General Neuroanatomy in Human Anatomy MCQ Questions and Answers

1. The largest commissural fiber bundle connecting the two cerebral hemispheres is the:
A) Anterior commissure
B) Fornix
C) Corpus callosum
D) Posterior commissure
Answer: C

2. The principal relay station for most sensory information traveling to the cerebral cortex is the:
A) Hypothalamus
B) Thalamus
C) Midbrain tectum
D) Medulla oblongata
Answer: B

3. The primary somatosensory cortex is located in the:
A) Superior frontal gyrus
B) Postcentral gyrus
C) Precentral gyrus
D) Superior temporal gyrus
Answer: B

4. Large pyramidal neurons (Betz cells) are found in which cortical layer?
A) I (molecular)
B) II (external granular)
C) V (internal pyramidal)
D) VI (multiform)
Answer: C

5. The main output pathway from the cerebellar cortex to deep cerebellar nuclei runs through which cells?
A) Granule cells
B) Purkinje cells
C) Mossy fibers
D) Climbing fibers
Answer: B

6. The corticospinal tract predominantly decussates at the:
A) Level of the pons
B) Midbrain tegmentum
C) Caudal medulla (pyramidal decussation)
D) Cervical spinal cord
Answer: C

7. Which cranial nerve carries afferent limbs of the corneal reflex?
A) Facial (VII)
B) Oculomotor (III)
C) Trigeminal (V1)
D) Abducent (VI)
Answer: C

8. The inferior colliculus is mainly involved in:
A) Visual reflexes
B) Auditory processing and reflexes
C) Olfactory integration
D) Somatic motor planning
Answer: B

9. Which artery supplies the medial aspect of the cerebral hemisphere including the paracentral lobule?
A) Middle cerebral artery
B) Posterior cerebral artery
C) Anterior cerebral artery
D) Superior cerebellar artery
Answer: C

10. The primary auditory cortex lies on the:
A) Inferior frontal gyrus
B) Superior temporal gyrus (lateral surface)
C) Transverse temporal gyrus (Heschl’s gyrus)
D) Superior parietal lobule
Answer: C

11. CSF is reabsorbed into the venous system mainly via:
A) Choroid plexus
B) Dural venous sinuses through arachnoid villi
C) Arachnoid granulations into dural venous sinuses
D) Lymphatics of the scalp
Answer: C

12. The corticobulbar tract primarily supplies motor nuclei of cranial nerves for:
A) Autonomic control only
B) Voluntary control of head and neck muscles
C) Sympathetic outflow to face
D) Fine sensory discrimination
Answer: B

13. The VPL nucleus of the thalamus receives input from:
A) Optic tract
B) Dorsal columns and spinothalamic tracts (body)
C) Trigeminal pathways (face)
D) Auditory pathways
Answer: B

14. The layer of meninges firmly adherent to the inner skull surface is the:
A) Arachnoid mater
B) Dura mater (periosteal layer)
C) Pia mater
D) Subarachnoid membrane
Answer: B

15. The structure connecting the lateral ventricles to the third ventricle is the:
A) Aqueduct of Sylvius
B) Foramen of Magendie
C) Interventricular foramen (of Monro)
D) Foramen of Luschka
Answer: C

16. The nucleus ambiguus contains motor neurons for which cranial nerves?
A) V and VII
B) IX and X
C) VII and VIII
D) III and IV
Answer: B

17. Which tract mediates conscious proprioception and vibration sense from the lower limb?
A) Spinothalamic tract
B) Dorsal column – fasciculus gracilis → medial lemniscus
C) Lateral corticospinal tract
D) Spinocerebellar tract
Answer: B

18. Major input to the cerebellum from the cerebral cortex is relayed via:
A) Inferior olive
B) Pontine nuclei → middle cerebellar peduncle
C) Vestibular nuclei
D) Red nucleus
Answer: B

