Deck 4: Neuroscience, the Brain, and Behaviour

Question 1

Which Phineas Gage's brain area was selectively damaged as a result of the accident?

A) The occipital lobe
B) The frontal lobe
C) The temporal lobe
D) The parietal lobe

Answer 1

B

Question 2

After the accident, Phineas Gage was still able to perform complex functions.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Selective damage to Phineas Gage's __________ had affected his personality.

Answer 3

frontal lobe

Question 4

Which part of your body dictates your personality, actions, thoughts, memories and emotions?

Question 5

Why is the case of Phineas Gage considered fundamental to the beginnings of modern brain research?

Question 6

Which of the following was not a symptom reported by Phineas Gage after the accident?

A) He could not walk
B) He was indifferent to other people
C) He was impulsive and impatient
D) He was not able to make plans

Question 7

Most of our knowledge of the brain stems from the past __________.

A) 50 years
B) 150 years
C) 500 years
D) the last decade

Question 8

__________ refers to early attempts to map different functions to different parts of the brain.

A) Ablation
B) Behaviourism
C) Phrenology
D) Functionalism

Question 9

Which part of the body is responsible for your personality?

A) The amygdala
B) The midbrain
C) The brainstem
D) The brain

Question 10

The brain contains a complex network of __________.

A) neurons
B) cells
C) axons
D) regions

Question 11

What is a neuron?

A) A molecule
B) A portion of the DNA
C) A cell
D) A tissue

Question 12

Describe the major type of cells in the nervous system, and explain how communication in the nervous system works.

Question 13

The branch-like fibers extending in clusters from the neuron's cell body are called ________.

Question 14

Electrical wires are generally protected by a tube of plastic. A similar insulating function is performed in the nervous system by the __________.

Question 15

What is the resting potential of a neuron?

Question 16

When at rest, the membrane potential is positive and the neuron is not firing.

Question 17

The synaptic cleft, where a neuron passes information to another neuron, is located between the presynaptic axon and the postsynaptic dendrite.

Question 18

Which ion channels open when the membrane potential becomes positive?

Question 19

Which of the following sequences accurately reflects the phases of an action potential?

A) Membrane potential at -55 mV; stimulus; opening of potassium channels; closure of potassium and opening of sodium channels; action potential; refractory period.
B) Membrane potential at -55 mV; stimulus; opening of sodium channels; action potential; closure of sodium and opening of potassium channels; refractory period.
C) Membrane potential at -70 mV; stimulus; opening of sodium channels; action potential; closure of sodium and opening of potassium channels; refractory period.
D) Membrane potential at -70 mV; stimulus; opening of potassium channels; action potential; closure of potassium and opening of sodium channels; refractory period.

Question 20

The physical gaps between neurons are called:

A) synapses
B) dendrites
C) axons
D) nodes of Ranvier

Question 21

An action potential is a sudden ______ change in the electrical charge of a neuron's _________.

Question 22

Describe how the GABA' and glutamate's 'stop and go' system works with reference to the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens.

Question 23

GABA and glutamate receptors are __________: they are activated by __________.

A) ionotropic; changes in membrane potential
B) ionotropic; the binding of a transmitter
C) voltage-dependent; changes in membrane potential
D) voltage-dependent; the binding of a transmitter

Question 24

Which of the following pairs reflects an accurate relationship neurotransmitter-function?

A) GABA-go
B) Glutamate-stop
C) GABA-excitatory
D) GABA-inhibitory

Question 25

What effect does the binding of benzodiazepine on the alpha1 subunit of a GABA_A receptor exert?

A) Anaesthetic
B) Anxiety reduction
C) Sedation
D) Antidepressant

Question 26

Mr Anderson has been diagnosed with depression. Mrs Benitez suffers from Parkinson's disease. Mr Anderson may be helped by drugs that increase the activity of the neurotransmitter ________. Mrs Benitez is more likely to be prescribed a drug that elevates the activity of the neurotransmitter ________.

A) serotonin; dopamine
B) dopamine; serotonin
C) noradrenaline; dopamine
D) serotonin; noradrenaline

Question 27

Which disease below is CORRECTLY matched with a cause?

A) Parkinson's disease - death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra.
B) Depression - death of cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain.
C) Huntington's disease - death of serotonergic neurons in the raphe nuclei.
D) Alzheimer's disease - death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra.

Question 28

What pharmacological treatment is the most effective for Parkinson's disease?

Question 29

What does the statement 'cells that fire together wire together' refer to?

Question 30

Long-term potentiation (LTP) depends on the activity of GABA receptors.

Question 31

LTP stands for long-term potentiation.

Question 32

The __________ receptors involved in long-term potentiation are __________ and __________.

Question 33

Long-term potentiation was first recorded in __________ experiments.

A) Physiology
B) Electrophysiology
C) Neurobiology
D) Optogenetics

Question 34

Which ions do the NMDA receptors flux when bound by glutamate?

A) Na⁺ only
B) Ca²⁺ only
C) Na⁺ and Ca²⁺
D) K⁺ and Ca²⁺

Question 35

The neurons that respond consistently to the sight or concept of one thing, irrespective of incidental changes, are known as:

A) grandfather cells
B) grandmother cells
C) granddaughter cells
D) mother cells

Question 36

Where was the long-term potentiation initially observed?

A) In the thalamus
B) In the substantia nigra
C) In the hypothalamus
D) In the hippocampus

Question 37

Which of the following terms refer to a long-lasting enhancement in signal transmission between two neurons that are repeatedly stimulated synchronously?

