Human Brain Trivia Quiz Questions and Answers
The human brain has the same general structure as the
brains of other mammals, but has a more developed "what" than any other?
A: cerebral cortex.
The human cerebral cortex is a thick layer of neural tissue
that covers what?
A: Most of the brain.
This layer is folded in a way that increases the amount of
surface that can what?
A: Fit into the volume available.
The pattern of folds is similar across individuals,
although there are what?
A: Many small variations.
The cortex is divided into four what?
A: "lobes".
What are the names of the lobes?
A: They are called the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, and occipital
lobe.
Within each lobe are numerous cortical areas, each
associated with what?
A: A particular function, including vision, motor control, and language.
The left and right sides of the cortex are broadly similar
in shape, and most cortical areas are what?
A: Replicated on both sides.
Some areas, though, show strong lateralization,
particularly areas that are involved in what?
A: Language.
In most people, the left hemisphere is "dominant" for what?
A: Language, with the right hemisphere playing only a minor role.
What are the most common forms of physical damage to the
brain?
A: Closed head injuries such as a blow to the head, a
stroke, or
poisoning by a
variety of chemicals that can act as neurotoxins.
Infection of the brain, though serious, is rare due to
what?
A: The biological barriers that protect it.
The human brain is also susceptible to degenerative
disorders, such as what?
A: Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease.
A number of psychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia
and depression, are thought to be associated with what?
A: Brain dysfunctions, although the nature of such brain anomalies is not well
understood.
The brain can also be the site of brain tumors and these
neoplasms can be what?
A: Benign or malignant.
On average, how much does an adult human brain weigh?
A: About 1.5 kg (3.3 lb).
The average brain has a volume of around 1130 cubic
centimetres (cm3) in women and how much in men?
A: About 1260 cm3 in men.
Neurological differences between the sexes have not been
shown to correlate in any simple way with what?
A: IQ or other measures of cognitive performance.
The human brain is composed of what three things?
A: Neurons, glial cells, and
blood vessels.
The number of neurons, according to array tomography, has
been shown to be about how many?
A: 86 billion.
The cerebral hemispheres (the cerebrum) form the what?
A: The largest part of the human brain.
They are covered with a cortical layer which has what type
of topography?
A: Convoluted.
What lies underneath the cerebrum?
A: The brainstem, resembling a stalk on which the cerebrum is attached.
At the rear of the brain, beneath the cerebrum and behind
the brainstem, is the what?
A: Cerebellum.
The cerebellum has a horizontally furrowed surface, the
cerebellar cortex, that makes it look what?
A: Different from any other brain area.
The living brain is very soft, having a consistency similar
to what?
A: Soft gelatin or soft tofu.
Although referred to as grey matter, the live cortex is
what color?
A: Pinkish-beige in color and slightly off-white in the interior.
The human brain has many properties that are common to all
vertebrate brains, including a basic division into what three parts?
A: The forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain.
As a hominid brain, the human brain is substantially
enlarged even in comparison to what?
A: The brain of a typical monkey.
The sequence of evolution from Australopithecus (four
million years ago) to Homosapiens (modern man) was marked by a steady increase
in what?
A: Brain size, particularly in the frontal lobes, which are associated with a
variety of high-level cognitive functions.
The dominant feature of the human brain is what?
A: Corticalization.
The cerebral cortex in humans is so large that it
overshadows what?
A: Every other part of the brain.
The cerebral cortex is essentially a sheet of neural
tissue, folded in a way that allows what?
A: A large surface area to fit within the confines of the skull.
When unfolded, each cerebral hemisphere has a total surface
area of about how many square feet?
A: 1.3 square feet.
The cerebral cortex is nearly symmetrical with left and
right hemispheres that are approximate what?
A: Mirror images of each other.
Each hemisphere is conventionally divided into what four
"lobes"?
A: The frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, and temporal lobe.
The lobes are named after what?
A: The bones of the skull that overlie them.