19. The nucleus that regulates circadian rhythm is the:
A) Arcuate nucleus
B) Ventromedial nucleus
C) Suprachiasmatic nucleus
D) Paraventricular nucleus
Answer: C

20. The primary motor cortex is in the:
A) Postcentral gyrus
B) Superior parietal lobule
C) Precentral gyrus
D) Insula
Answer: C

21. The somatotopic organization of the motor cortex is known as the:
A) Penfield map
B) Motor homunculus
C) Brodmann atlas
D) Retinotopic map
Answer: B

22. The basal-ganglia component providing inhibitory output to the thalamus is the:
A) Caudate nucleus
B) Putamen
C) Globus pallidus interna (GPi)
D) Subthalamic nucleus
Answer: C

23. The principal excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS is:
A) GABA
B) Glycine
C) Glutamate
D) Dopamine
Answer: C

24. The structure separating cerebrum and cerebellum is the:
A) Falx cerebri
B) Tentorial notch
C) Tentorium cerebelli
D) Diaphragma sellae
Answer: C

25. The crus cerebri contains:
A) Ascending sensory fibers
B) Descending corticospinal and corticobulbar fibers
C) Cerebellar afferents
D) Olfactory tracts
Answer: B

26. The limbic structure most directly involved in memory consolidation is the:
A) Amygdala
B) Hippocampus
C) Olfactory bulb
D) Subiculum
Answer: B

27. Taste fibers from anterior two-thirds of tongue terminate in:
A) Trigeminal motor nucleus
B) Nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS)
C) Dorsal motor nucleus of vagus
D) Facial nucleus
Answer: B

28. Lissauer’s tract (dorsolateral fasciculus) carries:
A) Long ascending touch fibers only
B) Short ascending/descending pain and temperature fibers
C) Corticospinal fibers
D) Vestibulospinal output
Answer: B

29. The primary visual cortex lies in the:
A) Superior temporal gyrus
B) Calcarine cortex of occipital lobe
C) Inferior parietal lobule
D) Fusiform gyrus
Answer: B

30. Spinocerebellar tracts carry unconscious proprioception to the:
A) Thalamus
B) Cerebellum
C) Motor cortex
D) Red nucleus
Answer: B

31. The claustrum is:
A) A thalamic nucleus
B) A thin gray sheet between insula and putamen
C) A cerebellar nucleus
D) Olfactory cortex
Answer: B

32. The visceral sensory nucleus in dorsal medulla is the:
A) Hypoglossal nucleus
B) Nucleus tractus solitarius
C) Dorsal motor nucleus of vagus
D) Nucleus ambiguus
Answer: B

33. The posterior limb of the internal capsule carries which of the following fibers?
A) Corticospinal and somatosensory (thalamocortical) fibers
B) Corticobulbar fibers only
C) Visual radiations
D) Olfactory tracts
Answer: A

34. The spinal cord is anchored inferiorly by the:
A) Dorsal root ganglion
B) Filum terminale internum and externum
C) Denticulate ligaments
D) Coccygeal ligament
Answer: B

35. The parabrachial nucleus is situated in the:
A) Midbrain
B) Dorsolateral pons
C) Medulla
D) Hypothalamus
Answer: B

36. The red nucleus is involved in:
A) Vision
B) Motor coordination (upper limb via rubrospinal tract)
C) Speech
D) Autonomic control
Answer: B

37. Artery most often involved in extradural hematoma:
A) Superior sagittal sinus
B) Middle meningeal artery
C) Posterior meningeal artery
D) Ophthalmic artery
Answer: B

38. Olfactory tract projects to:
A) Visual cortex
B) Piriform cortex and amygdala
C) Auditory cortex
D) Precentral gyrus
Answer: B

39. The central sulcus separates:
A) Temporal and occipital lobes
B) Frontal and parietal lobes
C) Parietal and occipital lobes
D) Insula and frontal lobe
Answer: B

