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Test Bank For Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain, 3rd Edition

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    Page 1 1. Why are a broad perspective and an interdisciplinary approach required for understanding the brain? Choose the correct option. A) Understanding the brain is a focused area in natural science with the brain serving as the common point of focus . B) Understanding the brain requires knowledge about many things, from the structure of the water molecule to the electrical and chemical properties of the brain. C) Understanding the brain requires the study of the different species of the brain. D) Understanding the brain requires the analysis of one approach at a time to yield a new synthesis. Ans: B Difficulty: Easy 2. Galen's study of sheep brains was the basis for a theory of brain function that prevailed for almost 1500 years. Which of the following represents this view? Choose the correct option. A) The heart is the center of intellect and the brain is the cooling system B) Ventricular localization of brain function C) Mind brain duality D) Parceling the cerebrum into lobes Ans: B Difficulty: Easy 3. What is “mind-brain problem”? Choose the correct option. A) Individually human mental capacities exist outside the brain that is in the mind. B) The physical basis of the mind is the brain. C) Both animals and people possess intellect and a God given soul. D) The pineal gland is a spiritual entity. Ans: A Difficulty: Moderate 4. What notion was displaced by the concept of nerves being described as wires? Choose the correct option. A) Nerves are channels that communicate with the brain by the movement of fluids. B) Muscles can be twitched when nerves are stimulated electrically and the brain itself may generate electricity. C) Signals to the muscles causing movement use the same wires as those that register sensations from the skin. D) Nerves conduct electrical signals to and from the brain. Ans: A Difficulty: Difficult

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    Page 2 5. The combined work of Bell and Magendie revealed a fundamental fact about the spinal nerves. Choose the correct option. A) Spinal nerves are myelinated. B) Spinal nerves are bundles of sensory and motor nerves and in each sensory and motor nerve fiber transmission is strictly one-way. C) Spinal nerves are not hollow tubes carrying fluid. D) Both humans and animals have spinal nerves. Ans: B Difficulty: Easy 6. For what purpose did Franz Joseph Gall study the dimensions of the human head? Choose the correct option. A) To understand the propensity for certain personality traits. B) To demonstrate equal participation of all regions of the brain in all cerebral functions. C) To show that nerves conduct electrical signals to and from the brain. D) To show that unique human mental capabilities exist outside the brain. Ans: A Difficulty: Moderate 7. On what basis did Broca defend functional localization of the brain? Choose the correct option. A) By establishing a relationship between the production of speech and the right frontal lobe B) By establishing a relationship between the production of speech and the occipital lobe C) By establishing a relationship between the production of speech and the left frontal lobe D) By establishing a relationship between the production of speech and the cerebellum Ans: C Difficulty: Easy 8. To whom can we attribute the theory that behavior is among the heritable traits that could be developed? Choose the correct option. A) Marie-Jean-Pierre Flourens C) Gustav Fritsch and Edward Hitzig B) Charles Darwin D) Franz Joseph Gall Ans: B Difficulty: Easy

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    Page 3 9. Which of the following is a correct explanation of a disorder that affects the nervous system? Choose the correct option. A) Cerebral palsy is a motor disorder caused by damage to the cerebrum at the time of birth. B) Epilepsy is a progressive disease that affects nerve conduction, characterized by episodes of weakness, lack of coordination, and speech disturbance. C) Stroke involves a loss of feeling and movement caused by traumatic damage to the spinal cord. D) Alzheimer's disease is a severe psychotic illness characterized by delusions, hallucinations, and bizarre behavior. Ans: A Difficulty: Difficult 10. A neuroscientist investigates how different neural circuits in the brain analyze sensory information, form perceptions of the external world, make decisions, and execute movements. At what level of analysis is this research conducted? Choose the correct option. A) Molecular neuroscience level C) Systems neuroscience level B) Cellular neuroscience level D) Cognitive neuroscience level Ans: C Difficulty: Easy 11. What is the rationale behind the use of animal models to understand the human brain? Choose the correct option. A) Animal brains are identical to human brains but only smaller in size. B) Brain mechanisms that motivate any reaction are identical in animal and human brains. C) The nervous systems of different species of animals and humans share many common mechanisms. D) Animal brains are easier to obtain than human brains. Ans: C 12. How do neuroscientists identify the parts of the brain that are specialized for different behavioral functions related to the niche a species normally occupies? Choose the correct option. A) By studying the similarities in response pattern to fear in different species B) By studying the activity of the nervous system C) By comparing the specializations of the brains of different species D) By systematically destroying each part of the brain and studying its implication Ans: C Difficulty: Easy

