Question 1

The speed of information flow in a nerve was first measured by:

Accepted Answer

Hermann von Helmholtz was the first to measure the speed of nerve impulse using a frog nerve in the 1850s. The other options, Wilder Penfield, Eduard Hitzig, and Gustave Fritsch, were all neuroscientists but did not make the initial measurement of nerve impulse speed.

Question 2

Roberts Bartholow is remembered for being the first person to stimulate the brain of a:

Accepted Answer

Roberts Bartholow is remembered for being the first person to stimulate the brain of a human.

Question 3

To measure the voltage across the cell membrane,you would normally:

Accepted Answer

To measure the voltage across the cell membrane, one electrode should be placed on the outer surface of the membrane, and another electrode should be placed inside the axon. Thus, choice B is the best option. Choice A is incorrect as it suggests inserting two electrodes into the axon, which is not necessary and potentially damaging to the cell. Choice C is also incorrect as it only measures the voltage difference between two points on the outer surface of the membrane, not across the entire membrane. Finally, choice D is incorrect as not all of the options are correct.

Question 4

Microelectrodes can:

Accepted Answer

All of the given options are correct statements about microelectrodes. They can be made from glass, wire or other materials, and can have a tiny tip as small as 0.001 millimeter. Therefore, option D is the correct answer.

Question 5

The patch technique involves:

Accepted Answer

The patch technique involves placing the tip of the microelectrode in an axon and applying some back suction, creating a tight seal between the membrane and electrode. This allows for recording of ion channel activity and manipulation of the membrane potential. Options A and B describe other types of recording techniques, while option D involves placing multiple electrodes within an axon which is technically challenging and less commonly used.

Question 6

The notion that opposites attract best describes:

Accepted Answer

A voltage gradient describes the movement of charged particles due to differences in electrical potential, aligning with the idea that opposite charges attract.

Question 7

_____ is a neurological disorder that is linked to periods of excessive neural synchrony.

Accepted Answer

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures, which are caused by periods of excessive and abnormal neuronal activity or synchronized firing in the brain.

Question 8

An electroencephalogram,or EEG,can theoretically be recorded by:

Accepted Answer

EEG measures the electrical activity in the brain, which is typically recorded using a voltmeter. A current meter or amp meter would not be appropriate for detecting the voltage changes associated with EEG activity.

Question 9

Another term for volts is:

Accepted Answer

Volts are a unit of measurement for the difference in electrical potential between two points in an electric circuit. Current flow is measured in amperes (amps) and volts are not the same as amps, so choices B, C, and D are incorrect.

Question 10

When a substance moves from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration,it is an example of a(n):

Accepted Answer

The movement of a substance from an area of high to low concentration is an example of a concentration gradient. A voltage gradient refers to a difference in electrical charge between two points, and ionic translocation refers to the movement of ions across a cell membrane. Therefore, the correct answer is A) concentration gradient.

Question 11

The movement of ions from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration is called:

Accepted Answer

The movement of ions from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration is called diffusion. A concentration gradient refers to the difference in concentration between two areas, and a voltage gradient refers to the difference in electrical charge between two areas. Ionic translocation is not a commonly used term in this context.

Question 12

Which of the following treatments is (are)used to help reduce epilepsy?

Accepted Answer

All of the provided options are used to help reduce the symptoms of epilepsy. Medications such as antiepileptic drugs are commonly prescribed. Deep brain stimulation involves the use of electrical impulses to regulate abnormal brain activity. A high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet, also known as the ketogenic diet, has been found to be effective in reducing seizures in some individuals with epilepsy.

Question 13

In a now-famous experiment,Fritsch and Hitzig discovered that electrical stimulation of the neocortex led to:

Accepted Answer

Fritsch and Hitzig's experiment showed that stimulating the neocortex (specifically, the motor cortex) led to movements, indicating that specific regions of the brain are responsible for controlling motor functions.

Question 14

Electricity is a flow of electrons from a body that contains a higher charge (more electrons)to a body that has a lower charge (fewer electrons).The body containing the higher electrical charge is called a:

Accepted Answer

The body containing the higher electrical charge is called the negative pole.

Question 15

When Richard Caton first measured fluctuations on a voltmeter from electrodes placed on the scalp of a human subject,he was recording what we now call:

Accepted Answer

Richard Caton's measurement of fluctuations on a voltmeter from electrodes placed on the scalp of a human subject was the first recording of what we now call the electroencephalogram (EEG). The EEG measures the electrical activity of the brain and is commonly used in neuroscience and clinical settings to diagnose and monitor various brain disorders. B) Action potentials are the electrical signals that travel down the axon of a neuron, while D) axonal conductance refers to the movement of ions through the axon. C) Magnetoencephalography (MEG) measures the magnetic fields generated by electrical activity in the brain.

Question 16

Erica is an 18-year-old in her first year of university.One day while she was watching a video in class,Erica started to hear what she thought was music playing.Suddenly,she began shaking in her seat and fell to the floor.After the incident ended,one of her classmates helped her to the campus medical center,where she was later diagnosed as having:

Accepted Answer

The symptoms described - hearing music, shaking, falling - are consistent with a seizure, which is the main symptom of epilepsy. Huntington disease and Parkinson disease both primarily affect movement and are unlikely to cause sudden seizures. Myasthenia gravis is a neuromuscular disorder that causes weakness in muscles, but it does not typically cause seizures.

Question 17

Recording from single neurons was made possible by the invention of:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Recording from single neurons was made possible...

Question 18

The technique of electrical stimulation was first discovered by:

Accepted Answer

The technique of electrical stimulation was first discovered by Luigi Galvani in the late 18th century through his experiments on frogs' legs. He found that the muscles in the legs contracted when they were exposed to an electrical current, demonstrating the existence of electrical impulses in living tissue.

Question 19

René Descartes believed that _____ carried signals through the nervous system.

Accepted Answer

The answer of René Descartes believed that _____ carried signals...

Question 20

_____ won the Nobel Prize in 1963 for being the first to describe the electrical activity of neurons.

Accepted Answer

Hodgkin and Huxley won the Nobel Prize in 1963 for their work in describing the electrical activity of neurons. Young received the Nobel Prize in 2017 for his work on the imaging of molecules. von Helmholtz is known for his work on vision and perception, but did not win a Nobel Prize for his work on neurons. Watson and Crick won the Nobel Prize in 1962 for their discovery of the structure of DNA.

Quiz 4:How Do Neurons Use Electrical Signals to Transmit Information? Part B