40. The powerful excitatory input to Purkinje cells arises from:
A) Mossy fibers
B) Climbing fibers (from inferior olive)
C) Granule cell parallel fibers
D) Vestibular afferents
Answer: B

41. The dentate nucleus projects mainly to:
A) Spinal cord
B) Contralateral thalamus via superior cerebellar peduncle
C) Vestibular nuclei
D) Reticular formation
Answer: B

42. Which of the following is NOT part of the brainstem?
A) Midbrain
B) Pons
C) Cerebrum
D) Medulla
Answer: C

43. Relaxed wakefulness on EEG shows:
A) Delta waves
B) Theta waves
C) Alpha waves
D) Beta waves
Answer: C

44. Pain and temperature from the body ascend in:
A) Dorsal column
B) Corticospinal tract
C) Spinothalamic tract
D) Spinocerebellar tract
Answer: C

45. The floor of the third ventricle is formed by the:
A) Corpus callosum
B) Hypothalamus
C) Thalamus
D) Fornix
Answer: B

46. The circle of Willis surrounds the:
A) Cerebellum
B) Optic chiasm and base of diencephalon
C) Superior sagittal sinus
D) Foramen magnum
Answer: B

47. The key cellular element of the blood–brain barrier is the:
A) Ependymal cell
B) Endothelial tight junction
C) Astrocyte nucleus
D) Microglia
Answer: B

48. The spinal (accessory) component of CN XI arises from:
A) Brainstem
B) C1–C5 spinal segments
C) Thoracic cord
D) Sacral cord
Answer: B

49. Voluntary eye movement commands from the frontal eye fields reach the brainstem gaze centers through which pathway?
A) Spinothalamic tract
B) Corticobulbar (fronto-reticular) projections to paramedian pontine reticular formation (PPRF)
C) Dorsal column-medial lemniscus pathway
D) Arcuate fasciculus
Answer: B

50. The occipitotemporal (fusiform) gyrus is essential for:
A) Motor control
B) Face recognition and visual association
C) Auditory localization
D) Somatic sensation
Answer: B

51. Which cranial nerve has its motor nucleus located in the midbrain?
A) Facial (VII)
B) Hypoglossal (XII)
C) Oculomotor (III)
D) Glossopharyngeal (IX)
Answer: C

52. The corticopontine fibers terminate in the:
A) Inferior olivary nucleus
B) Pontine nuclei
C) Red nucleus
D) Vestibular nuclei
Answer: B

53. The dorsal surface of the spinal cord is mainly supplied by:
A) Anterior spinal artery
B) Posterior spinal arteries
C) Segmental medullary veins
D) Radicular arteries only
Answer: B

54. The trigeminal nucleus responsible for fine touch from the face is:
A) Motor nucleus of V
B) Principal (chief) sensory nucleus of V
C) Mesencephalic nucleus
D) Spinal nucleus of V
Answer: B

55. The white matter tract connecting the frontal and temporal lobes within the same hemisphere is the:
A) Superior longitudinal fasciculus
B) Uncinate fasciculus
C) Corpus callosum
D) Fornix
Answer: B

56. Decussation of dorsal column nuclei (gracile and cuneate) occurs via:
A) Spinothalamic decussation
B) Internal arcuate fibers in caudal medulla
C) Pyramidal decussation
D) Corpus callosum
Answer: B

57. The superior cerebellar peduncle primarily carries:
A) Afferents from spinal cord
B) Efferents from cerebellum to red nucleus and thalamus
C) Middle cerebellar afferents
D) Vestibular afferents
Answer: B

58. The fornix connects the hippocampus to the:
A) Amygdala
B) Mammillary bodies and septal area
C) Cingulate gyrus
D) Insula
Answer: B

59. The primary olfactory cortex includes the:
A) Postcentral gyrus
B) Piriform cortex (uncus)
C) Calcarine cortex
D) Superior temporal gyrus
Answer: B