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    Page 4 13. At which level of analysis do neuroscientists study the different types of neurons and their functions? Choose the correct option. A) Cellular neuroscience C) Molecular neuroscience B) Cognitive neuroscience D) Behavioral neuroscience Ans: A Difficulty: Easy 14. What is the difference between replication and verification? Choose the correct option. A) Replication tests a hypothesis whereas verification rechecks the hypothesis. B) Replication can only be done once whereas verification can be done many times. C) Replication is repeating the experiment in other subjects to rule out the possibility of chance. In verification, the experiment is repeated and the same observations are obtained by any scientist following the same protocol as the original observer. D) Replication and verification are not essentially different. Ans: C Difficulty: Easy 15. Galen suggested that the cerebrum, which was soft, should be the recipient of sensations. He was of the view that to form memories, sensations should be imprinted onto the brain. Thus, this must occur in the doughy cerebrum. Although the conclusion is right, the reason suggested by Galen is incorrect. Ans: True Difficulty: Moderate 16. Scientists during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries proposed the structure- function relationship between the white matter and gray matter in the brain. According to this relationship, gray matter contained the fibers that bring information to and from the white matter. Ans: False Difficulty: Easy 17. Rats are considered valuable models for the effects of psychoactive drugs on the nervous system. Ans: True Difficulty: Easy 18. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee is formed by the animal rights representatives. Ans: False Difficulty: Easy

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    Page 5 19. Scientists use the _______________approach to understand how the brain works. In this approach, neuroscientists break a complex problem into ___________ pieces for systematic experimental analysis. Ans: reductionist, smaller Difficulty: Easy 20. The process of verification, if __________, establishes new scientific fact and if __________, suggests new interpretations for the original observation. Ans: affirmative, negative

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    Page 1 1. What does the Neuron doctrine state? Choose the correct option. A) Neurites of different cells fuse together to form a continuous reticulum. B) Individual cells communicate by contact and not continuity. C) Cell body of a neuron contains organelles. D) Elementary functional unit of all tissues is the individual cell. Ans: B Difficulty: Easy 2. What is the function of MAPs? Choose the correct option. A) Regulates the function and assembly of microtubules B) Regulates the function and assembly of microfilaments C) Regulates the function and assembly of neurofilaments D) Regulates the function and assembly of cytoskeleton Ans: A Difficulty: Moderate 3. Neurons comprise two types of processes: axons and dendrites. What is the major difference between the two? Choose the correct option. A) Dendrites are of uniform diameter throughout while axons taper to a point. B) Dendrites receive incoming signals from other neurons while axons carry the output of the neurons. C) A cell body gives rise to a single dendrite and multiple axons. D) Dendrites travel long distances while axons taper to a point. Ans: B Difficulty: Easy 4. A scientist looks through a microscope at the structure of the neuron. The scientist notices a layer of molecules separating the neuron's intracellular space from the extracellular space. What is this part of the neuron known as? Choose the correct option. A) Organelle B) Soma C) Neuronal membrane D) Nuclear envelope Ans: C Difficulty: Moderate 5. What do you understand by the term “translation”? Choose the correct option. A) Assembling a piece of mRNA B) Assembling proteins from amino acids C) Removal of introns and specific exons D) The “reading” of DNA Ans: B Difficulty: Easy

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    Page 2 6. What is the most important function of the rough endoplasmic reticulum? Choose the correct option. A) RNA splicing C) Site of protein synthesis B) Post-translational protein processing D) Cellular respiration Ans: C Difficulty: Moderate 7. What does the mitochondrion “inhale”? Choose the correct option. A) Pyruvic acid B) Cytosol C) Adenosine triphosphate D) Amino acids Ans: A Difficulty: Easy 8. Identify an important difference between the cytoplasm of the axon and that of the axon terminal. Choose the correct option. A) Protein content of the membrane differs from the soma B) Occurrence of protein synthesis C) Presence of ribosomes D) Large numbers of mitochondria Ans: D Difficulty: Easy 9. What is the function of a neurotransmitter receptor in the dendritic membrane? Choose the correct option. A) Release synaptic vesicles B) Detect neurotransmitters C) Destroy extra neurotransmitter left in the synaptic cleft D) Form gap junctions Ans: B Difficulty: Moderate 10. Identify the protein that helps anterograde transport to move materials from soma to the terminal. Choose the correct option. A) Dynein B) Kinesin C) Pyruvic acid D) MAP Ans: B Difficulty: Difficult 11. Which of the following is the largest of the cytoskeletal elements? Choose the correct option. A) Microfilament B) Neurofilament C) Microtubule D) Tubulin Ans: C Difficulty: Easy

