Final Exam Sample Questions
corpus callosum
All of the following are larger brain structures in males, EXCEPT which one?
inactivity
All of the following are protective factors against an aging brain, except:
agonistic
An ______________ treatment for cigarette use is the nicotine patch.
Mimic the effects of the drug
An agonist treatment for addiction would do what?
false
An excitatory graded potential always leads to an action potential
Hypothalamus
An impairment of eating, drinking, temperature regulation or sexual behavior suggests possible damage to which brain structure resulting in problems with hormones?
substantia nigra
An important midbrain structure where dopaminergic neurons live which deteriorates in Parkinson's disease is the:
Recognize/identify objects
An individual suffers damage to the temporal cortex (dorsal stream) but maintains an intact parietal cortex (ventral stream). This may result in an inability to do what with vision?
learn new motor tasks, but not remember learning them
An odd thing about H.M.'s memory was that he was able to
intense pain
As shown via substance P knockout mic, substance P is a neuropeptide that increases palm sensitivity that is additionally (to glutamate) released in the spinal cord as a signal for:
classical conditioning
Associative long-term potentiation may be the cellular basic of what?
be unable to experience the color blue
Assuming that cortical development for color perception in the cat is similar to that for line orientation, a cat reared in an environment in which only the color yellow was present would most likely:
auditory cortex
Which of the following is tonotopically organized?
Nicotine
Which of the following does NOT affect GABA?
ACTH
Which of the following hormones is released by the pituitary gland during stress?
word salad
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Broca's aphasia?
Nociceptor
Which of the following is a proprioceptor?
gender
Which of the following is not related to IQ?
born female, develop male characteristics during puberty
5-alpha-reductase deficiency is a result of incomplete masculinization of genitalia due to reduced dihydrotestosterone in utero. How are these individuals described?
Meissner corpuscles
A butterfly landing on your arm would most likely trigger which mechanoreceptor?
blocks the movement of sodium (Na+) across the membrane
A drug like novacaine would prevent the generation of an action potential if it:
maternal separation
A form of early life stress that affects the HPA axis is
Harm avoidance, or worrying about potential problems, anxiety
A larger right anterior cingulate cortex is associated with which personality characteristic?
Breaking down neurotransmitters
A main function of enzymes in the synapse is?
Coolidge effect; have more partners
A spike in dopamine occurs due to the appearance of a new sexual partner. What is the name of this effect, and what is a likely result of an individual displaying it?
James-Lange theory
A study showed that participants with Botox who were unable to frown showed lower activation of the amygdala than those without Botox. This is evidence for what theory?
more effective than before
A synapse that has been potentiated is:
hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis
A threatening situation or acute stress will result in activation of the:
Stimulus A and Stimulus B will produce the same response in the neuron
According to the "all or nothing law" Stimulus A depolarizes a neuron just barely above threshold. Stimulus B depolarizes a neuron to 10 mV above threshold. What will happen?
frequency theory
According to the ____________________ _______________________ the basilar membrane vibrates in synchrony with sound waves, causing auditory nerve axons to produce action potentials at the same frequency.
the image in blue
According to the opponent-process theory, if you stare at a yellow object for a long time, and then look at a piece of blank white paper, you will see:
Predictor(s) of the reward
After chronic drug use, the dopamine release no longer occurs to the rewarding stimulus (drug) nut occurs to what?
thalamus
After it leaves the eyeball, the optic nerve goes to the
glutamate; endorphin
Alcohol decreases the release of ______________ and increases the release of ______________.
oxytocin
Both vasopressin and _______________ are hormones that contribute to pair bonding and other social behaviors.
addiction and OCD
Brain structures that are active in people in love are also active in:
Sedative or depressive effects
Caffeine blocks receptors for the neuromodulator adenosine. Adenosine produces which of the following?
primary; premotor
Cells of the __________ motor cortex are most active during movement, while the ________________ cortex is most active when beginning preparation for movement (i.e. when about to move).
frontal lobes
Chronic drug use damages the ___________________, which is/are needed for judgement and behavioral control.