60. A lesion in Broca’s area causes:
A) Expressive (motor) aphasia
B) Receptive aphasia
C) Visual agnosia
D) Ataxia
Answer: A

61. The cerebellum receives blood from all except the:
A) Superior cerebellar artery (SCA)
B) Anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA)
C) Posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA)
D) Middle cerebral artery (MCA)
Answer: D

62. The lateral geniculate nucleus is a relay for:
A) Auditory input
B) Somatosensory input
C) Visual input
D) Olfactory input
Answer: C

63. The reticular activating system regulates:
A) Voluntary motor control
B) Arousal and consciousness
C) Pain only
D) Fine touch
Answer: B

64. The cortical area for taste is located in the:
A) Occipital lobe
B) Insular cortex and frontal operculum
C) Temporal lobe
D) Parietal lobe
Answer: B

65. The meningeal layer that follows the sulci of the brain is the:
A) Dura mater
B) Pia mater
C) Arachnoid mater
D) Periosteal layer
Answer: B

66. The trochlear nucleus is located in the:
A) Pons
B) Midbrain (at level of inferior colliculus; fibers exit dorsally)
C) Medulla oblongata
D) Cerebellum
Answer: B

67. A lesion of the subthalamic nucleus causes:
A) Athetosis
B) Hemiballismus
C) Tremor
D) Chorea
Answer: B

68. The spinothalamic tract terminates in which thalamic nucleus?
A) Medial geniculate body
B) Lateral geniculate body
C) Ventral posterolateral (VPL) nucleus
D) Pulvinar
Answer: C

69. The first relay station in the auditory pathway is the:
A) Cochlear nuclei (pontomedullary junction)
B) Superior olivary complex
C) Inferior colliculus
D) Medial geniculate body
Answer: A

70. Which of the following is NOT a part of the limbic lobe?
A) Cingulate gyrus
B) Parahippocampal gyrus
C) Hippocampus
D) Primary motor cortex
Answer: D

71. The mammillothalamic tract connects the mammillary bodies to the:
A) Pulvinar
B) Anterior nucleus of thalamus
C) Lateral geniculate body
D) Medial geniculate body
Answer: B

72. The descending pathway that modulates pain is the:
A) Corticospinal tract
B) Periaqueductal gray → raphe nuclei → dorsal horn
C) Spinothalamic tract
D) Vestibulospinal tract
Answer: B

73. The vomiting center (area postrema) is located in the:
A) Midbrain
B) Dorsal medulla (floor of 4th ventricle)
C) Pons
D) Thalamus
Answer: B

74. The cortical area responsible for object recognition is the:
A) Primary visual cortex
B) Inferotemporal cortex (ventral stream)
C) Primary motor cortex
D) Insula
Answer: B

75. The dorsal horn of spinal gray matter primarily contains:
A) Motor neurons
B) Sensory interneurons and projection neurons
C) Sympathetic neurons
D) Parasympathetic neurons
Answer: B

76. The preganglionic parasympathetic neurons for thoracic and abdominal viscera are in the:
A) Nucleus ambiguus
B) Dorsal motor nucleus of vagus
C) Inferior salivatory nucleus
D) Edinger–Westphal nucleus
Answer: B

77. The cortical area for executive function and planning is:
A) Occipital cortex
B) Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
C) Temporal cortex
D) Parietal association cortex
Answer: B

78. Wallerian degeneration refers to:
A) Soma death
B) Distal axon and myelin degeneration after injury
C) Dendritic retraction
D) Synaptic remodeling
Answer: B

79. The subarachnoid space contains:
A) Dural sinuses
B) CSF and major arteries
C) Epidural fat
D) Pia mater only
Answer: B

80. Posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) infarction causes:
A) Weber syndrome
B) Lateral medullary (Wallenberg) syndrome
C) Anterior spinal artery syndrome
D) Locked-in syndrome
Answer: B

