In the parasympathetic nervous system, the preganglionic fibers are _____, and the
postganglionic fibers are _____.
a. long, long
b. long, short
c. short, long
d. short, short
The two types of thirst are ____ and ____.
a. osmotic thirst; hypervolemic thirst
b. osmotic thirst; hypovolemic thirst
c. hypovolemic thirst; set point thirst
d. vasopressin thirst; osmotic thirst
Which of the following is most likely to cross the cell membrane by simple diffusion?
a. large proteins
b. small, charged ions
c. small, uncharged molecules
d. large, charged ions
A decrease in the amount of sleep most likely to affect the performance of migratory
bird during:
a. migration season.
b. NREM sleep.
c. the daytime.
d. seasons other than migration.
Which of the following is TRUE about various types of somatosensation?
a. They are produced by varied responses by a single type of receptor.
b. They involve different receptors, but the spinal cord integrates the information.
c. They remain separate through the spinal cord, but are interpreted by a single set of
cortical neurons.
d. They are at least partly distinct all the way from the receptors to the cerebral cortex.
One part of the reticular formation that contributes to cortical arousal is known as the:
a. tectomesencephalon
b. pontomesencephalon
c. corticomesencephalon
d. rubromesencephalon
If you were to stub your toe and feel the pressure a second or two before you feel the
pain, then which of the following statements is most likely true?
a. Pain sensitive neurons are large and myelinated.
b. Pain sensitive neurons are longer.
c. Pressure sensitive neurons are small and lightly myelinated.
d. Pressure sensitive neurons are large and myelinated.
The point of origin of an epileptic seizure is called the:
a. scope.
b. target.
c. focus.
d. heart.
How is olfactory information coded in receptor cells?
a. Each odor produces a different ratio of firing across three types of olfactory cells.
b. Each odor produces a different ratio of firing across six types of olfactory cells.
c. There are hundreds of types of receptor molecules, each responsive to a different
chemical.
d. Chemicals in the air are transported to the olfactory cortex.
A person would have the most difficulty locating the sight and sound of an approaching
train with damage to the:
a. area MT.
b. parietal cortex.
c. prefrontal cortex.
d. tympanic membrane.
How much alcohol, if any, can a pregnant woman drink without worrying about the
negative effects on her child?
a. The equivalent of two cocktails a day
b. The equivalent of one beer a day
c. Anything less than what causes her to act drunk
d. Unknown, and therefore abstention is recommended
Which hormone(s) is/are likely to be found more abundantly in males than in females?
a. Peptide hormones
b. Androgens
c. Progesterone
d. Estrogens
An action potential causes the release of neurotransmitters by:
a. blocking potassium pores in the membrane.
b. opening chloride pores in the membrane.
c. blocking iron pores in the membrane.
d. opening calcium pores in the membrane.
As time passes, memory becomes less detailed, less dependent on the hippocampus, and
more dependent on the:
a. basal ganglia
b. Amygdala
c. cerebral cortex
d. Thalamus
When stating that the neuron’s membrane is polarized, you are referring to a difference
in electrical potential between:
a. the axons and the dendrites.
b. the axon hillock and the cell body.
c. sodium ions and potassium ions.
d. the inside and the outside of the membrane.
What is signaled by nerve growth factor (NGF)?
a. That a target cell has “accepted” an axon
b. Which target cell a growing axon should connect with
c. That axons should elongate as the body grows bigger
d. The need for new neurons to form in brain areas that are lacking in neurons
The precentral gyrus is essential for:
a. fine movements.
b. coordination between vision and hearing.
c. emotions.
d. hunger and thirst.
Molecules that can cross the blood-brain barrier are usually:
a. large, uncharged molecules, such as lactose.
b. large, charged molecules.
c. neurotransmitters, such as dopamine.
d. molecules that can dissolve in the fats of the capillary walls.
Humans expend most of their energy on what activity?
a. walking, running, and other forms of locomotion
b. in the beating of their hearts and blood circulation
c. propagating action potentials in the billions of neurons in the nervous system
d. maintaining basal metabolism
The number of Purkinje cells activated determines the ____ of the resulting movement.
a. speed
b. power
c. duration
d. accuracy
____ cells axons make up the optic nerve.
a. Horizontal
b. Amacrine
c. Bipolar
d. Ganglion
Which hormonal levels fluctuate when people are eating, or getting ready to eat?
a. insulin levels fall
b. insulin levels rise
c. CCK levels rise
d. CCK levels fall
Which of the following is not required (or strongly encouraged) of scientists conducting
research with animals?
a. Obtain approval of their project by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
b. Abide by standards for cleanliness and animal care.
c. Assume that any procedure that causes humans pain will cause animals pain.
d. All the other choices are required or strongly encouraged.
Most of the axons of the medial tract go to which side of the body?
a. Contralateral
b. Ipsilateral
c. Bilateral
d. Dorsolateral
How is the circadian rhythm of adult hamsters affected after transplanting SCN tissue
from hamster fetuses with abnormal (20 hour) circadian rhythms?
a. There is no change from their previous 24 hour cycle.
b. It depends on the age of the adult hamsters.
c. The adult hamsters adopted the rhythm of the transplanted tissue.
d. All indications of a cycle disappeared.
On average, exposure to nicotine during pregnancy increases risk of ____ deficits.
a. emotional
b. attention
c. learning
d. memory
Compared to the average weekend jogger, a world class marathon runner probably has a
higher percentage of which kind of fibers in his legs?
a. slow-twitch
b. fast-twitch
c. smooth muscle
d. white muscle
If a treatment suddenly lowered your serotonin level:
a. you would experience depression.
b. you would become violent.
c. you would become both depressed and violent.
d. we could not predict how and when your behavior would change.
What is the result if a stimulus shifts the potential inside a neuron from the resting
potential to a potential slightly closer to zero?
a. hyperpolarization
b. depolarization
c. selective permeability
d. a refractory period
Why is it that every axon in an adult mammal has a target cell (muscle cell or other
neuron) with which it makes synaptic contact?
a. Each target cell causes the growth of a neuron and its axon.
b. After formation, axons release a chemical that causes a target cell to form.
c. Axons that fail to find a target cell die.
d. An axon will make contact with any kind of cell and adjust its function as necessary.
A serious side effect that develops in some people after prolonged use of neuroleptic
drugs is:
a. tardive dyskinesia.
b. attention deficit disorder.
c. saccadic eye movements.
d. seasonal affective disorder.
Retrograde transmitters:
a. are produced in the axon terminals.
b. inhibit the postsynaptic cell.
c. are broken down before they are released.
d. are released by the postsynaptic cell.
What would cause a mammal to develop the anatomy of a male, regardless of its
chromosomes?
a. exposure to high levels of testosterone during an early stage of development
b. deprivation of estradiol during an early stage of development
c. exposure to neither testosterone nor estradiol during an early stage of development
d. an infusion of testosterone at puberty
Neurotransmitter is to ____ as cyclic AMP is to ____.
a. first messenger, second messenger
b. second messenger, first messenger
c. metabotropic, ionotropic
d. receptor, neuromodulator