During cerebrovascular incidents, the over-excitation of neurons is often a result of the disruption of
which of the following parts of the neuron?
a. the sodium-potassium pump
b. the cannabinoids receptors
c. the edema of the neuron
d. the tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)
John was playing football and he was tackled hard by an individual on the other team. His head
snapped back and violently hit the ground. Afterwards, John had a severe headache and memory loss
for the next 24 hours. John's injury is probably best described as which of the following?
a. a stroke
b. an ischemia
c. a closed head injury
d. a collateral sprout
Which of the following is the correct order of stages regarding the growth and development of neurons
in the brain?
a. proliferation→migration→neurotrophin→synaptogenesis
b. proliferation→synaptogenesis→differentiation→myelination→migration
c. proliferation→migration→differentiation→myelination→synaptogenesis
d. migration→proliferation→differentiation→myelination→synaptogenesis
Which of the following is the most likely explanation of why people who lose their sense of vision
develop a finer sense of touch or hearing?
a. Receptors for the remaining senses become more sensitive to external stimuli.
b. Losing a sense increases attention to the other senses and the brain shows adaptation to that attention.
c. An increase in receptors results in the remaining senses gaining acuity.
d. Messages from the remaining senses travel faster to the brain for processing.
The condition of fetal alcohol syndrome is an illustration of which of the following?
a. The developing infant brain is highly vulnerable to alcohol and other teratogens early in development.
b. The developing infant brain metabolizes alcohol into useful by-products used by developing neurons.
c. The developing infant brain is immune to substances that might affect it later in life.
d. The developing brain is only vulnerable to the effects of alcohol during the later stages of development.
After the migration of neurons has occurred, what is the best explanation as to why there are no
leftover neurons in the adult nervous system that failed to make appropriate connections?
a. The brain is programmed to produce the exact number of neurons that it will need.
b. All neurons make the appropriate connections with some target cell within the nervous system.
c. Neurons have a programmed mechanism of cell death that occurs if they are not exposed to chemicals known as
neurotrophins released by the postsynaptic cells after a connection is made.
d. Muscles and other cells send chemical messengers to indicate exactly how many neurons and connections will be needed.
Which of the following occurs after axons reach their final destination and develop connections with
target cells in the brain?
a. Migration begins.
b. The neuron dies.
c. The postsynaptic cell strengthens some connections and eliminates others.
d. All connections that are formed are strengthened.
The human brain contains the greatest amount of neurons at what point in the lifespan?
a. late adulthood
b. at birth
c. adolescence
d. middle adulthood
Nerve growth factor (NGF) promotes the survival of the neuron by stopping which of the following?
a. neurogenesis
b. stem cell division
c. apoptosis
d. migration
Which part of the frontal lobe of the brain is primarily responsible for the integration of messages from
the other lobes and areas of the brain?
a. the parietal lobe
b. the postcentral gyrus
c. the prefrontal cortex
d. the occipital lobe
Which of the following is not one of the major functions of the hypothalamus?
a. conveying messages to the pituitary gland to alter the release hormones
b. sexual behavior
c. feeding and drinking
d. transmission of sensory information to the cortex
The parasympathetic nervous system would be dominant while engaging in which of the following
activities?
a. running a marathon
b. bungee-jumping off of a bridge
c. getting ready to take your final exam
d. sitting on your couch watching a television show
The frontal lobe is responsible for all of the following except ________.
a. joining both hemispheres of the brain
b. working memory
c. the delayed-response task
d. motor movement
Which of the following is located on the outer surface of the mammalian brain?
a. cerebral cortex
b. basal ganglia
c. the ventricles
d. hippocampus
Which of the following consists of a group of subcortical structures in the forebrain which connects with
frontal areas of the cortex responsible for planning sequences of behaviors, memory and emotional
expression?
a. basal ganglia
b. hippocampus
c. hypothalamus
d. pituitary gland
Which of the following parts of the frontal lobe is responsible for controlling fine motor movements?
a. the temporal lobe
b. the precentral gyrus
c. the postcentral gyrus
d. the prefrontal cortex
Which of the following terms means "towards the stomach"?
a. dorsal
b. lateral
c. ventricle
d. ventral
All of the following are divisions or substructures of the body's nervous system except:
a. the somatic nervous system.
b. the ventricle nervous system.
c. the peripheral nervous system.
d. the central nervous system.