All of the above (connections/synapses, cell proliferation, and volume)
Chronic stress has a degenerative effect on the brain partly by decreasing the _____________ in the hippocampus.
have a type of cone(s) that is missing or dysfunctional
Colorblindness has helped researchers understand color vision because these people:
Intellectual power
Complexity in the brain, such as an abundance of gyri and large cerebral hemispheres, is associated with what?
Astrocytes
Controlling levels of the neurotransmitter glutamate at the synapse via uptake is done by which of the following?
All of the above (increasing fat availability, providing glucose, and increasing metabolism)
Cortisol increases energy by:
corticosterone
Cortisol is the chemical in humans, while the equivalent in rodents is ________________
Parietal lobe
Damage to which region or lobe can produce neglect of objects, people, and things going on the opposite side of the damage?
Ventral tegmental area
Dopamine used in the reward system is produced in which area?
oxytocin
Dr. Love, a very successful marriage counselor, is famous for the coffee she serves to squabbling couples. It seems that after they drink it, each member of the couple reports feeling a stronger bond with his/her partner. What secret "ingredient: do you think she puts in the coffee?
synapse between the sensory neuron and the motor neuron
During habituation of the gill-withdrawal response in Aplysia, the change in the nervous system takes place at the:
It is hyperpolarized
During the refractory period, a neuron cannot send an action potential. Why?
stress; enrichment
Early life _____________, such as growing up in an impoverished environment can be harmful to brain and behavior, whereas early life ____________, such as exercise, can be beneficial.
analgesics
Endorphins are:
mirror neurons
Evolutionary antecedents have shown us that meaningful sounds and gestures are likely pre-language abilities and development of language. Language theorists think that the mechanism behind imitative language development are:
describing how to juggle; juggling
Examples of declarative memory and procedural memory are ___________ and ________________, respectively.
spatial orientation; verbal fluency
For the following behavioral tasks, males tend to perform better at _________ _______ while females perform better on ________ _______.
All of the above (bilateral symmetry, functional divisions, and thalamic relay)
General characteristics of sensory systems like vision and hearing contain:
reaching target cells
Growth cones are necessary for:
head movement
Hair cells in cochlea respond to sound waves, while hair cells in vestibular organs respond to:
They do not shift from risky choices to more advantageous, safe decks as control subjects do
How do people with damage to the ventromedial cortex in the frontal lobe respond on a gambling card task?
hair cells are displaced, causing them to depolarize
How do sound waves result in the production of action potentials?
Mechanoreceptors change shape, causing them to depolarize
How do touch stimuli result in the production of action potentials?
Spatial summation
If multiple EPSPs are added together from different locations on the cell at the same time to reach threshold what has happened?
Maintaining balance as you walk somewhat narrow
If you had damage to your vestibular system, what would you have trouble doing?
Loss of vision in the leftmost and rightmost visual fields
If your optic chiasm was damaged due to a tumor in the nearby pituitary, which of the following visual field detects would occur?
males
Important for sexual performance in males or females?: medial preoptic area
males
Important for sexual performance in males or females?: paraventricular nucleus
males
Important for sexual performance in males or females?: sexually dimorphic nucleus
female
Important for sexual performance in males or females?: ventromedial nucleus
They do not have a learning/memory impairment, but have trouble processing the emotional aspects of an experience
In a gambling card task, why do people with damage to the ventromedial cortex (PFC region) not shift from risky choices to more advantageous/safe decks as control subjects do? Why do they not have a proper skin conductance response to risk?
CaMKII
In a potentiated synapse, activation of which of the following causes changes in neuroplasticity including increases in AMPA receptors, NMDA receptors, and dendritic spines?
