PSB3340 Compiled Exam Questions

what are sensory receptor organs?

-Body parts that are sensitive to some forms of energy -Act as filters of the environment (only respond to certain types of energy) Ex. Ears, eyes

what are protective factors?

-Substances that can inhibit influx of Ca2+ into mitochondria (often indirectly) -Substances that can inhibit caspases -ex. Bcl-2 protein family

what do neurotrophic factors do?

-Suppress latent biochemical pathway leading to cell death -Allows connection between neurons to survive -Can also foster synapse rearrangement -More target cells = more connections maintained

labeled line

-the concept that each nerve input to the brain reports only a particular type of information -Input to a particular type of receptor cell will be interpreted by the brain as a change in whatever modality the cell is supposed to code

Germinal phase

1 week long -little to no differentiation in cell type

embryonic phase

1 week-9 weeks blueprint of the body organs

events of cell death

1. Influx of Ca2+ into cell 2. Diablo released from mitochondria 3. IAPs inhibited 4. Caspase cascade activated 5. DNA and proteins 'cut up'

what happens after axons reach appropriate targets and begin to form synapses. (Completing of 'hard wiring' of CNS.)

1. differentiation of an axon's growth cone into axon terminal 2. elaboration of a postsynaptic apparatus in the target cell

what does retinoic acid do?

Activates retinoid receptors (class of transcription factors) in the nucleus-modulate gene expression

how does BMP become neuron

BMP has to be inhibited

______________ is a normal part of development, which is evident via ___________________. 1. Cell death; synesthesia 2. Cell death; synaptic pruning 3. Hyperconnectivity; plasticity 4. Hyperconnectivity; synaptic pruning

Cell death is a normal part of development, which is evident via synaptic pruning

The antipsychotic drug haloperidol is particularly selective for dopamine _______ receptors.

D2

One of the prominent mechanisms through which alcohol alters the functioning of the brain is its interaction with ___

GABAa receptors

what do Bcl-2 proteins do?

Help maintain homeostasis in cell Potentially controls amount of Ca2+ leaving the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)

coding

Rules by which action potentials in a sensory system reflect a physical stimulus Frequency of action potentials Rhythm of action potentials Number of neurons firing action potentials Identity of neurons firing

what does zika do?

Kill neural progenitor cells

absolute threshold

Point at which an individual detects stimulus 50% of the time

Do our brains treat information learned through our own actions differently than information learned through observation of another person's actions?

Yes! The type of input we get shapes the connections and neural activity in our brains!

caspases

a family of protein that regulate cell death

range fractionation

a hypothesis of stimulus intensity perception stating that a wide range of intensity values can be encoded by a group of cells, each of which is a specialist for a particular range of stimulus intensities

inducer

a substance that causes differentiation

Which skin receptors are especially sensitive to stretching of the skin? a) Ruffini's endings b) Pacinian corpuscles c) Merkel's discs d) Meissner's corpuscles

a) Ruffini's endings

A patient complains of hearing loss. The patient has trouble hearing his family and friends, but can hear his own voice well enough. Based on these symptoms, you would suspect the patient is suffering from a) conduction deafness. b) sensorineural deafness. c) selective listening deafness. d) central deafness.

a) conduction deafness.

The canals of the cochlea are filled with a) fluid. b) air. c) otoliths. d) ampullae.

a) fluid

Frequency of sound is measured in a) hertz. b) Fourier units. c) dynes. d) decibels.

a) hertz.

Genes are less likely to be expressed if they have undergone a chemical modification called _______________. a) methylation b) acetylation c) dimeration d) tardistation

a) methylation

Grafting an extra leg onto a developing tadpole or chick results in an increased _______ for motor neurons. a) survival b) differentiation c) migration d) apoptosis

a) survival

The term "adequate stimulus" refers to a) the type of stimulus for which a given sensory system is particularly adapted. b) the lowest level of a stimulus that elicits a response. c) a highly reliable stimulus. d) None of the above

a) the type of stimulus for which a given sensory system is particularly adapted.

Most neurons are born in the __________________, which lines the neural tube. a) ventricular layer. b) forebrain. c) intermediate layer. d) radial glia

a) ventricular layer

the reason humans can't see heat like snakes can is because of what?

adequate stimulus

to be detected, a sensory receptor cell must receive what?

an adequate stimulus and stimulus energy passing an absolute threshold

A newly discovered drug that blocks dopamine and serotonin receptors and seems to alleviate the symptoms of schizophrenia would be classified as a(n) ________________

atypical neuroleptic

Once a cell has made it to its final location, it can extend what?

axon

The translation of stimulus energy into nerve cell impulses so that the diverse input from the environment can be processed in a series of all-or-none signals is called a) filtration. b) coding. c) masking. d) analgesia

b) coding.

