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Exam for the course “Introduction to Systems Neuroscience” (551-0657-00L)
Version A
Multiple choice: Indicate which answer(s) is(are) correct.
1. The receptive field (RF) of an individual rod is:
O made of ON and OFF subregions
O larger than that of a cone at the same retinal eccentricity
O smaller than the RF of a ganglion cell
O wavelength selective
2. The human retina
O contains more cones than rods
O contains mostly cells that do not have an axon
O shows a higher concentration of cones with increasing visual periphery
O is trichromatic
3. At very low light levels
O cones are maximally stimulated
O colors are not perceived
O light intensity differences are not perceived
O the central fovea is blind
4. Ganglion cells
O are classified as simple or complex
O have opponent center-surround organization
O have overlapping receptive fields
O have receptive fields that increase in size with visual eccentricity
5. The Lateral Geniculate Nucleus
O is part of the thalamus
O processes signals coming from the contralateral eye only
O processes signals coming from the ipsilateral visual field only
O contains cells with center-surround receptive fields
6. Visual cortex
O is retinotopically organized
O contains a disproportionally large representation of the fovea
O contains orientation columns that each contain a set of ocular dominance columns
O receives input signals from extrastriate cortex
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7. Human V1 neurons
O are almost all orientation selective
O are never color selective
O can be selective for the direction of motion
O are almost always monocular
8. Extrastriate visual cortex
O is organized into a “what” and a “why” pathways
O contains numerous visual areas
O occupies almost 50% of the human cortex
O is primarily located in the frontal lobes
9. The cochlea
O contains binaural neurons
O is filled with air
O performs a crude Fourier analysis of speech signals
O is made of three distinct chambers
10. The basilar membrane
O is thicker at its end than at its beginning
O codes sound frequency by vibrating at different locations
O codes sound amplitude by modulating its own vibration amplitude
O codes sound frequency because of its own mechanical properties
11. Sound localization
O works only with binaural cues
O can be improved by moving own’s head
O is partially computed within the brainstem
O does not work for speech sounds
12. Primary auditory cortex
O is located in the left hemisphere of right-handed people
O receives inputs from the contralateral ear
O contains neurons with a characteristic frequency
O contains a somatotopic representation of the pinnae
13. The perceptual correlate of sound intensity is
O pitch
O timber
O loudness
O melody
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14. The volley principle helps to code
O sound frequency
O sound intensity
O sound phase
O sound complexity
15. The ossicles in the middle ear
O are useful for impedance matching between air and the inner ear
O can have a protective role for the cochlea
O are attached to the tympanic membrane
O can be muscularly controlled
16. Speech sounds
O are processed in several cortical areas
O have frequencies at the high end of the human frequency response curve
O contain multiple frequencies
O are modulated by muscles under the control of primary motor cortex
17. Mechanoreception
O is mediated by slow- and by fast-adapting receptors
O is mediated by deep and superficial receptors
O is mediated by free nerve ending
O is most sensitive in hairy skin regions
18. Nociceptive signals
O travel in pathways shared with temperature signals
O become contralateral to their receptors at the level of the brain stem
O reach the cortex via the thalamus
O are carried by fibers with different conduction velocities
19. Somatosensory cortex
O contains several motor homunculi
O is densely connected with the frontal lobe
O is organized into functional columns
O contains multiple somatotopic representations
20. The temperature of food
O is coded by free nerve endings in the mouth cavity
O is relative to a particular adaptation point
O is always higher in spicy food
O is coded by signals in the trigeminal system
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21. Lesions of the left somatosensory cortex
O can affect texture discrimination specifically
O can produce errors in right hand movements
O always affect only one dermatome
O cannot have any effect on proprioception
22. Receptive fields of somatosensory cortical neurons
O can be orientation selective
O can be direction selective
O can be selective to three dimensional shape
O can be selective to object curvature
23. Proprioception
O is influenced by some cutaneous receptors
O is influenced by joint receptors
O is influenced by muscle spindles
O is influenced by receptors in the muscle tendons
24. Striated muscles
O are innervated by alpha and gamma motor neurons
O are controlled by one motor unit each
O are controlled by ipsilateral cortical areas
O exert more force when more extrafusal fibers are stimulated
25. The neuromuscular junction
O uses a neurotransmitter
O produces a change in electrical potential in the innervated muscle fiber
O shares many similarities with central nervous system synapses
O contains receptors specific for particular substances
26. The sympathetic nervous system
O is under the control of the hypothalamus
O is targeting visceral organs only
O is most active when the parasympathetic division is less active
O can affect heart frequency
27. The parasympathetic nervous system
O has more localized effects than the sympathetic division
O uses short post-ganglionic fibers
O doesn’t use any cranial nerve to carry its signals
O blocks digestion when very active
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28. The otholitic organs
O contribute to our sense of position in space
O contain hair cells
O are connected with the semi-circular canals
O are the main organs responsible for detecting head rotation along a vertical axis
29. The christae
O contain liquid
O respond inversely to the corresponding contralateral christae
O are mostly useful to sense linear acceleration
O are mostly useful to sense static position relative to vertical
30. Taste
O can be decomposed into basic sensations
O is mediated by signals travelling through the basal ganglia
O results from activity in receptor cells sensitive to multiple compounds
O is the perceptual correlate of food’s chemical composition
31. Olfactory cortex
O projects to the thalamus
O is organized into basic smell subregions
O is much better at smell identification than smell discrimination
O has an effect on the perceived flavor of food
32. Synesthesia
O always involves vision and audition
O is due to the action of pheromones
O may be due to abnormal cortical connections
O is occasionally experienced by the majority of the human population
33. The amygdala
O is important for aversive conditioning
O is made of a single, homogeneous nucleus
O results in fearlessness when bilaterally lesioned
O carries signals associated with innate fears
34. The limbic system
O is the only system not involving any cortical area
O contains structures involved in memory
O is best known for its role in cognitive processing
O produces signals that affect the parasympathetic nervous system
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35. Limbic structures
O are organized into a single connected loop
O can indirectly affect the regulation of body water
O contain the reward centers of the brain
O contain the punishment centers of the brain
36. The hippocampus
O is a unilateral structure
O causes retrograde amnesia when bilaterally lesioned
O contains synapses subject to long term potentiation
O induces orality when lesioned in only one hemisphere
37. Hebbian learning
O refers to a principle in which synaptic strength is determined by experience
O is a theoretical concept lacking experimental evidence
O could be linked to the appearance of new synapses
O is independent of the timing of pre- and post-synaptic activity
38. Long term memory
O can store only items that have been stored in short-term memory for several minutes
O can be procedural, declarative or implicit
O can result from classical conditioning
O is affected in some forms of retrograde amnesia
39. The principle of equipotentiality refers to
O the fact that all mammals have more or less equal procedural memories
O the fact that all memories use the same amount of cortical tissue
O the fact that practically all cortical locations can result in memory loss when lesioned
O the fact that all limbic structures contribute equally to emotional memory
40. The basal ganglia
O are involved in motor control
O are part of the neocortex
O are known to produce no visible symptoms when lesioned
O are bilateral structures
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