Sleep spindles originate from:
a. PGO waves.
b. sudden stimuli.
c. SCN neurons.
d. interactions between the thalamus and cortex.
What can people with conductive deafness hear?
a. high-pitched sounds but not low-pitched sounds
b. their own voice better than external sounds
c. sounds, but not pitch; everything is monotone
d. nothing at all
People with late-onset depression are more likely than average to have relatives with:
a. allergies
b. circulatory problems
c. brain cancer
d. eczema and other skin problems
Which of the following would most likely interfere with sensitization in the Aplysia?
a. increasing serotonin levels
b. decreasing serotonin levels
c. pinching the skin
d. blocking GABA receptors
According to the trichromatic theory of color vision, the most important factor in
determining the color we see is the:
a. velocity of the action potential.
b. absolute activity of a single cone.
c. difference between cone and rod activity.
d. relative activity of short, medium, and long wavelengths.
At least some cases of Parkinson’s disease are apparently linked to what cause?
a. A recessive gene on chromosome 4
b. The accumulation of aluminum in the cerebral cortex and hypothalamus
c. A chronic lack of vitamin B-1
d. A toxic substance found in a heroin substitute
What happens to a virus that manages to cross the blood-brain barrier and enter the
brain?
a. It is destroyed by natural killer cells.
b. It gets trapped in a neuron, then both are destroyed by natural killer cells.
c. It gets trapped in a glial cell, then both are destroyed by natural killer cells.
d. It stays in the nervous system throughout the person’s life.
Which of the following is NOT a strong argument in support of conducting animal
research?
a. The underlying mechanisms are similar across species.
b. Certain ethical restrictions make it impossible to use humans.
c. Animals have shorter life spans for studying developmental changes.
d. Animals can”t give consent to participate in research.
More typical of dyslexic people than of other people is:
a. a planum temporale that is larger in the left hemisphere than the right hemisphere.
b. a bilaterally symmetrical cerebral cortex.
c. damage to the posterior portion of the corpus callosum.
d. an overresponsive magnocellular pathway in the visual system.
Alzheimer’s leads to the accumulation of ____ in the brain.
a. glucose
b. amyloid deposits
c. arachidonic acid
d. serotonin
Glial cells whose function most closely resembles that of the immune system are called:
a. oligodendrocytes.
b. Schwann cells.
c. microglia.
d. radial glia.
What do temporal summation and spatial summation have in common?
a. Both involve the activity of only two neurons.
b. Both require a response from the brain.
c. Both depend on a combination of visual and auditory stimuli.
d. Both enable a reflex to occur in response to weak stimuli.
Axons from the locus coeruleus release ____ widely throughout the cortex.
a. norepinephrine
b. acetylcholine
c. dopamine
d. serotonin
In the otolith organs, the otoliths are calcium carbonate particles that:
a. push against hair cells when moved.
b. vibrate with different frequencies.
c. stabilize the semicircular canals.
d. enhance sound localization.
In the Morris search task, a rat with hippocampal damage will:
a. not be able to find the platform.
b. easily be able to find the platform regardless of where it is.
c. gradually learn the route if the starting and ending point are the same.
d. find the platform, but never remember where it was.
____ occurs as a surviving axon grows a new branch to replace the synapses left vacant
by a damaged axon.
a. Collateral sprouting
b. Degeneration supersensitivity
c. Denervation supersensitivity
d. Axon sprouting
An individual has difficulty remembering certain things after brain damage, but all
memories stored before the damage are intact. The brain area most likely damaged is
the:
a. fornix.
b. hypothalamus.
c. hippocampus.
d. nucleus basalis.
Cells in the inferior temporal cortex that are sensitive to a particular shape are also
likely to respond to the shape’s:
a. figure-ground reversal.
b. color.
c. motion.
d. mirror-reversal.
One explanation for the difficulty that people with amygdala damage have with
recognizing fearful faces is that they:
a. can”t see very well.
b. don”t remember what fear looks like.
c. focus their attention on the eyes of faces instead of the nose and mouth.
d. focus their attention on the nose and mouth of faces instead of the eyes.
When bacteria, viruses, fungi, or other intruders invade the body, it mobilizes ____ to
attack them.
a. leptin
b. cholecystokinin
c. cytokines
d. leukocytes
A person who studies the influence of genetic predisposition to be aggressive in
combination with early aggressive experiences is seeking for a(n) ____ explanation.
a. physiological
b. behavioral
c. evolutionary
d. ontogenetic
____ decrease(s) the responses in a rat’s brain to the smell of a cat.
a. Orexin
b. Cholecystokinin
c. Benzodiazepines
d. Chloride ions
Ordinarily, stimulation of a neuron takes place:
a. through hyperpolarization.
b. at the synapse.
c. in the mitochondria.
d. in the endoplasmic reticulum.
The area of the cortex that receives input from the face is adjacent to the area of the
cortex that receives input from the foot. After amputation of the foot, it is possible that a
phantom limb sensation will be felt whenever the:
a. other foot is touched.
b. face is touched.
c. face is anesthetized.
d. axons from the foot regrow.
Damage to the human left optic nerve before it crosses the optic chiasm would result in
the loss of vision in the:
a. left eye.
b. right eye.
c. right visual field.
d. left visual field.
When an action potential reaches the end of an axon, it evokes the release of
neurotransmitters by opening ____ channels in the axon terminal.
a. chloride
b. bicarbonate
c. calcium
d. oxygen
Most of the output from the globus pallidus to the thalamus releases:
a. glutamate.
b. ACh.
c. dopamine.
d. GABA
After central nervous system damage, myelin:
a. degenerates and dies.
b. secretes proteins that inhibit axon regrowth.
c. secretes proteins that enhance some regrowth of axons.
d. becomes thicker in surviving axons.
In the vertebrate retina, which cells are responsible for lateral inhibition?
a. horizontal cells
b. ganglion cells
c. bipolar cells
d. glial cells
“Transporter” proteins transport neurotransmitters:
a. back into the presynaptic neuron.
b. across the synapse to the postsynaptic neuron.
c. across the synapse back to the presynaptic neuron.
d. to the appropriate receptor sites.