A) Long-term depression
B) Long-term potentiation
C) Plasticity
D) Rate coding

Question 38

What does set a limit to the number of action potentials generated per second?

A) The magnitude of the action potentials.
B) The type of neuron.
C) The type of neurotransmitter.
D) The refractory period

Question 39

Which of the following terms is not associated to the notion that information in neurons is coded by the number of action potentials per second?

A) Temporal coding
B) Spiking rate
C) Rate coding
D) Firing rate

Question 40

With reference to simple cells, which of the following statements is INCORRECT?

A) These cells sum together activity from several cells.
B) These cells are quite low in the processing hierarchy, that's why they are called 'simple'.
C) In the primary visual cortex, these cells respond to bars of light with a particular orientation.
D) These neurons are higher up in the hierarchy.

Question 41

What is the firing rate of a neuron?

Question 42

The __________ consists of the brain and the spinal cord. On the other hand, the __________ nervous system is divided in two subsystems: the __________ and the __________.

Question 43

The __________ subdivision of the peripheral nervous system controls voluntary motor activity.

A) somatic
B) autonomic
C) sympathetic
D) parasympathetic

Question 44

What division of the autonomic nervous system is responsible for fear-related responses such as increased heart rate and breathing?

Question 45

Which division of the autonomic nervous system is responsible for bringing the body back to a resting state after a threat is not present anymore?

Question 46

Dustin thinks Marissa is cute, smart, and funny. As he begins to ask Marissa out on a date his mouth becomes dry, his stomach sinks, and his heart rate starts to rise. The physiological symptoms that Dustin is experiencing are a reflection of his ________ response to stress.

A) parasympathetic nervous system's
B) sympathetic nervous system's
C) psychological coping
D) psychopathological

Question 47

Which of the following are lobes housed within the cerebral cortex?

A) occipital
B) frontal
C) temporal
D) all of the above

Question 48

Grey matter is made up of __________, while white matter is composed by __________ and __________.

Question 49

What is the structure that physically and functionally connects the two hemispheres?

Question 50

How are the four lobes of the neocortex called?

Question 51

Describe the higher functions of the frontal lobe and some common effects that result from damage in this area.

Question 52

What of the following is processed by the parietal lobe?

A) touch and bodily position
B) speech recognition
C) speech production
D) visual recognition

Question 53

How thick is the cortex?

A) 1 cm
B) 3 cm
C) 1 mm
D) 3 mm

Question 54

What is the most ventral lobe?

A) Temporal
B) Frontal
C) Parietal
D) Occipital

Question 55

After a stroke, Miss Gray reported a severe agnosia - she couldn't recognise objects anymore. Most certainly the main locus of Miss Gray's stroke was in her __________ lobe.

A) parietal
B) temporal
C) occipital
D) frontal

Question 56

What areas make up the striatum?

Question 57

Historically the limbic system has been described as the __________, for its role in detecting and expressing emotional responses.

Question 58

The diencephalon is made up by two main structures: the __________ and the __________.

Question 59

The part of brain attached to the posterior of the hindbrain is the _________; it is important for such functions as __________.

A) cerebellum; dexterity and smooth execution of movements
B) cerebellum; multisensory integration
C) superior colliculi; dexterity and smooth execution of movements
D) superior colliculi; multisensory integration

Question 60

What does 'cerebellum' literally mean?

A) Little brain
B) Smart brain
C) Posterior brain
D) Beautiful brain

Question 61

Which group of areas does the hippocampus belong to?

A) The basal ganglia
B) The limbic system
C) The midbrain
D) The fronto-parietal system

Question 62

What functions does the medulla oblongata regulate?

Question 63

What part of the brain allows to modifying a motor movement in response to visual feedback in order to reach a target?

Question 64

In the midbrain, there are two grey-matter nuclei. The __________ is responsible for multisensory integration, while the __________ is specialized in auditory processing.

Question 65

The __________ is the main sensory relay for all senses between sense organs and the cortex. This important structure is located in the __________.

Question 66

Which lobe is responsible for spatial cognition and attention?

A) Frontal
B) Temporal
C) Parietal
D) Occipital

Question 67

Name and describe the three main concepts that regulate animal experimentation, also known as 3Rs.

Question 68

'Reduction' in animal experimentation refers to the practice of minimizing research funds by using animals instead of humans in experiments.

Question 69

What are the 3Rs within the ethical framework which regulates animal experimentation?

Question 70

__________ refers to a model system in neuroscience where computers are used to build models of the brain's neural networks.

A) In vivo
B) In vitro
C) In silico
D) Ex vivo

Question 71

Which of the following model systems consists of testing behaviour through the study of living animals?

A) In silico
B) In vitro
C) Ex vivo
D) In vivo

Question 72

In __________ models, brain slices are used to study neural activity through electrophysiological recordings.

A) in silico
B) in vitro
C) ex vivo
D) in vivo

Question 73

In animal experimentation, lesions are made selectively to study a certain behaviour. These can be carried out:

A) physically, electrolytically, or chemically
B) physically or chemically
C) psychologically, electrolytically, or chemically
D) Electrolytically or chemically

Question 74

What is a 'stereotactic surgery'?

Question 75

Electrolytical lesions are induced by stimulating a brain area with an electric current sufficient to cause cell death.

Question 76

'Phineas Gage' is a famous case of chemically induced lesion.

Question 77

What are the three possible way of making brain lesions in animal experimentation?

Question 78

What is a 'sham' lesion?

Question 79

Probes can be implanted in the brain and deliver drugs locally, a procedure known as __________.

Question 80

__________ consists of measuring local changes in neurotransmitter thanks to a probe implanted in a specific brain area.