Sensory transduction is the process by which a) electrical responses are converted into movement. b) energy is converted into a change in membrane potential - electrical information that a neuron can process. c) adaptive responses are produced. d) one type of sensory stimulus is converted into a different type of sensory stimulus

b) energy is converted into a change in membrane potential - electrical information that a neuron can process.

The auditory stimulus is transduced into electrical signals by a) the cochlear microphonic. b) hair cells. c) ossicles. d) otoliths.

b) hair cells.

According to the range fractionation hypothesis, a) multiple sensory cells respond to exactly the same range of stimulus energies. b) specific nerve cells can act as specialists in particular segments of an intensity scale. c) multiple nerve cells in a particular sensory system have approximately the same thresholds. d) a large group of nerve cells can only respond to a small range of stimulus intensities.

b) specific nerve cells can act as specialists in particular segments of an intensity scale.

The brain can differentiate between each sensory modality because a) the action potentials, sent along the same nerve tracts, get sorted by the thalamus. b) the action potentials for each one are sent along separate nerve tracts. c) each sense uses different neurotransmitters. d) each sensory input, passing through the same lines, triggers action potentials in a different pattern

b) the action potentials for each one are sent along separate nerve tracts.

A sensory receptor that stays sensitive to sustained stimulation, rather than adapting is known as a _________________. a) sustained receptor b) tonic receptor c) phasic receptor d) persistent receptor

b) tonic receptor

Several regions of the auditory cortex show _______ mapping. a) topographic b) tonotopic c) tomographic d) tonic

b) tonotopic

The release of Diablo within neurons is induced by an influx of _______ ions. a) Na+ b) Cl- c) Ca2+ d) K+

c) Ca2+

Which of the following sounds causes the greatest amount of deflection at the base of the basilar membrane? a) Low-frequency sound b) Both low- and high-frequency sound c) High-frequency sound d) None of the above; the basilar membrane does not move.

c) High-frequency sound

Which statement about apoptosis is true? a) It refers to any kind of cell death. b) It results from the inhibition of calcium entry into the cell. c) It results from a molecular cascade in which a protein is released from mitochondria. d) It results from a larger-than-normal availability of target neurons.

c) It results from a molecular cascade in which a protein is released from mitochondria.

Which of the following is not part of the organ of Corti? a) Outer Hair cells b) Inner Hair cells c) The tectorial membrane d) The terminations of the auditory nerve fibers

c) The tectorial membrane

The evolutionary advantage of sensory adaptation is that it a) prevents fatigue of sensory receptors. b) allows people to attend to the constant excitation of the hairs on the skin by clothing. c) prevents the nervous system from being overwhelmed by stimuli that offer very little new news about the world. d) allows the human brain to reassign sensory cortex if a limb is lost.

c) prevents the nervous system from being overwhelmed by stimuli that offer very little new news about the world.

Behavioral neuroscience... a) is concerned with how the functioning of the brain, but not its structure, underlies behavior. b) is concerned with human behavior rather than animal behavior. c) spans several scientific disciplines. d) is not concerned with the treatment of behavioral problems.

c) spans several scientific disciplines.

what are the 2 main things involved in apoptosis?

calcium concentration and mitochondria

what do pro- apoptotic factors activates?

caspases

You discover a compound that has a similar molecular structure to amphetamine. This compound will probably affect _______ receptors. a. catecholamine b. acetylcholine c. endogenous opiate d. GABA

catecholamine

lack of neurotrophic factors lead to what?

cell death

intrinsic factors

cell-autonomous ( cell processes are directed by the cell itself rather than being under the influence of other cells)

What determines the cues a particular growth cone is getting?

cell-cell interaction Molecular matching between target cells and growing axons -modified through activity

in the CNS, most neural differentiation is based on what?

cell-cell interactions

neural progenitor cells

cells that give rise to other cells

receptor potential

changes based on input (similar to EPSP)

