The Nervous System and the Identification and Consequences of Damage | OCR A-Level Biology B (Advancing Biology) (H422)
The Nervous System and the Identification and Consequences of Damage
- 122 questions
- 8 subtopics
- Further biology content, examined on all three papers
- Component 01, Component 02 and Component 03
The Nervous System and the Identification and Consequences of Damage is examined in all three written papers — the specification states that Components 01, 02 and 03 can each assess content from any of the five modules, so nothing is confined to one paper.
It covers organisation of the nervous system and nervous tissue, the structure and function of the human brain, the structure of motor, sensory and relay neurones, resting potential and the action potential, synapses and the integration of responses, reflexes, reaction times and their investigation, brain scans and the consequences of nervous system damage and drugs, brain function and dependency.
Sample questions from The Nervous System and the Identification and Consequences of Damage
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Organisation of the nervous system and nervous tissue
How does the number of neurones between the central nervous system and the effector differ in somatic and autonomic pathways?
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A somatic pathway uses a single motor neurone running all the way from the central nervous system to the muscle, whereas an autonomic pathway uses two neurones with a synapse in a ganglion between them. -
The structure and function of the human brain
State the main function of the cerebellum.
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The cerebellum co-ordinates fine muscular movement, balance and posture, making movements smooth and accurate. -
The structure of motor, sensory and relay neurones
Where are relay neurones found, and how does their length compare with the other two types?
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Relay neurones lie entirely within the central nervous system and are short, with many short dendrites and a short axon. -
Resting potential and the action potential
To roughly what value does the membrane potential rise at the peak of an action potential?
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It rises to about +40 mV. -
Synapses and the integration of responses
What happens when acetylcholine binds to a receptor on the postsynaptic membrane?
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The receptor acts as a chemically gated channel that opens, allowing sodium ions into the postsynaptic neurone and depolarising it. -
Reflexes, reaction times and their investigation
What does a fixed, dilated pupil that does not respond to light suggest in a head injury patient?
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It suggests severe brain injury with raised pressure inside the skull compressing the nerve supply to the iris, and is a serious warning sign. -
Brain scans and the consequences of nervous system damage
What kind of information does a PET scan give that a CT scan does not?
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PET shows the metabolic activity of the tissue rather than only its structure, so an area of low glucose uptake can be identified even when the anatomy looks normal. -
Drugs, brain function and dependency
Explain why heroin produces intense pleasure as well as pain relief.
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As well as blocking pain pathways, it reduces the inhibition of the dopamine-secreting neurones of the reward pathway, so far more dopamine is released in the reward centre.
The 8 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Organisation of the nervous system and nervous tissue | Recall questions on the central and peripheral nervous systems, somatic and autonomic pathways, the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions and their neurotransmitters and effects, grey and white matter in the spinal cord, myelin, dorsal root ganglia, and calculating magnification. | 14 |
| The structure and function of the human brain | Recall questions on the cerebrum and cerebral cortex, the cerebellum and the effects of damaging it, the medulla oblongata and why damage there is fatal, the hypothalamus and its homeostatic roles, and the hormones of the posterior and anterior pituitary. | 14 |
| The structure of motor, sensory and relay neurones | Recall questions on dendrites, dendrons and axons, the structure of motor, sensory and relay neurones, organelles in the cell body, Schwann cells, myelin and nodes of Ranvier, the axon membrane, synaptic knobs, and what electron micrographs of neurones reveal. | 13 |
| Resting potential and the action potential | Recall questions on the resting potential of about −70 mV and the sodium-potassium pump, threshold, depolarisation as positive feedback, repolarisation and hyperpolarisation, the all-or-nothing principle, refractory periods, saltatory conduction along myelinated axons, and calculating conduction speed. | 15 |
| Synapses and the integration of responses | Recall questions on synaptic structure, calcium ions and neurotransmitter release, acetylcholine and acetylcholinesterase, one-way transmission, excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials, spatial and temporal summation, and divergence in integrating responses. | 14 |
| Reflexes, reaction times and their investigation | Recall questions on the reflex arc, reflexes and reactions, the blink, iris and plantar reflexes and the Babinski sign, measuring reaction time with a ruler drop test and its limits, and using Student's t-test with its degrees of freedom to compare groups. | 16 |
| Brain scans and the consequences of nervous system damage | Recall questions on CT, MRI, fMRI and PET scans and the EEG, ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke, damage to the hippocampus, Broca's area, Wernicke's area and the hypothalamus, spinal cord injuries, why central neurones do not regenerate, and diagnosing brain death and its ethics. | 18 |
| Drugs, brain function and dependency | Recall questions on Parkinson's disease and levodopa, the ways drugs alter synaptic transmission, how heroin, cannabis, methamphetamine and alcohol act at synapses, overdose, the dopamine reward pathway, tolerance, physical and psychological dependency, relapse, and the consequences of dependency. | 18 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
OCR A-Level Biology B (Advancing Biology) Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,895 questions with their answers.