One method of studying the brain in which the electrical activity of the brain is recorded through the
use of electrodes is known as:
a. positron emission tomography.
b. electroencephalography.
c. computerized axial tomography.
d. magnetic resonance imaging.
Ventricles in the brain are:
a. parts of the brain directly responsible for smooth movement and coordination.
b. pathways that our motor neurons use to communicate with our body.
c. empty spaces that serve little function other than to increase brain volume.
d. filled with cerebrospinal fluid and provide cushioning for the brain.
The major functions of the parietal lobe is to:
a. process auditory information from the ears.
b. process tactile information from the body.
c. connect the two hemispheres of the brain.
d. control hunger and thirst.
The method of studying the brain of laboratory animals in which researchers destroy certain parts of
the brain and then observe changes in behavior is known as:
a. phrenology.
b. lesioning.
c. correlation.
d. fMRI.
All of the following are true regarding the use of transplanted cells for the treatment of Parkinson's
disease except for which of the following?
a. Transplanted cells can be taken from aborted fetuses and implanted into the brains of Parkinson's patients.
b. Transplanting of cells in the brain is most effective for patients with mild symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
c. The use of transplanted cells is generally more effective for older patients with Parkinson's than younger patients.
d. Stem cells grown in tissue culture are transplanted into patients suffering from Parkinson's disease.
Movement relies upon two opposing sets of muscles known as antagonistic muscles. When Sam picks
up a brick from the ground and pulls it up towards his chest, which of the following type muscle is
specifically responsible for raising the arm up towards the chest?
a. the myasthenia gravis muscle
b. the extensor muscle
c. the acetylcholine muscle
d. the flexor muscle
A cat grooming itself, a gymnast performing a well learned routine, and a human yawn are all
examples of which of the following that refers to a fixed sequence of movements?
a. an aerobic movement
b. an anaerobic behavior
c. a motor program
d. a ballistic movement
Which of the following has axons that cross from one side of the brain to the opposite side of the
spinal cord and is most involved in the control of movements in the periphery of the body?
a. the ventromedial tract
b. the anterocollateral tract
c. the vestibular nucleus
d. the dorsolateral tract
The globus pallidus of the basal ganglia influences movement by inhibiting which of the following
structures that relays information to the motor areas of the prefrontal cortex?
a. the caudate nucleus
b. the thalamus
c. the putamen
d. the cerebellum
Which of the following are proprioceptors responsive to muscle tension that are located in the tendons
at the opposite ends of the muscle and serve as a brake against excessive contractions that could
potentially damage the muscle?
a. stretch reflexes
b. golgi tendon organs
c. extensors
d. flexors
Which of the following is a midbrain area that is primarily responsible for controlling the arm muscles?
a. the putamen
b. the cerebellar cortex
c. the red nucleus
d. the lateral corticospinal tracts
L-dopa is the primary pharmaceutical treatment for patients suffering from Parkinson's disease.
However, it is often ineffective for a number of reasons. All of the following are problems associated
with the use of L-dopa as a treatment for Parkinson's disease except for which of the following?
a. It does not prevent the continued loss of neurons associated with Parkinson's disease.
b. L-dopa does not cross the blood-brain barrier of most patients.
c. For those in the late stages of the disease, it is generally ineffective.
d. L-dopa enters others cells besides those that use dopamine and can produce a variety of unpleasant side effects.
Huntington's disease is associated with gradual but extensive damage to specific parts of the brain. All
of the following are areas of the brain damaged by Huntington's except for:
a. the globus pallidus.
b. the caudate nucleus.
c. the substantia nigra.
d. the putamen.
