Male aggressive behavior depends heavily on:
a. acetylcholine.
b. estrogen.
c. testosterone.
d. dopamine.
What type of muscle controls movements of internal organs?
a. smooth
b. striated
c. cardiac
d. antagonistic
Approximately what percent of the mammalian body is composed of water?
a. 10%
b. 20%
c. 50%
d. 70%
What is unique about the autonomic activity of the sweat glands?
a. They receive only parasympathetic input.
b. They receive only sympathetic input.
c. They only work when it’s hot outside.
d. Both the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system increase sweating.
Bipolar patients show an increased expression of genes associated with:
a. inflammation.
b. memory loss.
c. proliferation.
d. insomnia.
In most cases, how many neurotransmitters can activate a postsynaptic neuron?
a. only one neurotransmitter
b. any neurotransmitter
c. several transmitters, with different synapses responding to different transmitters
d. several transmitters, which must be received simultaneously
The belief that outer space aliens are trying to control one’s behavior is classified as a:
a. delusion.
b. hallucination.
c. negative symptom.
d. disorganized positive symptom.
If both eyes of a very young kitten are sutured shut for the first few weeks:
a. the kitten will be blind once the sutures are removed.
b. one eye will develop sight, but the other will not.
c. the cortex remains responsive to both eyes.
d. the kitten becomes more sensitive to highly saturated wavelengths of light.
Experiencing nightmares about a traumatic event, avoiding reminders of it, and
exaggerated startle response are symptoms of:
a. major depression.
b. mild depression.
c. PTSD.
d. schizophrenia.
The branch of the autonomic nervous system that is responsible for preparing the body
for intense, vigorous, emergency activity is the:
a. somatic nervous system.
b. craniosacral nervous system.
c. sympathetic nervous system.
d. parasympathetic nervous system.
Impulsive behavior and poor decisions are common symptoms of:
a. parietal damage.
b. prefrontal damage.
c. occipital damage.
d. temporal damage.
To what does ‘shape constancy” refer?
a. All neurons within a single column have the same shape of dendritic tree.
b. We can recognize objects even at different orientations.
c. Objects described from memory are described as more symmetrical than they
actually were when we saw them.
d. No matter how big we get, our mothers still see us as children.
The left 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.
If all of a neuron’s dendrites or axons were contained within the spinal cord, it would be
considered a(n) ____ neuron.
a. efferent
b. afferent
c. intrinsic
d. Purkinje
The main difference between methylphenidate (Ritalin), when taken as a medication for
attention deficit disorder, and cocaine, when taken as a drug of abuse, is that
methylphenidate:
a. inhibits receptors that cocaine excites.
b. produces the same effects more slowly.
c. attaches to a different set of receptors.
d. increases metabolic rate whereas cocaine decreases it.
Sildenafil (Viagra) works by:
a. increasing sensitivity to female’s pheromones.
b. increasing release of nitric oxide in the hypothalamus and penis.
c. decreasing dopamine release in the hypothalamus.
d. blocking pain receptors in the spinal cord.
What conclusion can be drawn from the unusual gender identity cases from the
Dominican Republic?
a. The environment has no affect on gender identity.
b. If given the necessary hormones at puberty, any girl can become a boy.
c. Early child-rearing experiences are not the sole determinant of gender identity.
d. Chromosomes are the determining factor in gender identity.
Most of the information passing from one hemisphere to the other does so by passing
through which structure?
a. cerebellum
b. inferior colliculus
c. corpus callosum
d. massa intermedia
What term describes the movement of primitive neurons and glia within the developing
nervous system?
a. Differentiation
b. Migration
c. Myelination
d. Proliferation
Although the pituitary is often called the master gland, its activity is regulated by the:
a. basal ganglia.
b. hippocampus.
c. hypothalamus.
d. thalamus.
What is the difference in voltage called that typically exists between the inside and the
outside of a neuron?
a. concentration gradient
b. generator potential
c. resting potential
d. shock value
A stroke kills neurons in two waves, first by ____ and second by ____.
a. overstimulation; understimulation
b. Understimulation; overstimulation
c. collateral sprouting; denervation supersensitivity
d. denervation supersensitivity; collateral sprouting
The planum temporale is larger in the:
a. right hemisphere for most people.
b. left hemisphere for most people.
c. right hemisphere but only for newborns.
d. left hemisphere but only for newborns.
The eye muscles have a ratio of about ____ axon(s) per ____ muscle fiber(s).
a. two, three
b. one, three
c. three, two
d. three one
The reason why a dopamine pill is ineffective for treating Parkinson’s disease is that:
a. there is already too much dopamine present.
b. dopamine does not cross the blood-brain barrier.
c. it would have to be the size of a baseball to be effective.
d. it is too expensive.
In furry animals, the erection of hairs helps the animal:
a. show fear.
b. hide.
c. look intimidating.
d. get warm.
Lashley’s term “engram” refers to:
a. a drug that facilitates learning.
b. the physical representation of learning.
c. a procedure that improved memory.
d. an automatic response to a sensory stimulus.
Which division of the nervous system is composed of the autonomic and somatic
nervous systems?
a. Central
b. Parasympathetic
c. Peripheral
d. Sympathetic
Animals eat more frequent (but normal size) meals after damage to the ____. They eat
larger meals (but at normal frequency) after damage to the ____.
a. paraventricular nucleus, ventromedial hypothalamus
b. ventromedial hypothalamus, paraventricular nucleus
c. lateral hypothalamus, ventromedial hypothalamus
d. paraventricular nucleus, lateral hypothalamus
What would an investigator find concerning the properties of cells in a single column of
the visual cortex?
a. They have receptive fields in the same location in the visual field.
b. They have receptive fields of the same angle of orientation.
c. Moving from dorsal to ventral through the column, each receptive field is slightly
larger than the previous one.
d. Their receptive fields vary randomly.
The general rule among neurons is that the wider the branching, the fewer connections
with other neurons.
Bright light late in the afternoon shortens the circadian rhythm.
Sex-linked genes are usually found on the Y chromosome.
Birth-control pills prevent pregnancy by interfering with the usual feedback cycle
between the ovaries and the pituitary.
Two areas that are especially activated by motion are area MST and area V4.
Only sensory neurons are found in a reflex arc.
Bumps and depressions in the skull are closely related to how well-developed the
underlying brain areas are.
What is nerve deafness?
Name two reasons why Kanzi and Mulika have developed much greater language
capabilities than other chimpanzees.
A study administering testosterone to women found which of these effects?
A Testosterone increased their violent dreams.
B Testosterone decreased their ability to recognize facial expressions of emotion.
C Testosterone caused them to report feeling angry for no apparent reason.
D Testosterone made them want to play pool, drink beer, and spit.
The parallels between language and music are sufficient to suggest that they arose
together.
High levels of “Per” and “Tim” are associated with sleepiness.
What is blindsight?
Marathon runners build up muscle fibers that are also helpful for sprinting.
The damaging effects of a stroke can be limited if treated within a short period of time.
Define myelination during neural development.
Stimulation of the medial preoptic area increases sexual activity in rodents.
The sodium-potassium pump is what normally brings the membrane back to its original
state of polarization after the peak of the action potential.