NEW
Font size
WorksheetsFunctions of the Nervous System
Total questions: 39
Worksheet time: 20mins
After eating a meal, your stomach stretches and sends signals to your brain. The brain responds by slowing down movement and initiating digestion. What two systems are mainly working together here?
Nervous and skeletal
Nervous and muscular
Nervous and digestive
Nervous and integumentary
A student notices their heart rate increases when they’re nervous before a presentation. Which systems are interacting in this response?
Muscular and skeletal
Nervous and circulatory
Respiratory and integumentary
Excretory and digestive
During exercise, the nervous system helps regulate breathing rate and posture. Which two systems are being regulated directly?
Respiratory and skeletal
Respiratory and muscular
Muscular and circulatory
Endocrine and digestive
The nervous system detects a sudden change in blood pressure and signals the blood vessels to dilate. This is an example of interaction between:
Nervous and excretory systems
Nervous and circulatory systems
Nervous and digestive systems
Nervous and skeletal systems
Why is the nervous system critical in maintaining homeostasis?
It transports hormones throughout the body.
It provides nutrients to cells.
It detects changes and coordinates appropriate responses.
It delivers oxygen to tissues.
A person touches a hot stove and quickly pulls their hand away. What body systems are interacting here?
Nervous and endocrine
Nervous and skeletal
Nervous and muscular
Nervous and circulatory
The hypothalamus helps regulate body temperature by triggering sweating or shivering. Which system works directly with the nervous system here?
Circulatory
Digestive
Muscular
Integumentary
When someone experiences dehydration, the brain sends a signal to increase thirst. This is an example of:
Circulatory system control
Voluntary behavior
Sensory system error
Nervous system maintaining internal balance
A person sees a ball flying toward them and catches it. Which best describes this process?
Only the muscular system is used.
Only the sensory receptors respond.
The brain interprets sensory input and triggers a motor response.
Reflex behavior is executed without brain involvement.
During digestion, which role does the nervous system play?
Breaking down nutrients
Absorbing food in the intestines
Controlling the movement of food through peristalsis
Secreting bile from the liver
A scientist observes a cell that transmits electrical impulses and has long extensions. It has a cell body, dendrites, and a long axon. What kind of cell is being observed?
Glial cell
Red blood cell
Neuron
Epithelial cell
Which part of the neuron receives signals from other neurons or stimuli?
Axon
Dendrite
Synaptic terminal
Myelin sheath
A patient has trouble transmitting nerve signals efficiently. Upon investigation, the problem lies in the insulation of the nerve. What structure is most likely damaged?
Dendrites
Axon terminals
Myelin sheath
Soma
The axon of a neuron primarily functions to:
Generate neurotransmitters
Transmit signals to the next cell
Receive information from stimuli
Interpret sensory signals
In a reflex arc, which part of the neuron is responsible for sending the signal from the spinal cord to the muscle?
Sensory neuron dendrite
Interneuron axon
Motor neuron axon
Receptor cell
Which of the following best explains how the structure of a neuron supports its function?
The smooth, flat shape allows for easy stacking.
The large number of dendrites increases its ability to receive multiple inputs.
The myelin sheath produces electrical signals.
The synaptic knob stores genetic material.
A toxin blocks the function of synaptic terminals. What will most likely happen?
The neuron will not receive signals.
The neuron will not send signals.
The neuron will fire continuously.
The axon will stop growing.
A neuron without dendrites would have trouble:
Sending signals to other neurons
Insulating its axon
Receiving input from surrounding cells
Producing electrical impulses
The nucleus of a neuron is located in the:
Dendrite
Axon
Axon terminal
Soma
Which description best illustrates the importance of the neuron’s structure?
It floats freely in the bloodstream to deliver oxygen.
Its long axon allows fast transmission over distances, while dendrites allow wide reception of information.
Its flat body helps absorb nutrients.
It grows and divides rapidly for tissue repair.
While studying spinal reflexes, a student observes a cell that connects a sensory neuron to a motor neuron. What type of neuron is this?
Sensory neuron
Motor neuron
Interneuron
Glial cell
Which type of neuron is responsible for detecting a hot surface and sending the signal to the spinal cord?
Interneuron
Motor neuron
Sensory neuron
Glial cell
What is the primary function of glial cells in the nervous system?
Conducting impulses
Transmitting stimuli from receptors
Supporting, nourishing, and protecting neurons
Initiating muscle contractions
A person cannot move their arm after a spinal injury, but sensation remains. What neuron type is most likely damaged?
Interneuron
Glial cell
Sensory neuron
Motor neuron
What distinguishes glial cells from neurons in terms of structure and function?
Glial cells have long axons for impulse transmission
Glial cells cannot divide, unlike neurons
Glial cells support neurons, while neurons transmit impulses
Glial cells are responsible for reflexes
Which cell type forms the myelin sheath around axons in the central nervous system?
Schwann cells
Astrocytes
Oligodendrocytes
Microglia
During an experiment, electrical impulses are recorded in a cell that also releases neurotransmitters. This cell is most likely a:
Sensory neuron
Glial cell
Epithelial cell
Astrocyte
Which of the following neurons transmits signals from the central nervous system to effectors such as muscles or glands?
Sensory neuron
Interneuron
Motor neuron
Schwann cell
Which glial cell type acts as the immune defense in the central nervous system?
Astrocyte
Microglia
Ependymal cell
Oligodendrocyte
A person with multiple sclerosis shows deterioration in nerve signal speed. Which glial cell is most likely affected?
Microglia
Astrocyte
Oligodendrocyte
Ependymal cell
During depolarization, which of the following events occurs in the axon membrane?
Potassium ions rush into the cell
Sodium ions rush into the cell
Calcium ions bind to neurotransmitters
Sodium-potassium pump becomes inactive
A student blocks sodium channels in a neuron. Which part of the action potential would be disrupted?
Repolarization
Hyperpolarization
Depolarization
Resting potential restoration
Which of the following best explains repolarization in a neuron?
Sodium ions flow in, making the cell more positive
Potassium ions flow out, restoring negative charge
Calcium channels open to remove excess ions
The neuron remains depolarized permanently
A medication enhances calcium influx in the axon terminal. What immediate effect would this have at the synapse?
Inhibits neurotransmitter release
Prevents synaptic transmission
Increases neurotransmitter release into the synaptic cleft
Blocks depolarization of the postsynaptic membrane
Which of the following represents the correct sequence of events during an action potential?
Resting potential → Depolarization → Repolarization → Hyperpolarization → Resting
Resting → Repolarization → Depolarization → Resting
Depolarization → Hyperpolarization → Repolarization
Hyperpolarization → Depolarization → Resting
A student models synaptic transmission and forgets to include vesicle fusion. Which step of transmission is missing?
Reuptake of neurotransmitters
Release of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft
Binding of neurotransmitters to receptors
Degradation of neurotransmitters
Which of the following occurs when neurotransmitters bind to receptors on the postsynaptic membrane?
A new action potential is immediately generated without any ion flow
Ions flow across the membrane, possibly triggering an action potential
Synaptic vesicles fuse with the postsynaptic cell
The neuron is permanently depolarized
If reuptake transporters in a synapse are blocked, what would happen?
Neurotransmitters would accumulate in the synaptic cleft
Action potentials would be blocked
Vesicles could not be reused
Ion channels would permanently close
What happens to the membrane potential during the refractory period?
It remains at threshold
It becomes even more positive
It becomes temporarily more negative than the resting state
It returns to normal immediately
