Part 1 - RecognitionAt a house not too far from your own, a new mother named Anna is hosting a gathering with a few of her friends. Most of these friends already have little ones themselves and they're around 28 weeks of age, the same age as Anna's son, Jared. Under his mother's watchful eye, Jared plays along with his new friends. After awhile, Anna takes notice that there are a few peculiarities that separate Jared and the other children. He wasn't crawling around and squiggling like the rest of the babies. In addition, loud noises and bright lights don't induce any reaction from him. After the gathering finishes, Anna contacts the hospital and an appointment is set.
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Part 1 - Questions
Question 1. A person with Tay-Sachs disease experiences decreased motor activity and a loss of strength. When their reflexes are tested, it shows hyperreflexia, which is an exaggeration of the reflexes. This is a symptom of motor neuron disease. Explain what is a reflex arc and give an example of a pathway.
A reflex arc is a simple connection of neurons that explain reflexive behaviors and it doesn't involve the brain.
An example would be: Stimulus -> Sensory receptor -> Sensory neuron -> Interneuron -> Motor neuron -> Effector -> Response
Question 2. Most children with Tay-Sachs disease experience seizures. There is a bundle of white matter in the brain that is often related to seizures, especially epilepsy. The right and left halves of the brain are linked together by this part of the brain. What is name of this part of the brain and what is its function?
The corpus callosum is connective tissue between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. It allows one cerebral hemisphere to be aware of what actions the other hemisphere is performing, and vice versa.
Question 3. One of the symptoms of Tay-Sachs disease is a loss of coordination of the body. What part of the brain controls muscle coordination and what other tasks does it control?
The cerebellum is the part of the brain that controls muscle coordination. It is also the control center for balance, the unconscious coordination of posture, reflexes, and fine voluntary motor skills.
Question 4. One symptom of the disease is reduced vision. Explain the pathway of light through the eye.
Cornea -> Through the pupil -> Lens -> Humors -> Retina -> Optic Nerve
Question 5. Label the parts of the eye and give their functions.
1. Choroid: Absorbs scattered light and contains blood vessels
2. Iris: Regulates the amount of light that enters the eye
3. Cornea: Bends light rays into the eye
4. Pupil: Is the opening for light to enter the eye
5. Humors: Maintain the shape of the eyeball, bend light
6. Optic nerve: Transmits sensory information to the brain
7. Retina: Contains photoreceptors (rods and cones)
8. Lens: Focuses light rays onto the fovea centralis
Question 6. Explain the roles of the rods and cones in the retina.
The retina contains photoreceptors called rods and cones. Rods detect low intensity light, are responsible for peripheral vision, and they assist help people see in the dark. Cones, on the other hand, detect bright light and are responsible for color vision. These photoreceptors are concentrated on the fovea centralis.
A reflex arc is a simple connection of neurons that explain reflexive behaviors and it doesn't involve the brain.
An example would be: Stimulus -> Sensory receptor -> Sensory neuron -> Interneuron -> Motor neuron -> Effector -> Response
Question 2. Most children with Tay-Sachs disease experience seizures. There is a bundle of white matter in the brain that is often related to seizures, especially epilepsy. The right and left halves of the brain are linked together by this part of the brain. What is name of this part of the brain and what is its function?
The corpus callosum is connective tissue between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. It allows one cerebral hemisphere to be aware of what actions the other hemisphere is performing, and vice versa.
Question 3. One of the symptoms of Tay-Sachs disease is a loss of coordination of the body. What part of the brain controls muscle coordination and what other tasks does it control?
The cerebellum is the part of the brain that controls muscle coordination. It is also the control center for balance, the unconscious coordination of posture, reflexes, and fine voluntary motor skills.
Question 4. One symptom of the disease is reduced vision. Explain the pathway of light through the eye.
Cornea -> Through the pupil -> Lens -> Humors -> Retina -> Optic Nerve
Question 5. Label the parts of the eye and give their functions.
1. Choroid: Absorbs scattered light and contains blood vessels
2. Iris: Regulates the amount of light that enters the eye
3. Cornea: Bends light rays into the eye
4. Pupil: Is the opening for light to enter the eye
5. Humors: Maintain the shape of the eyeball, bend light
6. Optic nerve: Transmits sensory information to the brain
7. Retina: Contains photoreceptors (rods and cones)
8. Lens: Focuses light rays onto the fovea centralis
Question 6. Explain the roles of the rods and cones in the retina.
The retina contains photoreceptors called rods and cones. Rods detect low intensity light, are responsible for peripheral vision, and they assist help people see in the dark. Cones, on the other hand, detect bright light and are responsible for color vision. These photoreceptors are concentrated on the fovea centralis.