The GABAA receptor is a ligand-gated _______ channel. a. calcium b. sodium c. potassium d. chloride

chloride

Which statement about the Pacinian corpuscle is true? a) It is found in skin. b) It is found in muscle. c) Vibration causes it to excite afferent nerves by opening sodium channels. d) All of the above

d) All of the above

_______ coding offers the best current understanding of the mechanism of pitch perception. a) Place b) Temporal c) Fourier d) Both place and temporal

d) Both place and temporal

The swaying of stereocilia in response to sound waves results in an influx of _______ at the base of the hair cell. a) Na+ b) K+ c) Cl- d) Ca2+

d) Ca2+

Which of the following would not be considered an extrinsic influence on cells? a) Experience b) Nutrition c) Induction d) Genes

d) Genes

In normal development, which molecules usually are involved in differentiation, but not the survival or death of neurons? a) IAPs b) Neurotrophic factors c) Hormones d) Inducers.

d) Inducers.

The nervous system develops from the _____________. a) endoderm b) neuroderm c) mesoderm d) ectoderm

d) ectoderm

For most senses, the sensory pathway a) goes directly to its designated area of cortex. b) ends at the spinal cord. c) passes through the temporal cortex. d) passes through the thalamus.

d) passes through the thalamus.

Neurotransmitters are stored inside ___________, which then fuse with the cell membrane to release their contents into the synapse. a) soma (cell body) b) dendritic spines. c) axon hillock. d) synaptic vesicles.

d) synaptic vesicles.

Neighboring stereocilia on hair cells are joined by a) trap doors. b) tuning curves. c) traveling waves. d) tip links.

d) tip links.

if a neuron leaves the ventricular zone early, it will end up where?

deep layers of cortex

Most antipsychotic medications act by blocking _______ receptors. a. serotonergic b. dopaminergic c. cholinergic d. muscarinic

dopaminergic

Neural activity may stimulate release of neurotrophic factors, thus ____________ helps drive connections

experience

filopodia

fine tubular outgrowths from the growth cone of an axon or dendrite

Sperry Newt project

his experiment showed that axons have differential markers that correspond to markers on a target cell and axonal growth is directed by markers to establish specific connections

what determines a cell's location?

if it leaves the ventricular zone early or late Neuron leaves early -> goes to deep layers of the cortex neuron leave late --> goes to superficial layer

what are the 2 group of factors that determine gene expression?

inducing factors and intrinsic factors

The mood-stabilizing drug lithium acts by ____

inhibiting cAMP

Whether connections get strengthened depends on ____________ interactions

intercellular

what happens if bone morpogenic proteins (BMP) is inhibited?

it becomes neurons

what happens if bone morpogenic proteins (BMP) act on cells?

it becomes skin

Acetylcholine (ACh) is the main transmitter used at mammalian __________________.

neuromuscular junctions

What causes some connections and neurons to survive, but not others?

neurotrophic factors

what factor suppresses latent biochemical pathway leading to cell death?

neurotrophic factors

most sensory input goes through the thalamus except for what sensory system?

olfactory system

the process of organizing and interpreting this information so it has meaning

perception

If you take a very young neuron and put it in a different environment, it will acquire the ____________ of its new region

phenotype

sensory transduction

receptor cells convert energy into electrical signals

what do filopodia have?

receptors for molecules that serve as directional cues

how do we sense stimuli

sensory receptor organs

LSD appears to exert its effects through its interactions with receptors for the neurotransmitter _____

serotonin

inducing factors

signaling molecules from other cells -two types: inducer and morphogen

where is the Pacinian corpuscle found in?

skin & muscle

Just like migrating neurons, filopodia can use ____________ to guide growth

structural support

morphogen

substance that can cause cells to differentiate into different types

what brain region is involved if taste perception is impaired?

thalamus

Which factor plays a central role in determining which of the brain's synapses will be eliminated and which will be maintained? -their genetic potential -sensitive periods -random variability -the frequency with which they are activated

the frequency with which they are activated

cell-cell interaction

the general process during development in which one cell affects the differentiation of other neighboring cells

growth cone

the growing tip of an axon or dendrite

sensation

the process of receiving stimulus energies from the external environment and transforming them into neural energy

adequate stimulus

the type of stimulus for which a given sensory organ is particularly adapted

are cells totipotent or pluripotent?

totipotent- cells can differentiate into any cell type

Your eyes normally process light, so why did you see a blob caused by pressure on your eye?

touch caused AP to be fired in the receptor cells of the eye and these were interpreted as a change in light labeled lines

cell type is dependent on ________

what genes a cell expresses

when does cell differentiation and separation into ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm occur?

within a week