The synapse between a motor neuron axon and a muscle fiber is known as what?
a. an extensor
b. a neuromuscular junction
c. a proprioceptor
d. a flexo
Hector is sitting across the table from you. You ask him to reach out with his left hand and grab an
apple placed in the middle of the table. He has great difficulty integrating his hand movement with the
visual input from his eyes. Damage to which area near the primary motor cortex would specifically
explain his inability to integrate movement with his perception of the environment?
a. the Golgi tendon organ
b. posterior parietal cortex
c. the agnosognosia
d. precentral gyrus
Baby Johnny is three months old. When the bottom of his foot is stroked he automatically extends his
big toe while fanning the others. This involuntary response is known as which of the following?
a. the Babinski reflex
b. the rooting reflex
c. the allied reflex
d. the grasp reflex
All are aspects of movement mediated by the basal ganglia except for which of the following?
a. organizing individual sequences of movements into a whole movement
b. reflexive movements away from a painful stimulus
c. learning motor skills
d. inhibition of movement
Which of the following is a false statement regarding the cellular organization of the surface of the
cerebellum?
a. The surface of the cerebellum contains a structure known as the basal ganglia which controls smooth movement.
b. The cerebellar cortex contains parallel fibers which are axons that run parallel to each other and perpendicular to the planes
of the Purkinje cells.
c. The neurons are arranged in precise geometrical patterns.
d. The cerebellar cortex contains Purkinje cells which are flat cells in sequential planes.
All are characteristics found during REM sleep except which of the following?
a. penile erection and vaginal lubrication
b. rapid eye movements
c. increased tension of the trunk muscles
d. more brain activity than other stages of sleep
Brain death is characterized by which of the following?
a. An alternating pattern of sleep and periods of moderate arousal.
b. Brief periods of purposeful action and limited speech comprehension.
c. Physical trauma to the brain that results in unconsciousness and low level of brain activity.
d. No sign of any brain activity and no response to any stimulus.
Jet lag results from which of the following?
a. Shifting of the internal circadian clock to a permanent 26 hour cycle when crossing time zones.
b. Mismatch of the internal circadian clock with external time when one travel across time zones.
c. Stopping of the internal circadian clock to a shorter cycle of 22 hours when traveling across time zones.
d. Inability to produce melatonin when one crosses time zones.
Research suggests which of the following to be true about people who engage in shift work that
requires that they work at irregular times or those who work at night?
a. They can easily adapt to irregular schedules as long as they sleep at least 8 hours per day.
b. They perform at a higher level than those who work regular hours or work during the day and sleep at night.
c. The circadian rhythm will automatically adapt if they maintain a state of wakefulness for a period of at least 24 hours.
d. Disruptions of the circadian rhythm occur and often remain even months later.
Dreams begin with periodic activity of the pons (PGO waves), which activate parts of the cortex, which
then synthesizes a story with the activity that is already occurring describes which biological
perspective on dreaming?
a. activation-synthesis hypothesis
b. the REM deprivation hypothesis
c. clinico-anatomical hypothesis
d. Mayo-clinico hypothesis
Which of the following is a type of sleep disorder characterized by repeated involuntary movement of
the legs and arms that occurs mostly during NREM sleep?
a. cataplexy
b. night terrors
c. REM behavior disorder
d. periodic limb movement disorder
The primary restorative functions of sleep occur in which area of the body?
a. the brain
b. the muscles
c. the eyes
d. the kidneys
Which of the following best describes the relationship between REM sleep and dreaming?
a. REM sleep and dreams usually overlap, but they are not necessarily one and the same.
b. Dreaming occurs during all other types of sleep except REM sleep.
c. Dreaming only occurs during REM sleep.
d. REM sleep is associated with a decrease in the visual content and imagery found in dreams.
