Pregnant women often experience nausea because of the heightened activity of the ____
receptor.
a. serotonin 3
b. progesterone
c. estradiol
d. dopamine 2
Longer stimulation (1/2 sec) of the arm region of a monkey’s motor cortex results in:
a. brief muscle twitches of the arm.
b. repetitive muscle twitches of the fingers.
c. a fixed set of muscle movements such as contraction of the biceps.
d. a fixed outcome using different muscle movements depending on the initial position
of the arm.
Korsakoff’s patients best remember a list of short sentences by:
a. reading and rereading them.
b. testing themselves on each sentence before going on to the next.
c. creating an elaborate story integrating the content of the sentences.
d. relating each sentence to a past personal experience.
L-Dopa, a common treatment for Parkinson’s disease, is a drug that:
a. inhibits activity of the immune system.
b. increases the brain’s production of dopamine.
c. blocks the enzyme acetylcholinesterase.
d. facilitates the passage of sodium across neuron membranes.
Phenylalanine might affect the probability of aggressive behavior by:
a. converting to testosterone in the body.
b. converting to L-dopa in the body.
c. interfering with the production of serotonin.
d. interfering with the production of GABA.
European swifts sleep:
a. after a meal.
b. only in their nest.
c. during flight.
d. only at night.
According to rodent studies, testosterone exerts a major part of its effect on:
a. alpha-fetoprotein.
b. the sex region Y gene.
c. the thalamus.
d. the hypothalamus.
The immune system’s way of telling the brain that the body is ill is by way of:
a. macrophages.
b. cytotoxic cells.
c. cytokines.
d. natural killer cells.
The highest correlation for bipolar disorder exists:
a. between children and their adoptive parents.
b. among siblings.
c. between dizygotic twins.
d. between monozygotic twins.
A stroke caused by an artery rupturing is also known as:
a. ischemia.
b. hemorrhage.
c. closed head injury.
d. penumbra.
Cannabinoid receptors are located on the:
a. the postsynaptic neuron
b. the presynaptic neuron
c. the cell body
d. axon
At the level of rods and cones, the ____ theory seems to fit best, while at the level of
the bipolar cells, the ____ theory seems to fit best.
a. opponent process; volley
b. volley; trichromatic
c. opponent process; trichromatic
d. trichromatic; opponent process
Researchers have tested many behaviors for heritability and have found evidence of a
link to heritability for almost every behavior tested. One exception is:
a. social attitudes.
b. loneliness.
c. television watching.
d. religious affiliation.
The challenge in identifying specific brain areas that are associated with specific
emotions is that:
a. all emotions activate all parts of the brain.
b. the procedures used to measure emotions vary considerably.
c. we don”t have techniques to view activity in the brain.
d. the area of the brain responsible for a particular emotion varies over time.
What is contained in the ventricles of the brain?
a. Glia
b. Cell bodies
c. Dendrites and axons
d. Cerebrospinal fluid
It is hoped that long-term potentiation (LTP) will help to explain:
a. Alzheimer’s disease.
b. Korsakoff’s syndrome.
c. learning and memory.
d. inherited intelligence.
Which of the following is NOT true about sleepwalking?
a. It occurs mostly in children.
b. It is dangerous to awaken a sleepwalker.
c. It runs in families.
d. It occurs most often during stages 3 and 4.
Parvocellular neurons most likely receive input from:
a. magnocellular neurons.
b. rods.
c. bipolar cells that receive input from cones.
d. the periphery of the retina.
Nicotine directly stimulates receptors in the central nervous system and at nerve-muscle
junctions. These nicotinic receptors are also receptors for which neurotransmitter?
a. glutamate
b. dopamine
c. serotonin
d. acetylcholine
An animal has trouble digesting its food after damage to the:
a. occipital cortex.
b. lateral hypothalamus.
c. medial part of the hypothalamus.
d. pineal gland.
In a study, functional MRI measured cerebellar activity. It was found that the
cerebellum was quite active when individuals:
a. lifted objects.
b. remembered seeing faces.
c. made reflexive movements.
d. felt objects with both hands to decide whether they were the same.
The chemicals used as neurotransmitters in humans are found in:
a. no other species.
b. other mammals also, but not in non-mammals.
c. other vertebrates, but not in invertebrates.
d. apparently all or nearly all other species.
Modern methods have demonstrated that phantom limbs develop only if the relevant
portion of the ____ reorganizes and becomes responsive to alternative inputs.
a. somatosensory cortex
b. torso
c. axon
d. glia
Insulin increases the entry of tryptophan into the brain by:
a. weakening the blood-brain barrier.
b. converting tryptophan into a compound that more easily enters the brain.
c. increasing metabolic activity only in those areas of the brain that use tryptophan.
d. causing certain competing amino acids to enter other cells, outside the brain.
An polysomnograph displays:
a. action potentials of individual neurons.
b. a combination of EEG and eye-movement records.
c. the rate of glucose uptake in active regions of the brain.
d. the electrical resistance of the scalp.
In infants, anesthetic drugs can increase:
a. proliferation.
b. migration.
c. myelination.
d. apoptosis.
Which of the following is TRUE according to the law of specific nerve energies?
a. Any stimulation of the auditory nerve is perceived as sound.
b. A single nerve can convey either auditory or visual information.
c. Each sensory system has a unique electrical charge.
d. If one sensory system becomes inactive, others will compensate.
Kittens that are restricted to having only having one eye open at a time are similar to
humans with strabismus in that:
a. stereoscopic depth perception fails to develop.
b. they are completely blind.
c. they can see twice as much.
d. they are cross-eyed.
Which of the following tasks would children with the highest ratio of left to right
planum temporale perform better than children with an equal ratio?
a. composing music
b. doing a puzzle
c. writing a play
d. riding a bicycle
The term ‘serotonin turnover” refers to the amount of serotonin that is:
a. released at synapses and resynthesized.
b. currently present in the brain.
c. radioactively labeled.
d. converted into another transmitter.
What is meant by the term “concentration gradient” with respect to neurons?
a. Sodium is more concentrated in the dendrites and potassium in the axon.
b. Negative charges are more concentrated outside the cell.
c. Sodium and potassium ions are more concentrated on opposite sides of the
membrane.
d. Potassium is more concentrated in the dendrites and sodium in the axon.
What is narcolepsy?
a. Sleepwalking
b. The inability to breathe while sleeping
c. Involuntary movements of the limbs while sleeping
d. Sudden periods of sleepiness during the day
The hormonal changes associated with giving birth most often affect depression by:
a. decreasing the probability of a woman becoming depressed.
b. temporarily decreasing the severity of an episode of depression.
c. triggering or aggravating a depressive episode.
d. causing temporary episodes of depression even in women who have no history of
depression.
Which type of explanation describes the advantages provided by a particular structure
or behavior?
a. physiological
b. ontogenetic
c. evolutionary
d. functional
Studies indicate that pheromones may play a role in humans’:
a. ability to detect odors.
b. memories.
c. sexual behaviors.
d. dietary choices.