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    Page 3 12. What is retrograde axoplasmic transport? Choose the correct option. A) Movement of material from axon terminal to soma B) Movement of material from soma to axon terminal C) Movement of material within the synaptic terminal D) Movement of material among axon collaterals Ans: A Difficulty: Difficult 13. Some neurons have long axon that stretches from one part of the CNS to another. What are these called? Choose the correct option. A) Interneurons C) Golgi type I neurons B) Golgi type II neurons D) Motor neurons Ans: C Difficulty: Easy 14. What is the site where the axon begins? Choose the correct option. A) Soma B) Axon hillock C) Axon collateral D) Axon terminal Ans: B Difficulty: Easy 15. Molecular neurobiologists study the information contained in genes to determine the structure and functions of the neuronal proteins. Ans: True Difficulty: Easy 16. Dendritic spines are sensitive to the quality of the environment experienced during early development. Ans: True Difficulty: Easy 17. During transcription, transcription factors regulate the process of binding RNA polymerase to the promoter to initiate RNA synthesis. Ans: True Difficulty: Moderate 18. Ribosomes take raw material in the form of amino acids and manufacture proteins using the blueprint provided by the mRNA. Ans: True Difficulty: Easy 19. Free ribosomes that appear to be attached by a thread are called polyribosomes. The thread is a single strand of ______________. Ans: mRNA Difficulty: Easy

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    Page 4 20. Pathological changes in axonal microtubule-associated proteins or MAP are called Tau. This pathological change is implicated in the dementia that accompanies ____________. Ans: Alzheimer's disease Difficulty: Difficult

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    Page 1 1. A simple reflex requires the nervous system to perform three functions. Two of these functions are to collect and distribute information. What is the third function? Choose the correct option. A) Disintegrate information C) Process information B) Integrate information D) Translate information Ans: B Difficulty: Easy 2. What is resting membrane potential? Choose the correct option. A) Difference in electrical charge across the membrane at rest B) Generation and conduction of action potential at rest C) Positive charge inside the membrane with respect to outside at rest D) Isolation of the cytosol from extracellular fluid Ans: A Difficulty: Moderate 3. What is capacitance? Choose the correct option. A) Electrical potential difference C) Voltage across neuronal membrane B) Storage of electric charge D) Migration of electric charge Ans: B Difficulty: Difficult 4. Which of the following is the major charge carriers involved in the conduction of electricity in neurons? Choose the correct option. A) Anions B) Cations C) Ions D) Ionic bonds Ans: C Difficulty: Easy 5. How do the lipids of the neuronal membrane contribute to the neuronal membrane potential? Choose the correct option. A) Encourages chemical interactions with water B) Catalyzes chemical reactions C) Integrates cytosol of neuron with extracellular fluid D) Forms a barrier to water-soluble ions and water Ans: D Difficulty: Moderate 6. Which force other than the ionic concentration gradient determines the equilibrium potential for an ion? Choose the correct option. A) Selective ionic permeability C) Electrical resistance B) Sodium potassium pump D) Electrical conductance Ans: A Difficulty: Easy

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    Page 2 7. How do action potentials differ from passively conducted electrical signals? Choose the correct option. A) Action potentials diminish over distance; passively conducted signals do not diminish over distance B) Action potentials occur only in nerve cells; passively conducted signals occur only in muscle cells C) Action potentials are transmitted over short distances; passively conducted signals are conducted over long distances D) Action potentials are signals of fixed size and duration; passively conducted signals are not signals of fixed size and duration Ans: D Difficulty: Easy 8. How does the sodium potassium pump help maintain the resting membrane potential? Choose the correct option. A) Pumps potassium in and sodium out B) Pumps sodium in and potassium out C) Exchanges a sodium and a potassium for a calcium D) Uses calcium to pump sodium and potassium against their concentration gradients Ans: A Difficulty: Easy 9. Which of the following mechanisms decrease intracellular [Ca2+]? Choose the correct option. A) The calcium pump B) Intracellular calcium-binding proteins C) Organelles such as mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum D) All of the above Ans: D Difficulty: Easy 10. What is the meaning of an ion's equilibrium potential? Choose the correct option. A) Net movement of ions from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration B) Electrical potential difference that exactly balances an ionic concentration gradient C) Difference between the real membrane potential and equilibrium potential for a particular ion D) Difference in concentration between region with high ionic concentration and region with low ionic concentration Ans: B Difficulty: Moderate