81. The corticoreticular fibers influence:
A) Vision
B) Postural and locomotor control via reticulospinal tracts
C) Taste
D) Smell
Answer: B

82. The inferior olivary nucleus sends climbing fibers to:
A) Deep cerebellar nuclei
B) Purkinje cells of cerebellar cortex
C) Spinal cord
D) Thalamus
Answer: B

83. The mammillary bodies are functionally related to:
A) Visual reflexes
B) Memory (Papez circuit)
C) Motor learning
D) Smell
Answer: B

84. The dorsal root ganglia contain:
A) Motor neurons
B) Primary sensory neurons (afferent cell bodies)
C) Interneurons
D) Sympathetic neurons
Answer: B

85. The Sylvian (lateral) fissure separates the:
A) Parietal and occipital lobes
B) Frontal and temporal lobes
C) Frontal and occipital lobes
D) Parietal and temporal lobes
Answer: B

86. The vertical gaze center lies in the:
A) Pons
B) Rostral midbrain (pretectal area)
C) Medulla
D) Cerebellum
Answer: B

87. Pure motor lacunar infarcts are most often due to occlusion of:
A) Posterior cerebral artery
B) Lenticulostriate branches of MCA
C) Anterior choroidal artery
D) Superior cerebellar artery
Answer: B

88. The arcuate fasciculus connects:
A) Occipital lobes
B) Wernicke’s and Broca’s areas (language repetition pathway)
C) Cerebellar hemispheres
D) Frontal lobes
Answer: B

89. The hippocampus and medial temporal lobe are supplied by:
A) Middle cerebral artery
B) Anterior cerebral artery
C) Posterior cerebral artery (PCA)
D) Basilar artery
Answer: C

90. Preganglionic sympathetic neurons are located in:
A) Dorsal horn
B) Lateral horn (T1–L2)
C) Ventral horn
D) Dorsal root ganglia
Answer: B

91. The internal acoustic meatus transmits:
A) Optic and oculomotor nerves
B) Trigeminal and abducent nerves
C) Facial (VII) and vestibulocochlear (VIII) nerves
D) Glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves
Answer: C

92. The cortical area representing the hand is located on the:
A) Medial surface
B) Lateral precentral and postcentral gyri
C) Occipital cortex
D) Temporal pole
Answer: B

93. The inferior cerebellar peduncle carries:
A) Corticospinal fibers
B) Afferents from spinal cord and medulla (including vestibular inputs)
C) Thalamic fibers
D) Efferents to cortex
Answer: B

94. The thalamic nucleus relaying motor signals to cortex is the:
A) Pulvinar
B) Ventral lateral (VL) nucleus
C) Medial geniculate body
D) VPM
Answer: B

95. Clarke’s column (nucleus dorsalis) is found mainly in:
A) Cervical enlargement
B) Thoracic and upper lumbar segments (T1–L2)
C) Sacral region
D) Lumbar enlargement
Answer: B

96. The primary cortical area for vision corresponds to Brodmann area:
A) 4
B) 17 (primary visual cortex, V1)
C) 44
D) 11
Answer: B

97. Taste fibers from the solitary nucleus reach the thalamus through the:
A) Spinothalamic tract
B) Central tegmental tract (to VPM nucleus)
C) Corticospinal tract
D) Medial lemniscus
Answer: B

98. Optic radiations looping into the temporal lobe are known as:
A) Meyer’s loop (inferior fibers)
B) Superior radiations
C) Arcuate fasciculus
D) Cingulum
Answer: A

99. The embryologic origin of Schwann cells and sensory ganglia is the:
A) Neural tube
B) Neural crest
C) Endoderm
D) Notochord
Answer: B

100. The dorsal and ventral roots of a spinal nerve differ in that:
A) Dorsal roots carry motor fibers
B) Dorsal roots carry sensory fibers, ventral roots carry motor fibers
C) Both carry sensory fibers only
D) Both carry motor fibers only
Answer: B