The SCN is located just above the:
a. optic chiasm.
b. thalamus.
c. hypothalamus.
d. visual cortex.
The ability of the brain to change its anatomy over time, within limits, is known as:
a. plasticity.
b. regression.
c. connectivity.
d. long term potentiation.
Which of the following would most likely happen with damage to the prefrontal cortex?
a. Inability to move
b. Loss of somatosensory experiences
c. Poorly planned movements
d. No effect on movement
According to the frequency theory, the:
a. tectorial membrane vibrates in synchrony with the auditory nerve.
b. auditory nerve is responsible for perception of sound but not loudness.
c. basilar membrane vibrates in synchrony with a sound, producing action potentials at
the same frequency.
d. basilar membrane is tuned to a specific frequency and vibrates whenever that
frequency is present.
After learning strengthens one set of synapses, other synapses:
a. weaken.
b. die.
c. get stronger.
d. become aroused.
If a hamster is primed for a fight, increased activity will most likely be found:
a. in the corticomedial amygdala.
b. all over the cortex.
c. all over the temporal lobe.
d. in the occipital lobe.
Poikilothermic organisms have body temperatures which:
a. remain relatively constant no matter the change in the external environment.
b. are the same as the temperatures of their environments.
c. are nearly constant, although the brain temperature varies.
d. allow them to survive in very warm climates only.
One explanation for why having genes for low serotonin turnover may be beneficial in
monkeys is that:
a. a low level of aggression is best for survival.
b. an intermediate level of aggression prevents them from being too fearful or too
violent.
c. most highly aggressive monkeys get everything they want.
d. serotonin causes cancer.
What is the term for the new branches that may form in uninjured axons after damage
to surrounding axons?
a. collateral sprouts
b. bifurcations
c. denervation supersensitivity
d. diaschisis
The memory for the development of motor skills is termed:
a. priming.
b. explicit memory.
c. procedural memory.
d. declarative memory.
In a study of serotonin turnover in male monkeys, it was found that those with:
a. low levels were most submissive.
b. high levels had the most scars.
c. high levels were the most aggressive.
d. low levels were usually dead by age six.
The Babinski reflex clinically occurs in a(n):
a. person with Parkinson’s disease.
b. adult with damage to the cerebral cortex.
c. child born without feet.
d. person with Huntington’s disease.
A few cases of depression are linked to ____ such as Borna disease.
a. viral infections
b. tumors
c. cysts
d. bacterial infections
A restless, impulsive person whose speech rambles from one idea to another may fit
which of these categories?
a. autistic
b. depressed
c. manic
d. narcoleptic
Which plane shows brain structures as they would be seen from above?
a. Coronal
b. Sagittal
c. Horizontal
d. Commuter
What defines a homeostatic process?
a. the regulation of blood flow
b. any process governed by hormones
c. the maintenance of certain body variables within a fixed range
d. reproduction involving distinct male and female genders in a species
Opiate drugs bind to receptors in the brain for:
a. endorphins.
b. catecholamines.
c. indolamines.
d. monoamines.
Which of the following is NOT a function of neurotrophins?
a. Direct axonal growth during development.
b. Increase axonal branching in mature neurons.
c. Increase regrowth of axons after brain damage.
d. Induce apoptosis of neurons.
Stimulation of a touch receptor opens ____ channels in the axon.
a. choline
b. potassium
c. sodium
d. calcium
The corpus callosum matures sufficiently between ages ____ and ____ to facilitate the
comparison of stimuli between the two hands.
a. 1,3
b. 8,10
c. 3,5
d. 5,6
The right hemisphere of the human brain receives visual input from the:
a. retina of the left eye.
b. retina of the right eye.
c. left half of each retina.
d. right half of each retina.
The prefrontal cortex is important for:
a. the processing of visual information.
b. working memory.
c. language acquisition.
d. recognizing faces.
Which of the following is the most common cause of a stroke?
a. Lack of glucose
b. Ischemia from an obstruction of an artery
c. Hemorrhage of an artery
d. Blow to the head
According to the activation-synthesis hypothesis, it should be possible to predict (with
better than chance accuracy) the content of a person’s dreams if we know what
information about the person?
a. concentration of serotonin and acetylcholine in the cerebral cortex
b. number and type of emotional experiences during the day
c. stimuli currently acting on the body and areas of spontaneous brain activity
d. time the person went to sleep and the current time
A man who has suffered from damage to the cerebellar cortex is given the
finger-to-nose test. He is most likely to have trouble with which part of the task?
a. Understanding the instructions
b. Controlling the initial, rapid movement
c. Holding his finger steady following the initial, rapid movement
d. Moving his finger to his nose following the brief hold function
Where do the metabolic activities occur that provide energy for all of the other activities
of the cell?
a. Mitochondria
b. Ribosomes
c. Lysosomes
d. Golgi complexes
Most visual researchers suggest that area V1 neurons respond most strongly to:
a. spatial frequencies.
b. round shapes.
c. faces.
d. unfamiliar stimuli.
Each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex receives most of its input from the ____ side of
the body and controls the muscles on the ____ side.
a. contralateral; ipsilateral
b. ipsilateral; contralateral
c. ipsilateral; ipsilateral
d. contralateral; contralateral
A Danish study correlating the weights of 540 adopted children with various adoptive
and biological relatives found:
a. a higher correlation with biological relatives than adoptive relatives.
b. a higher correlation with adoptive siblings than with biological siblings.
c. the same correlation with biological relatives and adoptive relatives.
d. a higher correlation with biological relatives during childhood but a higher
correlation with adoptive relatives in adulthood.
Certain painful stimuli activate neurons which release endorphins in the:
a. periaqueductal gray area.
b. ventricles
c. forebrain.
d. cerebellum.
What is a dermatome?
a. an area of the skin innervated by a given spinal nerve
b. an instrument used to record impulses in the spinal cord
c. the point at which sensory nerves make contact with motor nerves
d. an area of the skin that has no touch receptors