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    Page 3 11. What is the term used to describe the mechanism for the regulation of [K + ] o by astrocytes? Choose the correct option. A) Depolarization C) Blood-brain barrier B) Potassium spatial buffering D) Goldman equation Ans: B Difficulty: Moderate 12. Distinguish between the “head” and “tail” of phospholipids. Choose the correct option. A) The phospholipids have a nonpolar “head” and polar “tail.” B) The phospholipids “head” contains hydrophilic phosphate and “tail” contains a hydrophobic hydrocarbon. C) The phospholipid “head” is hydrophobic and the hydrocarbon “tail” is hydrophilic. D) The phospholipid “heads” face each other and “tails” face the watery extracellular and intracellular environments. Ans: B Difficulty: Easy 13. In which condition do astrocytes take up extracellular K + ? Choose the correct option. A) Rise in extracellular potassium concentrations B) Fall in extracellular potassium concentrations C) Potassium equilibrium potential D) All of the above Ans: A Difficulty: Difficult 14. Which of the following factors determines the ion selectivity of specific ion channels? Choose the correct option. A) Number of protein molecules assembling to form a pore B) Number of ion channels in the membrane C) Nature of the R groups lining the ion channel D) Gating properties Ans: C Difficulty: Easy 15. Two types of cells have excitable membranes, neurons and muscle cells. Ans: True Difficulty: Easy 16. Protein shape influences protein function. Ans: True Difficulty: Easy

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    Page 4 17. Peptide bonds are a single chain of amino acids. Ans: False Difficulty: Easy 18. The differences between amino acids result from the differences in the size and nature of the R groups. Ans: True Difficulty: Easy 19. The subunits of different potassium channels have common structural features that bestow selectivity for K + ions. ______________ is one such structural feature. Ans: Pore loop Difficulty: Easy 20. All amino acids have a central _________ atom. Ans: Alpha carbon Difficulty: Easy

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    Page 1 1. How long does an action potential last from the beginning of the rising phase to the end of the falling phase? Choose the correct option. A) 2 nanoseconds B) 2 milliseconds C) 2 seconds D) 2 microseconds Ans: B Difficulty: Easy 2. What is meant by the action potential threshold? Choose the correct option. A) Critical level of depolarization required to trigger an action potential B) Critical level of hyperpolarization required to trigger an action potential C) The action potential threshold is the same as the generator potential D) Critical level at which electrical current is injected through a microelectrode Ans: A Difficulty: Moderate 3. What is the absolute refractory period? Choose the correct option. A) The period when the firing frequency is at about 1000 Hz. B) The time period of 1 msec after one action potential is initiated and before the next one is initiated. C) The period when it is difficult to initiate another action potential for several milliseconds due to sodium channel inactivation. D) The period when the membrane potential stays hyperpolarized until the voltage- gated potassium channels close. Ans: B Difficulty: Easy 4. The movement of what ion is reflected in the rising phase of the action potential? Choose the correct option. A) Inward Na + B) Outward K + C) Outward Na + D) Inward K + Ans: A Difficulty: Easy 5. How does the sodium channel selectivity filter differentiate Na + and K + ions? Choose the correct option. A) K + ions have the wrong charge. B) The K + ions are stripped of all their water molecules but the Na + ions are not. C) Sodium channel admits a Na + water complex with the water serving as a molecular chaperone through the channel. D) K + is excluded by voltage gating. Ans: C Difficulty: Easy

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    Page 2 6. What type of channel is affected by tetrodotoxin (TTX)? Choose the correct option. A) K + channels are blocked by TTX. B) TTX blocks the Na + channel by binding tightly to a specific sight on the outside of the channel. C) TTX blocks Cl - ion channels. D) TTX sensitizes voltage-gated Na + ion channels. Ans: B Difficulty: Moderate 7. How are toxins used as a research tool? Choose the correct option. A) To study the consequences of blocking action potentials B) To deduce information about the three-dimensional structure of the potassium channel C) To study the consequences of disrupting channel functions D) To study the consequences of blocking action potentials, to deduce information about the three-dimensional structure of the potassium channel and to study the consequences of disrupting channel functions Ans: D Difficulty: Easy 8. How long does it take for a voltage-gated potassium channel to open? Choose the correct option. A) Voltage-gated potassium channels take about 3 msec to open after depolarization. B) Voltage-gated potassium channels open as soon as the membrane is depolarized beyond threshold. C) Voltage-gated potassium channels do not open immediately upon depolarization; they take about 1 msec to open after the membrane is depolarized. D) Voltage-gated potassium channels open when action potential fire at maximal frequency. Ans: C Difficulty: Moderate 9. What role do voltage-gated potassium channels play in the action potential? Choose the correct option. A) Voltage-gated potassium channels maintain the resting membrane potential. B) Voltage-gated potassium channels help depolarize the membrane toward the threshold for an action potential. C) Voltage-gated potassium channels interfere with sodium conductance. D) Voltage-gated potassium channels restore negative membrane potential after the spike. Ans: D Difficulty: Easy

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