining up a long putt shot and the bolt of
lightening struck the rear of his head, frying his occipital lobes.
What aspect of behavior is likely to be impaired if Pete survives?
Vision
22. Dana is taking Prozac to help control her depression. Prozac
works by blocking the reuptake of what neurotransmitter? Is
Prozac an agonist or antagonist?
Serotonin/ agonist (because it
increases the amount of serotonin in
the synapse by preventing it from
going back to the vesicle)
23. Your grandfather is starting to show the hand tremors and
difficulty moving that are characteristic of Parkinson’s Disease, a
disorder that is caused by the death of neuron’s that would
normally produce _____________.
Dopamine
24. Margie suffered damage to part of the surface of her brain
after being struck by a golf club let loose by an irate golfer that
had just sliced a key drive. As a result Margie has loss some
sensory awareness of her left leg. Where is Margie’s brain
damage (be specific).
Sensory cortex, right hemisphere,
parietal lobe
25. Your grandmother has begun to lose her spatial abilities—she
gets lost in the neighborhood where she has spent her whole life,
she can no longer read a map, she can’t put dishes or clean
laundry away because she no longer knows where things go in her
home of 40 years. What part of the brain mediates these
perceptual/spatial abilities?
Right hemisphere
26. After falling through the ice on a local pond little Johnny was
trapped under the icy water for 10 minutes before the rescuers got
him out. They were able to resuscitate his pulse and breathing
but he did not regain consciousness for days. Disturbance of what
specific part of Johnny’s brain might have resulted in an inability of
the brain to regulate normal alertness?
Reticular formation
27. Jeanette suffers from focal epilepsy (seizures localized in just
one part of the brain). Her seizures are triggering extreme
emotions- most often extreme fear followed by a rage response.
What part of the brain is being affected?
Amygdala (in the limbic system)
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28. After Martin’s cerebrovascular accident he had difficulty saying
words. Where is Martin’s brain damage (the lobe and specific
area in that lobe)?
Broca’s area in the frontal lobe
29. Julissa Gomez, a young American gymnast, unsuccessfully
attempted a difficult vaulting move, and struck the back of her
head. Damage to the cord resulted in paralysis and damage to a
nearby region caused her to lapse into a coma. Where is the
damage that caused her coma?
Reticular formation (in the brainstem)
30. Albert had a virus that affected his brain. Ever since that time,
Albert has been unable to create new memories, although he
vividly remembers events that happened prior to the virus. What
area of the brain was damaged?
Hippocampus (in the limbic system)
31. Sheila is extremely anxious. She sweats, shakes, and always is
running to the bathroom. What part of the nervous system is
active, and what neurotransmitter is probably in low supply?
Sympathetic nervous system, GABA
32. Sammy shoots his mother when she drops a box on her foot
and says, “Shoot!” What part of his brain is not doing its job, and
what lobe is that part located in?
Angular gyrus in the parietal lobe
33. Marshall has had brain scans performed during sleep which
shows that his brain is receiving no stimulation during the dream
state. What kind of scan would be used? Which part of the brain is
inactive, and where is that part located?
EEG
Pons (in the brainstem)
34. Jillian is going to have brain surgery to remove a malignant
tumor. Prior to the surgery, the doctors want to map her speech
centers with a detailed scan. Which would be the most
appropriate?
PET (fMRI would not be as detailed
for specific function)
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The medulla—the bottom most part of the brainstem, takes care of life-sustaining reflexes like breathing and
heart rate.
“Little Mo”—the hypothalamus and its connection to the pituitary gland-insufficient growth hormone is being
released.
The sympathetic division-the sympathetic half of the autonomic nervous system in our “fight or flight” system
arousing the body (HR, BP, breathing) for action when necessary.
Justin—The cerebellum—the cerebellum functions like a motor computer taking care of the underlying details
of our movements- coordination, timing, targeting, balance. Oddly enough, it is often malformed in autism
as well.
Uncle Ed—the motor cortex—Ed’s stroke must have deprived the blood flow to the strip of motor cortex in the
frontal lobe of the left hemisphere.
Paul—Hippocampus—part of the limbic system called the hippocampus seems essential for our ability to store
new memories into their permanent, long-term form.
Leon—auditory cortex—the part of the cortex devoted to making sense of what we hear is in the temporal
lobe. The left temporal lobe is particularly important for comprehending speech—Wernicke” area.
Jeff—Endorphin—relieves his pain. NE—Norepinephrine—arouses the body in emergencies. Ach—carries
messages to the muscles
Wayne—excess response to Dopamine-DA
Siggy—the pleasure reward system in the limbic system.
Brett—Prefrontal cortex (frontal lobe) the front-most portion of the frontal lobe is involved in planning,
judgment, developing strategies, and inhibiting incorrect or appropriate responses.
Jan—the hypothalamus—just above the pituitary gland, the hypothalamus is critical for basic
behaviors/motivations like hunger, thirst, & sex.
Philip—Dopamine—seems to be the key transmitter of the pleasure system.
Grandma Mary—Broca’s Area—the part of the language system located in the frontal lobe (left hemisphere)
is most important for producing speech.
The suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus regulates our natural biorhythms.
Michael J. Fox—the substantia nigra of the midbrain.
Gwen—Corpus Callosum—the corpus callosum is a large cable of axons connecting the corresponding parts
of the right & left hemisphere.
Sara’s grandfather—Ach—Acetylcholine neurons have died off so there is less stimulation of his cortex.
The Parasympathetic nervous system—the parasympathetic half of the autonomic nervous system takes care
of normal body maintenance functions including slow normal breathing & heart rate.
Amy—the Thalamus—just above the hypothalamus is the thalamus, the brain area the relays all sensory
input except smell to the correct regions of the cortex. It also seems to play an important role in
maintaining conscious awareness.
Pete—Vision
Dana—Serotonin
Grandfather—Dopamine
Margie—Somatosensory Cortex—the front strip of the right parietal lobe processes general sensory input
from the left side of the body.
Grandmother—the right hemisphere—while the left hemisphere has better developed language areas, the
right hemisphere is most important for the multitude of situations where we use perceptual / spatial
information.
Little Johnny—the Reticular Formation—the reticular formation is a system of neurons running through the
brainstem that arouses the upper parts of the brain, regulating our normal waking consciousness.
Jeannette—the Limbic System—the limbic system structures, hidden under the cortex of our right & left
hemispheres, is best known for its control of emotion. Parts of it also play a role in memory. One part of
the limbic system-the Amygdala-seems particularly important for emotional reactions & memories.
Martin—Wernicke’s Area—in the left temporal lobe is critical to language comprehension.
Julissa—the reticular formation of the brainstem.
John—spinal cord injury
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