Candidate Number
C8518
THE UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX
BSc Second Year Examination 2015
BRAIN AND BEHAVIOUR
SAMPLE PAPER
DO NOT TURN OVER UNTIL
INSTRUCTED TO BY THE CHIEF
INVIGILATOR
Answer ALL parts of Section A and TWO further questions from Section B.
Section A carries 40% and Section B carries 60% of the marks.
Do not write your name anywhere on the answer sheet.
Do not tear off any part of the answer sheet.
Do not remove the question paper, answer sheet or answer book, used or
unused, from the examination room; they will be collected before you may
leave.
Time allowed: 2 hours
It is to your advantage to attempt every question and use the time available.
Be sure to write your candidate number in the space provided.
SECTION A
The answers to this section, one to each question, should be marked on the
question paper itself.
[40 multiple choice questions each with 4 alternatives]
SECTION B
Answer TWO questions from this section in the answer books provided.
Please use a separate answer book for each question.
[8 choices of essay questions]
NOTE: There are only 20 questions in this sample paper so you should allow
yourself approx. 20 minutes for that section (In the real exam there will be 40
question (~40 minutes)
C8518 Brain and Behaviour – SAMPLE PAPER
Section A
1.
During neurodevelopment cells migrate from the neural tube. Which of
the following statements about this process is FALSE?
a)
b)
c)
d)
2.
Only neurons migrate
Cells climb along radial glia cells
Cells travel in waves to lay down different layers of the cortex
The cells are chemically guided
Which of the following statements about the structure of the sensory
and motor cortex is FALSE?
a) The outer layers of the cortex form later during development
than the inner layers
b) The cells are arranged in layers, which have different functions
c) Each layer of cells in the cortex is of equal thickness
d) The cells form a topographical map representing different parts
of the body
3.
What is the term used to describe the process by which a segment of
DNA is copied to produce a molecule of messenger RNA
a)
b)
c)
d)
4.
Reproduction
Replication
Translation
Transcription
Which of the following about X-inactivation is TRUE?
a) An X-chromosome is inactivated in the egg cell
b) As a result X-linked disorders show variable penetrance in girls
c) The process is non-random, e,g, the same X chromosome is
always inactivated
d) X-chromosome in males does not express genes
2
C8518 Brain and Behaviour – SAMPLE PAPER
5.
Which of the following statements about myelination is FALSE?
a) Myelination consists of a fatty layer around the axon of neurones
b) Myelination is only found in the periphery
c) Myelination helps to speed up the rate of the nerve impulse
d) Myelination reduces the amount of energy needed to send an
action potential
6.
Electrical impulses gather and accumulate in which part of the neuron,
in order to initiate an action potential?
a)
b)
c)
d)
7.
A typical neuron has a resting membrane potential of about:
a)
b)
c)
d)
8.
+70 mV
+70 V
-70 mV
-70 V
Who made the claim that ‘cells that wire together, fire together’?
a)
b)
c)
d)
9.
Axon hillock
Axon terminal branches
Dendrites
Node of Ranvier
Timothy Bliss
Graham Collingridge
Terje Lomo
Donald Hebb
Which of the following compounds is an NMDA receptor competitive
antagonist?
a)
b)
c)
d)
PCP
Glycine
NMDA
AP5
3
C8518 Brain and Behaviour – SAMPLE PAPER
10.
Sedative side effects associated with benzodiazepine treatment are
due to activation of which subunit of the GABA receptor?
a)
b)
c)
d)
11.
Which of the following is NOT a feature of the “Fight Flight response?
a)
b)
c)
d)
12.
Metabotropic receptors that are found presynaptically
Ionotropic receptors that are found presynaptically
Metabotropic receptors that are found postsynaptically
Ionotropic receptors that are found postsynaptically
Which one of these somatosensory receptors does not exhibit slow
adaptation?
a)
b)
c)
d)
15.
Acetylcholine is produced in the raphe nuclei
Acetylcholine activates nicotinic receptors
Acetylcholine activates muscarinic receptors
Acetylcholine is broken down by acetylcholinesterase
Autoreceptors are:
a)
b)
c)
d)
14.
Increased heart rate
Increased hunger
Faster breathing
Narrowing of attention
Which of the following statements about Acetylcholine is FALSE?
a)
b)
c)
d)
13.
Alpha 1
Alpha 2
Alpha 3
Alpha 4
Joint receptors
Hair receptors
Nocioceptors that detect heat
Nocioceptors that detect pain
The cortical area most involved in the planning of complex movements
is the:
a)
b)
c)
d)
Primary motor cortex
Premotor cortex
Supplementary motor area
Prefrontal cortex
4
C8518 Brain and Behaviour – SAMPLE PAPER
16.
What is the disadvantage of in vivo two-photon calcium imaging?
a) The activity of many neurons can be observed simultaneously
b) Only neurons from relatively shallow structures can be
visualised
c) It lacks single-cell resolution
d) Calcium can only be imaged in post-mortem brain tissue
17.
Which of the following can reduce the clinical time lag seen when
patients are treated with antidepressants?
a)
b)
c)
d)
18.
Which of the following is NOT thought to contribute to schizophrenia?
a)
b)
c)
d)
19.
Genetic factors
Developmental factors
Environmental stress
Hormone levels
Opiates can influence dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens by
directly:
a)
b)
c)
d)
20.
A selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
An autoreceptor antagonist
A monoamine oxidase inhibitor
A postsynaptic receptor antagonist
Activating dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area
Activating GABA interneurons in the ventral tegmental area
Inhibiting dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area
Inhibiting GABA interneurons in the ventral tegmental area
Which of these is not a subtype of behavioural impulsivity?
a) Hyperactive subtype
b) Motor inhibiton subtype
c) Reflection subtype
d) Temporal subtype
5
C8518 Brain and Behaviour – SAMPLE PAPER
SECTION B
1. Describe the stages of embryonic neuronal development. What factors
can lead to alterations in this process?
2. Compare and contrast Down’s syndrome and Fragile X. How are these
conditions inherited and how do they affect behaviour?
3. What properties of the neuron are vital for neuronal transmission?
Discuss in terms of the resting membrane potential and action
potential.
4. What is Hebb’s rule? How has it guided research on the neural
mechanisms that underlie learning and memory?
5. GABA is one of the most common neurotransmitters in the human
brain. How, therefore, can an effect of benzodiazepines on GABA
function lead to a selective anxiolytic effect?
6. With examples compare and contrast the structure of ionotropic and
metabotropic receptors and their signalling
7. Which type of sensory information are transmitted by nocioceptors? Are
nocioceptors fast or slow adapting receptors? Please provide reasons for
why this adaptation (fast or slow) would make sense and provide a real life
example.
8. Dopamine and glutamate dysfunction have both been implicated in
Schizophrenia. Describe the evidence for this, relating it to the distribution
and pharmacology of these two neurotransmitter systems.
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C8518 Brain and Behaviour – SAMPLE PAPER
Answers:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
a
c
d
b
b
a
c
d
d
a
b
a
a
a
d
b
a
d
d
a
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