Question

Weeks after an automobile accident, a friend continues to have difficulty maintaining balance and coordinating movements. You should suspect that damage may have occurred to the:

a. corpus callosum
b. cerebellum
c. medulla
d. thalamus

Answer 1

Damage to the cerebellum is likely responsible for the friend's difficulty in maintaining balance and coordinating movements following an automobile accident.

Step-by-step explanation:

After an automobile accident, if a friend has difficulty maintaining balance and coordinating movements, it is highly likely that damage may have occurred to the cerebellum. The cerebellum is responsible for receiving messages from muscles, tendons, joints, and structures in our ear to control balance, coordination, movement, and motor skills.

It plays a crucial role in processing some types of memories, especially procedural memory, which is involved with performing tasks. Issues such as difficulty in maintaining balance and coordination problems are often related to ataxia, a movement disorder linked to damage to the cerebellum.