All of the above (increasing fat availability, providing glucose, and increasing metabolism)
In acute stress, cortisol increases energy by:
blood flow is less efficient, therefore affecting blood supply to tissues
In chronic stress, a weakend cardiovascular system, such as atherosclerosis, results in constant elevated blood pressure. This means that:
All of the above (fleeing from an attack, muscle tension due to an upcoming exam. and facial expression)
In expression of emotion, an example of muscular activation is:
presentation of a new (sexual) partner
In terms of dopamine, the Coolidge effect is defined by a spike (increase) due to:
locating; emotional
In terms of pain, the somatosensory cortex processes __________________ it while limbic system structures (cingulate cortex, hippocampus, amygdala) process the ________________ aspects of pain.
the sensory neuron from the spinal cord crosses over in the medulla
In terms of somatosensation, the reason why a left-hemisphere stroke causes affects the right side of the body is because:
glucocorticoids
In the acute stress response, the hypothalamus signals the pituitary which then releases _________________ into the bloodstream.
fast; slower
In the acute stress response, the sympathetic nervous system is _______________ in comparison to the ___________ HPA axis response
primordial gonads
In the first month of pregnancy, the fetus has:
Nucleus accumbens
In the rat videos (rat had a probe on his head) that measured dopamine level in the brain after stimulus, what brain region showed the sharp increase in dopamine?
orientation, such as vertical alignment
In visual perception, primary visual cortex begins to detect and integrate basic elements. For one, simple cells detect:
Broca's aphasia
Inarticulate, non-fluency, and anomia. These are the characteristics of what language impairment?
Jay's brain was more metabolically active than Mary's brain
Jay's and Mary's brains go through a PET scan (brain imaging) as they solve a problem, which they both complete in the same amount of time. However, it turned out that Mary's brain was more efficient during the task. What would the PET scan show?
He is taking Antabuse, which blocks aldehyde dehydrogenase and produces the symptoms above
Joseph is taking an aversive treatment that works on enzymes for his alcohol addiction. Thus, when Joseph tried to use alcohol while taking this treatment, he felt nauseated, flushed and experienced a headache. Which of the following best describes why this occured?
When you noticed you were shaking
Just as you are parking your car at home, a moderate earthquake hits. You get out of your car and run to your bathroom, where you notice your body is shaking. According to the James-Lange theory, you felt afraid:
left hemisphere
Language is lateralized to the
ventromedial nucleus (VMH)
Lesion of the _____________ abolishes lordosis (copulatory or mating reflex) in rats, an example of its importance in female sexual performance.
neurotransmitter binding
Ligand-gated channels are channels that open in response to:
forgetting
Long-term depression (LTD) may be the cellular basis of what?
learning
Long-term potentiation (LTP) is thought to underlie:
serotonin
Lower levels of ______________ are associated with increased aggression.
Middle; edge
Medial is to lateral as ________________ is to ___________.
reduce phantom pain
Mirror box or mirror therapy can be used by amputees to:
allergies
Opiates provide relief from all of the following EXCEPT
Obsessive compulsive disorder
Over-activity of the basal ganglia has been linked to what disorder?
basal ganglia; L-dopa, a dopamine precursor
Parkinson's and Huntington's disease are both similar in that they are characterized by degeneration of the ____________________ and thus abnormal motor impairment. But unlike Huntington's, Parkinson's disease can be treated with ____________________.
more dopamine
People with ____________________ receptors are less likely to seek illicit drug use.
rods
Peripheral vision mainly depends on:
to bipolar cells within the retina
Photoreceptors send their messages:
high oxytocin levels
Prairie voles appear to be monogamous because of:
Language is not limited to Broca's and Wernicke's areas & Language function depends on a network of interconnected structures
Problems with the Wernicke-Geschwind model are:
Radiation
Proliferation is a stage where many cells are actively dividing, and this is harmed by exposure to:
non-declarative memory
Remembering how to get to class every day, although you cannot state the room number or the name of the building is an example of:
reproductive behavior
Research indicates that pheromones influence _________________ __________________ in humans.
less important than the influence of genetics
Research on monozygotic twins suggests that the influence of environment on IQ is:
Cerebellum
Sam is having trouble making timed and ordered movements after experiencing damage to a specific region of his brain, though he has been mistaken for being drunk. In order to grasp a pencil at a nearby desk, he has to reach, pause, and shape his hand to properly grasp. What brain region has been damaged?
Insular cortex
Sarah is revolted by Joe. She finds Joe's behavior repugnant and is disgusted when she thinks of him. What region of Sarah's brain is most likely active?
