6-LS3-2 Review

Arjun was in a severe car accident. Why might he have a limb amputated? Select all that apply.

• The limb cannot recover from an infection.

• After an accident, the limb is too badly injured to heal.

• The limb has healed from a serious disease.

Answer explanation

A limb may be amputated if it cannot recover from an infection or if it is too badly injured to heal after an accident. Healing from a serious disease does not typically necessitate amputation.

Which statement best summarizes the service member's experience?

• He felt heaviness and tightness in his legs and feet after he had both legs amputated.

• His legs were hard to lift and his boots did not fit well after he was injured in the war.

• He wore combat boots that were too tight, which injured his legs.

Answer explanation

The correct choice highlights the service member's experience of feeling heaviness and tightness in his legs and feet after both legs were amputated, accurately reflecting the physical and emotional impact of his injuries.

Jackson recently had his leg amputated due to an accident. He often feels pain in his missing leg. Think about how the term phantom pain is used in this scenario. What is phantom pain?

• pain that is caused by the spirit of a missing body part

• pain that doctors can treat by amputating an injured body part

• pain that feels as if it is coming from a body part that has been removed.

Answer explanation

Phantom pain refers to the sensation of pain that feels as if it is coming from a body part that has been removed. This aligns with the correct choice, distinguishing it from misconceptions about its causes or treatments.

When Isla stubbed her toe, the sensation of pain was produced by tissue damage triggering an inflammatory response that activated pain receptors, sending signals to the brain.

• Tissue damage → Inflammatory response → Nerve stimulation

• Inflammatory response → Tissue damage → Nerve stimulation

• Nerve stimulation → Tissue damage → Inflammatory response

• Tissue repair → Nerve suppression → Decline in sensation

Answer explanation

The correct sequence is tissue damage triggering an inflammatory response, which then activates nerve receptors. This leads to the sensation of pain, making 'Tissue damage → Inflammatory response → Nerve stimulation' the right choice.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS1-3

Michael, a scientist, is studying phantom pain, which can occur even when atypical signals from the peripheral nervous system are blocked. So, many scientists, including Michael, think that the central nervous system can contribute to phantom pain. Which step would best help Michael understand how the central nervous system contributes to phantom pain?

• Michael could examine the brains only of patients who have not had phantom pain after an amputation.

• Michael could study the sensory nerves of patients after they have a limb amputated.

• Michael could look for differences in the brains of patients before and after they have amputations.

Answer explanation

Scientists could look for differences in the brains of patients before and after amputations to identify changes that may contribute to phantom pain, highlighting the central nervous system's role.

After Elijah's foot amputation, the somatosensory cortex of that person might undergo which change?

• It remains completely unchanged.

• It shows a decrease in overall activity.

• It undergoes reorganization with expansion of adjacent areas such as the face representation.

• It ceases to function entirely.

Answer explanation

After a foot amputation, the somatosensory cortex reorganizes, leading to the expansion of adjacent areas, such as the face representation, to compensate for the loss of sensory input from the amputated limb.

Select the sentence in the text below that provides the best evidence that changes in the somatosensory cortex may cause phantom pain.

Answer explanation

The correct choice likely describes how alterations in the somatosensory cortex can lead to misinterpretations of sensory signals, resulting in the experience of phantom pain, thus providing direct evidence of the connection.