Which of the following terms is used to describe the idea that the circadian rhythms are internal
mechanisms of the body?
a. annum
b. dies
c. circum
d. endogenous
Although the research is contradictory, REM sleep seems to be involved with the consolidation of
which type of memory?
a. episodic memory
b. semantic memory
c. motor skills
d. facial recognition
Jose is taking part in an experiment at a sleep laboratory. His EEG readings are just beginning to
show the presence of sleep spindles. Which of the following stages of sleep in Jose most likely
experiencing?
a. Stage 3
b. Stage 4
c. Stage 1
d. Stage 2
Stimulation of the part of the reticular formation known as the pontomesencephalon would result in
which of the following?
a. increased alertness or the waking of a sleeping individual
b. deep stage 3 or stage 4 sleep
c. relaxed arousal that occurs just before one enters stage one sleep
d. dreaming associated with REM sleep
With regards to our human circadian rhythms, a zeitgeber is best described as which of the following?
a. a stimulus that extend doubles the length of the circadian rhythm
b. a stimulus that exterminates the circadian rhythm
c. a stimulus that resets the circadian rhythm
d. a stimulus that cuts the length of the circadian rhythm in half
Which of the following is the main function of melatonin secreted by the pineal gland?
a. Melatonin decreases immune system functioning while we sleep.
b. Melatonin increases drowsiness.
c. Melatonin decreases REM sleep.
d. Melatonin increases wakefulness.
Which of the following is a sleep disorder characterized by inadequate sleep, usually as a byproduct of
the inability to fall asleep or maintain sleep?
a. insomnia
b. night terrors
c. narcolepsy
d. sleep apnea
Internal mechanisms of the circadian rhythm include all of the following except:
a. drosophila
b. melatonin
c. Per and Tim protein levels
d. the suprachiasmatic nucleus
Which of the following best describes the pattern of sleep that occurs throughout the night?
a. As one enters sleep, s/he quickly drops down from stage 4 sleep to deeper levels of stage 3, stage 2 and stage 1 sleep.
b. As the night progresses, REM stages become more frequent and longer in duration.
c. Almost the entire night sleep is spent in stage 1 sleep with periodic stages of REM.
d. During a normal night sleep one spends most of the latter half of the night in stage 4 sleep.
Which of the following refers to the pattern of internally- produced, 24 hour cycles of the human body
with regards to sleep and wakefulness, temperature, eating and drinking secretion of hormones and
other processes?
a. endogenous circannual rhythms
b. endogenous myopsin rhythms
c. endogenous circadian rhythms
d. external circadian rhythms
Which of the following states is incorrectly matched with a description of its EEG reading?
a. stage 2 sleep / f spindles and sleep complexes
b. stage 4 / slow wave sleep
c. relaxed wakefulness /alpha waves
d. stage 3 / slow wave sleep
REM sleep begins with the transmission of which of the following types of waves from the pons to the
lateral geniculate, and then to the occipital lobe?
a. prostaglandin waves
b. GABA waves
c. sleep apnea waves
d. PGO waves
For most land animals, the most dominant zeitgeber is which of the following?
a. light
b. exercise
c. diet
d. temperature
Melatonin is secreted by which of the following endocrine glands?
a. the zeitgeber gland
b. the suprachiasmatic nucleus
c. the pineal gland
d. the ganglion cell gland
The branch of the optic nerve that extends from the retina directly to the SCN and helps coordinate the
internal circadian clock to external time is known as which of the following?
a. the ganglion cell pathway
b. the phase-advance path
c. the melanopsin path
d. the retinohypothalamic path
H12
Which of the following are the most commonly used category of anti-anxiety drugs?
a. CCK's
b. Benzodiazepines
c. Chlorides
d. GABAA receptors
A condition marked by spontaneous extreme sympathetic nervous system arousal, often characterized
by rapid breathing that can lead to a feeling of suffocation, is called:
a. panic attack
b. James Lange disorder
c. behavioral activation system
d. pure autonomic failure
Which of the following best summarizes the effect of stress on the immune system?
a. Little is known about the effects of temporary stress on the immune system but prolonged stress enhances immune system
activity.
b. Stress decreases cortisol levels which enhance immune system functioning during both temporary stress and long term
stress.
c. Temporary stress triggers the release of cortisol which enhances activity of the nervous system, but prolonged stress impairs
immune system activity.
d. Temporary stress impairs the immune system but prolonged stress is highly beneficial for immune system functioning.