Sympathetic
Seeing a snake come out of the bathtub drain might increase your heart rate, dilate your pupils, and cause you to sweat. These responses are due to the activity of what nervous system?
estrogen
Sexual differentiation on the body is dependent on the presence or absence of:
Left primary visual cortex
Signals from the left half of both retinas will end up where?
Pons
Structure involved in sleep, such as inhibiting muscle movement while dreaming?
reduced; hippocampus
Studies of war veterans with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder and victims of childhood abuse indicate _____________ volume of the _______________.
Neurotrophins
Synapses can be strengthened when the postsynaptic neuron sends "feedback" to the presynaptic neuron, also described as brain "fertilizer" that sustains neural health. What is "this"?
formulates articulation and sends the result to the primary motor cortex for final production of speech
The Wernicke-Geschwind model describes processing a verbal response from the auditory cortex to Wernicke's area, and then to Broca's area which:
fovea
The ___________ provides better visual acuity than the rest of the retina
volley; middle
The ________________ theory explains __________________ frequencies because no single cell deals with all of the compressions of a sound stimulus, instead each neuron focuses on a different part of a sound wave therefore cells work together as a team.
a magnocellular ganglion cells in the periphery
The ability to detect movement in our peripheral visiom is largely due to:
magnocellular ganglion cells in the periphery of the retina
The ability to detect movement in our peripheral vision is largely due to:
declarative memory
The ability to express a memory by talking about it is called:
All of the above (fear-conditioning, Urbach-Wiethe disease, and Kluber-Bucy syndrome)
The amygdala processes fear as demonstrated by
Tonotopic
The auditory cortex in the temporal lobes has what kind of organization?
where; what
The dorsal stream of the visual system is involved in recognizing __________ an object is located, whereas the ventral stream is involved in recognizing ___________ an object is.
Proliferation, migration, circuit formation, and circuit pruning
The four stages of development of the nervous system include, in order:
negative feedback loop
The hypothalamus regulates cortisol levels via the
t-shirts of men smelled by women
The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is detected in odors. In terms of mating behavior, what study showed that a different MHC from one's own is preferred?
MAOI inhibit the enzyme that breaks down these neurotransmitters
The neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin can be increased at the synapse by using MAO inhibitors (MAOI), a treatment used for depression. Why?
a lack of environmental stimulation
The orphanages in Bucharest, Romania (1980s) have shown us that __________ results in neurobiological abnormalities, cognitive delays, and behavioral problems.
fluid in the cochlea
The ossicles (malleus, incus, stapes) of the middle ear amplifies the sound to move:
by inhibiting substance P release in the spinal cord due to non-pain (e.g. pressure) signals
The pain "gate" describes the action of endorphins that decrease the experience of pain:
the optic chiasm
The point at which signals from the nasal portions of both retinas cross is:
blindspot
The point at which the optic nerve (axons of ganglion cells) leaves the retina is called the:
Neuromuscular junction
The point where a motor neuron axon makes contact with a muscle fiber is called what?
The hair cells on the basilar membrane are displaced, causing them to depolarize
The production of action potentials result in sound waves due to what?
basilar membrane
The receptors for hearing are located on the ____________________.
long-term potentiation
The strengthening of a synapse over a long time is referred to as
rods; cones
The two photoreceptor types are _________ and ______________.
the size of her brain
Though all below affect intelligence/IQ, which of the following would be least likely to affect a developing child's IQ? (the IQ of her parents, the size of her brain, nerve conduction velocity, and socioeconomic status)
False
True or False: Receptors for hearing are your ears.
the secondary/association areas, then goes to the primary area (primary motor)
Unlike in other sensory systems, the order of information processing is different
Two-point threshold poking activity
What activity was done in class to show that somatosensory neurons in some areas of the body (e.g. hand) have more cortical area dedicated in the brain and smaller receptive fields?
All of the above (Gases, uncharged molecules, and drugs)
What can pass through passive diffusion to cross the blood brain barrier?
glutamate
What chemical attaches to the NMDA receptor?
Spina Bifida
What disorder is caused when the caudal ("tall") end of the neural tube does not close properly during development?
