Korsakoff’s syndrome:
a. is marked by severe memory impairments.
b. results from too much thiamine.
c. results from lack of oxygen to the brain.
d. is due to a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier.
At the microscopic level, we find two kinds of cells: ____.
a. molecules and mitochondria
b. mitochondria and glia
c. neurons and glia
d. neurons and molecules
After a cut through the midbrain separates the forebrain and part of the midbrain from
all the lower structures, an animal:
a. stops sleeping.
b. sleeps a normal amount per day, but lacks REM sleep.
c. enters a prolonged state of sleep.
d. alternates rapidly between sleep and wakefulness.
Wernicke’s aphasia is to ____ as Broca’s aphasia is to ____.
a. parietal lobe; temporal lobe
b. nouns; verbs
c. spoken language; sign language
d. understanding; speaking
The left hemisphere of the human brain sees the:
a. left visual field.
b. right visual field.
c. left visual field of the left eye and right visual field of the right eye.
d. right visual field of the left eye and left visual field of the right eye.
The prefrontal cortex:
a. is the main area for touch and other body information.
b. keeps track of the position of the body relative to the world.
c. is active during preparations for a movement and less active during movement itself.
d. responds to lights, noises, and other signals for a movement.
After soaking their tongues in a sour solution, what do most people experience?
a. Other sour substances taste less sour.
b. Other sour substances taste more sour.
c. Other sour substances taste sweet as well as sour.
d. All substances are perceived as relatively tasteless.
Sweetness, bitterness and umami receptors operate by:
a. closing potassium channels.
b. depolarizing the membranes.
c. activating a protein which causes the release of a second messenger.
d. simply permitting sodium ions to cross their membranes.
If people with Down syndrome live long enough, they almost invariably develop:
a. Korsakoff’s syndrome.
b. Parkinson’s disease.
c. Huntington’s disease.
d. Alzheimer’s disease.
Someone with Broca’s aphasia is least likely to use:
a. prepositions and conjunctions.
b. adjectives and adverbs.
c. nouns.
d. verbs.
Which of the following actions would depolarize a neuron?
a. decreasing membrane permeability to calcium
b. increasing membrane permeability to potassium
c. decreasing membrane permeability to sodium
d. increasing membrane permeability to sodium
The genes related to Alzheimer’s lead to the accumulation, in the brain, of:
a. glucose.
b. amyloid deposits.
c. arachidonic acid.
d. serotonin.
A person who is acting like they are forced to speak faster than they can come up with
the words most closely resembles a person with:
a. Broca’s aphasia.
b. Wernicke’s aphasia.
c. dyslexia.
d. agraphia.
Which one of the following statements is TRUE about PKU?
a. It is the genetic inability to metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine.
b. It measures brain activity.
c. It is not a hereditary condition.
d. It does not need to be treated.
Occasional brief periods of stress:
a. are harmful to an organism.
b. are harmful if the emotion is anger.
c. boost the activity of the immune system.
d. direct energy away from the synthesis of proteins.
Retrograde amnesia is to ____ as anterograde amnesia is to ____.
a. temporary loss of memory; permanent loss of memory
b. loss of short-term memory; loss of long-term memory
c. inability to form new memories; loss of memory for old events
d. loss of memory for old events; inability to form new memories
Cerebrospinal fluid is gradually reabsorbed in the _____ of the brain.
a. dura
b. subarachnoid space
c. pia
d. cistern
What would you most strongly recommend that a person with bipolar disorder eat to
reduce the effects of arachidonic acid?
a. carrots
b. seafood
c. beef
d. chocolate
When a membrane is at rest, what attracts potassium ions to the inside of the cell?
a. an electrical gradient
b. a concentration gradient
c. both an electrical gradient and a concentration gradient
d. neither an electrical gradient nor a concentration gradient
The taste nerves initially project to the:
a. nucleus of the tractus solitarius.
b. cerebral cortex.
c. hypothalamus.
d. orbital prefrontal cortex.
Which of the following structures provides the main source of input to the cerebral
cortex?
a. Limbic system
b. Medulla
c. Thalamus
d. Hypothalamus
What causes an EPSP?
a. the deactivation of cytoplasmic enzymes
b. the opening of sodium channels
c. the opening of potassium channels
d. inherited paranormal psychic abilities
The function of the semicircular canals is to:
a. locate the source of low frequency tones.
b. locate the source of high frequency tones.
c. detect movement of the head.
d. establish a sense of direction while traveling.
Which of the following is TRUE with respect to evolution?
a. “If you don’t use it, you lose it.”
b. Evolutionary success is assessed by the number of one’s offspring surviving to
reproduce.
c. Evolution benefits the species, in the long run.
d. Evolution benefits the individual.
A drug that blocks the sodium gates of a neuron’s membrane would:
a. decrease the threshold.
b. block the action potential.
c. cause repeated action potentials.
d. eliminate the refractory period.
Recessive genes manifest their effects only when the individual is ____ for them.
a. sex limited
b. homo sapien
c. homozygous
d. heterozygous
Pitch is a perception related to which aspect of sound?
a. amplitude
b. frequency
c. intensity
d. across-fiber pattern coding
Which of the following is TRUE about the stimuli detectable by the auditory and visual
systems of humans?
a. Humans can detect all sights and sounds, as long as they are above a minimal
intensity.
b. Humans respond to a narrower range of stimuli than most other species.
c. Humans are sensitive to all the stimuli lower organisms can detect, as well as some
they cannot.
d. Humans are sensitive to a wide range of range of stimuli.
When women think about sex or anticipate having sex, their ____ levels increase
temporarily.
a. estradiol
b. estrogen
c. testosterone
d. oxytocin
The information sender of the neuron, which conveys an impulse toward either other
neurons or a gland or muscle, is called the:
a. axon.
b. dendrite.
c. soma.
d. myelin.
Which hormone(s) is/are likely to be found more abundantly in females than in males?
a. Peptide hormones
b. Androgens
c. Progesterone
d. Estrogens
Chalmers’ fundamental “hard problem” is:
a. knowing why we sleep.
b. understanding how neurotransmitters are created.
c. wondering how someone could be a dualist.
d. why and how brain activity is associated with consciousness.
Alcohol suppresses the release of ____, the brain’s main excitatory transmitter.
a. 5-HT
b. DA
c. GABA
d. glutamate
Which part of the cerebral cortex is most important for the sense of touch?
a. Occipital lobe
b. Parietal lobe
c. Temporal lobe
d. Frontal lobe