Head Transplant Trivia Quiz

Answer:

The hyoid is a u-shaped, bone in the neck that doesn't connect to any other bone. It is located at the base of the lower jaw and provides a connection point for the tongue and anterior neck muscles of the neck. The hyoid holds the airway open during sleep and is important to swallowing and to speaking.

The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland located at the lower front of the neck. The thyroid manufactures and releases hormones that affect most organs of the body. The main capability of the thyroid is to control the speed of metabolism, the process of turning food into energy.

The levator scapulae muscle connects the first four cervical vertebrae in the neck and with the shoulder blade (scapula). The muscle runs at the back and side of the neck and assists in flexing the neck laterally and raising the scapula (shoulder blade).

Fascia are sheets of tissue that surround and support other structures. The superficial cervical fascia contains nerves and vascular structures for the skin, lymph nodes, fat, and a paper-thin sheet of muscle called the platysma.

The sternocleidomastoid rotates and flexes the head. It is one of the largest muscles in the neck and is close under the skin; if can be easily seen on the opposite side of the neck when the head is rotated toward one of the shoulders.

The trapezius muscle extends from the back of the skull to the mid-back. The muscle is shaped like and named for a trapezium, and irregular quadrilateral shape.

The vagus is a large nerve that connects the brain to the thoracic and abdominal organs and transmits both sensory information and motor control. There are two separate vagus nerves, left and right, that run either side of the spine.

The cervical plexus is a branching network of sensory and motor nerves for the head, neck, upper shoulders, and the diaphragm.

The left and right carotid arteries supply oxygenated blood to the brain, head, and neck. The left and right branches are each made of up two branches, an external and an internal carotid artery.

Like the carotid arteries, the jugular veins run on the left and right sides of the neck, and each has both an external and internal vein. The jugular veins carry deoxygenated blood from the brain, head, and neck back to the heart.

The incorrect choices are in different parts of the body. The xiphoid process is a bony structure at the base of the sternum in the chest, the aorta is a cardiac artery, the cecum is part of the intestines, the sacrum is a bone at the base of the spine, and the navicular bone is in the foot.