Little two-month old Sammy jumps in his crib when the door slams. This instinctual, unlearned fear
response exhibited by Sammy is known as which of the following?
a. the startle reflex
b. the Babinski reflex
c. the aggression response
d. Kluver-Bucy syndrome
People with greater activity in the left side of the brain tend to have a personality that is:
a. violent, impulsive and aggressive.
b. happier, more out-going, and more fun-loving.
c. shy, withdrawn, and introverted.
d. completely void of emotion.
Which of the following is a chemical secreted by the adrenal cortex that enables the body to maintain a
prolonged state of alertness?
a. cortisol
b. nucleus accumbens
c. Nutrasweet
d. toxoplasma gondii
Which of the following is the often used definition of stress as proposed by Hans Selye (1979)?
a. the increase in temperature due to a physiological demand
b. the release of cortisol into the blood during times of provocation
c. the nonspecific response of the body to any demand placed upon it
d. the change in thought patterns that occurs when a challenge is perceived
13
Often times, patients with Korsakoff's syndrome will guess to fill in memory gaps. This is known as
which of the following?
a. confabulation
b. consolidation
c. operant conditioning
d. excitation
Which of the following specifically refers to the shaping of behavior through reinforcement or
punishment?
a. classical conditioning
b. operant conditioning
c. observational learning
d. modeling
Which of the following is a false statement regarding the similarities and differences of short-term
memories and long-term memories?
a. Once something is forgotten from short-term memory, it is lost; long-term memories are often retained for extensive periods
of time even after we think we might have lost them.
b. Short-term memory and long-term memory differ in their capacity.
c. While short-term memories fade quickly unless rehearsed, long-term memories can be recalled without having rehearsed
them in a long period of time.
d. Whereas short-term memories generally refer to things that we hear, long-term memories refer to things that are seen.
Research suggests that deterioration of memory associated with old age is associated with decreased
activity in which area of the brain?
a. the amygdala
b. the prefrontal cortex
c. the hippocampus
d. the corpus callosum
In Alzheimer's disease, tangles comprised of degenerating structures within neuronal cell bodies are
formed when an abnormal form of which of the following accumulates?
a. thiamine
b. the amyloid protein
c. aplysia
d. the tau protein
LTP partially occurs because a neurotransmitter is released and it travels back to the presynaptic
neuron where it modifies it to decrease its threshold for producing action potentials. This type of
neurotransmitter is known as which of the following?
a. a presynaptic neurotransmitter
b. a retrograde neurotransmitter
c. a postsynaptic neurotransmitter
d. an anterograde neurotransmitter
John was sitting in the sun and suffered a painful sunburn. For the next few days, he was extremely
sensitive to any form of touch or similar stimulus from the environment. This is an example of which of
the following?
a. long-term depression
b. aplysia
c. sensitization
d. habituation
Compared to the conceptualization of short term memory as a temporary station for information, the
concept of working memory emphasizes the way we store information while we are working on it. Most
research points to which areas of the brain as being highly responsible for working memory?
a. the basal ganglia
b. the occipital lobe
c. the prefrontal cortex
d. the motor cortex
In Korsakoff's syndrome, lack of thiamine leads to the inability to metabolize and use which of the
following?
a. serotonin
b. glucose
c. potassium
d. dopamine
An axon of a cell successfully stimulates another cell. In the future, the ability of that axon to stimulate
the cell in enhanced. The increased effectiveness occurs because of simultaneous activity in the
presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons and is known as which of the following?
a. a retrograde transmitter
b. an action potential
c. an NMDA synapse
d. a Hebbian synapse
Long-term potentiation in mammals occurs because of which of the following?
a. Axons connected to dendrites bombard it with a brief but rapid series of stimuli.
b. A dendrite receives little or no stimulation from connected axons.
c. Axons connect to other axons which increases the speed of the action potential.
d. Axons decrease myelin production.
Johnny is given a candy bar for keeping his room clean to increase the likelihood that he will keep his
room clean in the future. In this example, giving Johnny the candy bar is an example of which of the
following?
a. a mass action
b. classical conditioning
c. a reinforcer
d. a punishment
A prolonged decrease in response at a synapse that occurs when axons have been less active than
others is known as which of the following?
a. associativity
b. long-term potentiation
c. long-term depression
d. cooperativity