They all increase release of dopamine in the reward pathway
What do all addictive drugs have in common?
it gets eliminated or pruned
What happens if a neuron fails to make a connection or makes a weak connection during development?
an area of the skin innervated by a spinal nerve
What is a dermatome?
"Hey lets go pet that lion"
What is an example of what someone with Urbach-Wiethe disease would say?
Cerebellum
What is the arrow pointing to?
Frontal Lobe
What is the arrow pointing to?
Parietal Lobe
What is the arrow pointing to?
Temporal Lobe
What is the arrow pointing to?
cingulate gyrus
What is the arrow pointing to?
corpus callosum
What is the arrow pointing to?
hypothalamus
What is the arrow pointing to?
pituitary gland
What is the arrow pointing to?
primary auditory cortex
What is the arrow pointing to?
primary motor cortex
What is the arrow pointing to?
primary somatosensory cortex
What is the arrow pointing to?
thalamus
What is the arrow pointing to?
Influx of Ca2+ ions into the axon terminal
What is the signal for neurotransmitter release?
All of the above (Concentration gradient, Electrical gradient, and Sodium/Potassium pump)
What maintains the resting potential of a neuron?
Acetylcholine
What neurotransmitter is released at the neuromuscular junction and signals muscle contraction?
they are a form of plasticity, able to retract and change, recie
What purpose do the spines on the dendrite serve?
Cerebrospinal fluid
What would you find inside a ventricle?
the fovea has cones which share fewer, if any, ganglion cells
When Chris needed to see the fine print on a document, he knew to look at the document straight on using his foveal vision. The fovea give us our highest visual acuity because?
precise
When a motor neuron controls only a few muscle fibers, the movement will be more:
Posterior parietal cortex
Which area is most important for proprioception?
dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
Which brain area is more important for working memory?
dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
Which brain area is most important for the delayed match-to-sample task of working memory?
Thalamus
Which brain structure serves as the sensory relay?
Oligodendrocytes
Which cells are responsible for myelinating axons in the CNS?
Wolffian
Which duct system becomes the seminal vesicles and vas deferens?
Microglia
Which glia are phagocytic immune cells of the brain, monitoring and responding to the neural environment?
estradiol
Which hormone ultimately masculinizes the brain?
apoptosis occurs longer in female brain development
Which may explain why females tend to have a smaller brain (on average) than males?
pinna, tympanic membrane, ossicles, cochlea
Which of the following are presented in the correct order when describing the path of sound waves as they pass from the outer ear to the inner ear?
retina, optic nerve, LGN, primary visual cortex
Which of the following are presented in the correct order when describing the path of the light after it enters the eye?
Strengthening a memory about a place that scared you
Which of the following best describes the amygdala's contribution learning and memory?
the left prefrontal cortex
Which of the following brain regions has been linked with mathematical ability?
Anxiolytic effect by suppressing the limbic system and other brain areas
Which of the following describes a benzodiazepine effect?
damage to the hippocampus impairs the consolidation of new declarative memories
Which of the following is true of the role of the hippocampus in memory?
Decrease her estrogen and progesterone levels
Which of the following would be the best way to make a woman aggressive?
testosterone
Which of the following would most effectively increase sexual arousal in a woman?
detects movement
Which of these is NOT true about the parvocellular pathway?
Place theory
Which theory posits that the basilar membrane has specific sections tuned to specific frequencies, and explains high frequencies?
It has a simple nervous system
Why did Dr. Eric Kandel use the sea slug, Aplysia, to study the synaptic mechanism behind learning?
Unlike myelin, the nodes contain many ion channels
Why does saltatory conduction of an action potential occur at the Nodes of Ranvier?
females have alpha fetoprotein, which binds and deactivates estradiol
Why is the female brain NOT masculinized by estradriol during prenatal development?
It contains cupped ears/pinna and a funnel-like auditory canal
Why is the outer ear called a directional microphone?
cleaning fish, if you showed him how
You and H.M. are shipwrecked together on a deserted island. What tasks could he help you with?
Sexual dimorphism
___________________ ________________ refers to the sexes (male/female) looking different from each other