Morphine and other opiate drugs decrease sensitivity to pain by:
a. depleting substance P from parts of the nervous system.
b. mimicking the effects of endorphins at the synapses.
c. preventing sodium from crossing the membrane.
d. altering blood flow to various parts of the nervous system.
Very brief electrical stimulation of the motor cortex results in:
a. relaxation.
b. muscle twitching.
c. laughing.
d. complex, coordinated movements.
The rooting reflex and the Babinski reflex are characteristic of which group?
a. infants, but not normal adults
b. adults, but not normal infants
c. humans, but not non-humans
d. non-humans, but not humans
What deficits does a person suffer after damage to the striate cortex in the occipital
lobe?
a. Deafness
b. Blindness
c. Loss of touch and other body sensations
d. Loss of fine motor control
Adaptation is to ____ as cross-adaptation is to ____.
a. sour; sweet
b. same tastes; different tastes
c. overstimulation; rebound effects
d. weak stimulation; strong stimulation
Which of the following specialists is MOST likely to work with people with brain
damage?
a. comparative psychologist
b. biopsychologist
c. neuropsychologist
d. psychobiologist
During REM sleep, neuronal activity decreases in the:
a. entire brain.
b. pons.
c. limbic system.
d. primary visual cortex and the motor cortex.
Where does the optic nerve send most of its information?
a. directly to the cerebral cortex
b. to the lateral geniculate
c. to the superior colliculus
d. directly to the occipital lobe
The parasympathetic nervous system has:
a. long preganglionic and long postganglionic axons.
b. long preganglionic and short postganglionic axons.
c. short preganglionic and short postganglionic axons.
d. short preganglionic and long postganglionic axons.
A hormone is a chemical that is:
a. secreted by a gland to the outside world.
b. conveyed by the blood to other organs, whose activity it influences.
c. capable of activating or inhibiting muscle fibers.
d. a feedback message from the postsynaptic neuron to the presynaptic neuron.
Which cell responds most strongly to a stimulus moving perpendicular to its axis?
a. simple
b. complex
c. lateral geniculate
d. ganglion
If we compare either different species or different ages, what trend emerges?
a. The less total sleep, the higher the percentage of REM sleep
b. The more total sleep, the higher the percentage of REM sleep
c. The more activity during wakefulness, the higher the percentage of REM sleep
d. The more activity during wakefulness, the lower the percentage of REM sleep
Which of the following is an example of a motor program in chickens with featherless
wings?
a. flapping wings if suddenly dropped
b. learning to fly
c. stretching its wings but not flapping them
d. flapping its wings while eating
Much of motivated behavior can be described as:
a. diabetic feedback.
b. negative feedback.
c. positive feedback.
d. homeothermic mechanisms.
Color and brightness constancy are best explained by the ____ theory of color vision.
a. trichromatic
b. opponent-process
c. retinex
d. constancy
Where are the auditory receptor cells located?
a. in the semicircular canal
b. on the tympanic membrane
c. on the basilar membrane
d. in the malleus
Habituation of the gill withdrawal response in Aplysia depends on:
a. muscle fatigue.
b. a decreased response by the sensory nerve to the stimulus.
c. a change in the synapse between the sensory neuron and the motor neuron.
d. an increase in the inhibitory impulses from sources other than the sensory nerve.
Autoreceptors monitor the:
a. number of action potentials.
b. extracellular sodium concentration.
c. amount of neurotransmitter released.
d. amount of reuptake.
Migratory birds sleep less during the migratory season because they:
a. are too busy finding food.
b. decrease their need for sleep.
c. are worried about predators.
d. are too busy mating.
What is the hormone released by the posterior pituitary that causes your kidneys to
reabsorb and conserve water?
a. antidiuretic hormone
b. insulin
c. luteinizing hormone
d. oxytocin
Cutting a spinal nerve would result in loss of:
a. sensation in the face.
b. motor control in the part of the body it innervated.
c. sensation in the part of the body it innervated.
d. motor control and sensation in the part of the body it innervated.
Research with rats suggests that the risk for Alzheimer’s disease can be reduced by
eating a diet rich in:
a. protein.
b. carbohydrates.
c. thiamine.
d. antioxidants.
Affinity refers to a drug’s ____, while efficacy refers to a drug’s ____.
a. concentration; effectiveness
b. function; structure
c. strength of binding to the receptor; tendency to activate the receptor
d. tendency to activate the receptor; strength of binding to the receptor
Being able to detect fine details of a color painting would depend most on which of the
following types of ganglion cells?
a. Parvocellular
b. Magnocellular
c. Koniocellular
d. Kodacellular
Having camouflage that matches an animal’s typical surroundings in order to provide
protection from predators is an example of a(n) ____ explanation.
a. evolutionary
b. functional
c. ontogenetic
d. physiological
The field of study concerned with how the nervous system interacts with the immune
system is known as:
a. endocrinology
b. immunopsychology.
c. psychoneuroimmunology.
d. neurobiology.
All of the following are catecholamines EXCEPT:
a. dopamine.
b. serotonin.
c. norepinephrine.
d. epinephrine.
The diencephalon is composed of the:
a. thalamus and basal ganglia.
b. basal ganglia and hypothalamus.
c. thalamus and hypothalamus.
d. thalamus and hippocampus.
Cortical area ____ appears to be where conscious visual perception occurs.
a. V4
b. V3
c. V2
d. V1
If a drug has high affinity and low efficacy, what effect does it have on the postsynaptic
neuron?
a. antagonistic
b. agonistic
c. proactive
d. destructive
Briefly discuss some of the limits of brain research methods.
Answer:
Answers will vary.
Describe the significance of mirror neurons.
Answer:
Answers will vary.
Infants have several reflexes not seen in adults.
Describe what a kitten would be able to see if both eyes were kept shut for the first two
weeks?
The ventral stream of visual processing is important for identifying movement.
Orexin inhibits appetite.
The “binding problem” refers to the question of how various brain regions produce a
single perception of a single object.
A species that has a high rod to cone ratio is most likely to be active during the day.
Describe the five main stages of growth and development of neurons.
Answer:
Answers will vary.
Mammals and amphibians are similar in that they can both easily generate new axons.
Name and describe two different methods for measuring brain function (not anatomy).
Normally, a split-brain patient should be able to name an object flashed to the left visual
field.
In Huntington’s disease, earlier onset is associated with slower deterioration over time.
Melatonin is released by the SCN.
When does someone with Broca’s aphasia have most difficulty understanding language?
A if someone speaks at a normal or faster than normal pace
B if the sentence includes uncommon nouns or verbs
C if the sentence is longer than seven words
D if the meaning depends on complex grammar
Rapid changes in heart rate are probably due to the activity of ionotropic receptors.
Define proliferation during neural development.
In congenital adrenal hypertrophy, the hypothalamus directs the pituitary to increase
production of a hormone that in turn causes the adrenal gland to:
A decrease production of cortisol
B decrease production of insulin
C increase production of testosterone
D increase production of alpha feto-protein