Question 1

If a left-handed man had a large right parietal lobe lesion, would he be able to draw or write with his left hand?

Accepted Answer

No. He does not recognize the left side of the body as being his own.

Question 2

If you are recording from a single concept cell to which you show eight images of the actor, Sean Connery (SC) mixed in with other images of relatively neutral stimuli (NS). Among such stimuli, are also four images of another famous actor, Patrick Stewart (PS). Total number of images shown is 100. In terms of the number of action potential spikes fired, how would the concept cell respond?

Accepted Answer

A) SC > PS > NS B) SC > PS = NS C) SC = PS > NS D) SC = PS = NS E) SC < PS = NS A) SC > PS > NS B) SC > PS = NS C) SC = PS > NS D) SC = PS = NS E) SC < PS = NS A

Question 3

When a hippocampal neuron responds not only to one famous face from, say, a movie, but to all other famous faces from that same movie, this provides a common _______ for recognition.

Accepted Answer

A)  concept, such as the field of "acting" 
B)  category, such as "movie stars" 
C)  stimulus, such as "faces" 
D)  context, such as that particular movie 
E)  theme, such as "science fiction movies" or "crime drama" 
A)  concept, such as the field of "acting" 
B)  category, such as "movie stars" 
C)  stimulus, such as "faces" 
D)  context, such as that particular movie 
E)  theme, such as "science fiction movies" or "crime drama" D

Question 4

Ultimately, the most thorough understanding of how tangible neural firing patterns are translated into intangible, abstract thought or consciousness is to understand the brain at the

Accepted Answer

A)  organismal level. 
B)  organ level. 
C)  cellular level. 
D)  molecular level. 
E)  atomic and subatomic levels. 
A)  organismal level. 
B)  organ level. 
C)  cellular level. 
D)  molecular level. 
E)  atomic and subatomic levels.

Question 5

What is one advantage of using neural stem cells for repairing injured neuronal axons?

Accepted Answer

A)  They can yet be any kind of neural cell. 
B)  They are relatively inexpensive. 
C)  They are technically easy to acquire and use. 
D)  They are relatively easy to maintain in the lab. 
E)  They are among the youngest type of cells, meaning that they still can easily adapt to their new environment. 
A)  They can yet be any kind of neural cell. 
B)  They are relatively inexpensive. 
C)  They are technically easy to acquire and use. 
D)  They are relatively easy to maintain in the lab. 
E)  They are among the youngest type of cells, meaning that they still can easily adapt to their new environment.

Question 6

One of the main obstacles in treating monogenic diseases using gene therapy is that a single gene

Accepted Answer

A)  may have several functions in the cell. 
B)  may express different variants of a protein at different times. 
C)  must first be cloned. 
D)  may express a protein that must be proteolytically processed to its active form. 
E)  may have several overlapping functions. 
A)  may have several functions in the cell. 
B)  may express different variants of a protein at different times. 
C)  must first be cloned. 
D)  may express a protein that must be proteolytically processed to its active form. 
E)  may have several overlapping functions.

Question 7

What can you infer from studies that show that when subjects are surgically treated for epilepsy, and are shown visual images, cells in the medial temporal lobe and hippocampus fire?

Accepted Answer

A)  The visual cortex sends impulses to the medial temporal lobe. 
B)  Impulses are sent directly from the eyes to the medial temporal lobe. 
C)  The visual cortex is the first central structure to receive images. 
D)  The medial temporal lobe mediates images between the eyes and the visual cortex. 
E)  The medial temporal lobe and hippocampus send impulses to the visual cortex. 
A)  The visual cortex sends impulses to the medial temporal lobe. 
B)  Impulses are sent directly from the eyes to the medial temporal lobe. 
C)  The visual cortex is the first central structure to receive images. 
D)  The medial temporal lobe mediates images between the eyes and the visual cortex. 
E)  The medial temporal lobe and hippocampus send impulses to the visual cortex.

Question 8

Explain how concept cells function.

Accepted Answer

Concept cells are highly selective for a

Question 9

Suppose you record from a single concept cell to which you show images of a famous person (or maybe a not-so-famous person, such as your sibling). And then, suppose you display a series of images of the same person, but with each successive image, the face has been increasingly altered to the point that the face on the final image no longer bears any resemblance to the original face. In terms of action potential spike firing, how would the concept cell respond?

Accepted Answer

A)  The cell would continue to fire at the same intensity until the face images become too dissimilar and firing would abruptly stop; i.e., a threshold will be reached. 
B)  The cell would continue to fire at the same intensity until the face images become too dissimilar and firing would abruptly decline, but not stop. 
C)  The cell would continue to fire at the same intensity in response to all face images shown. 
D)  The cell would significantly decrease firing intensity in response to the first significant alteration of the face. 
E)  The cell would gradually decrease firing intensity as the resemblance to the original image decreases. 
A)  The cell would continue to fire at the same intensity until the face images become too dissimilar and firing would abruptly stop; i.e., a threshold will be reached. 
B)  The cell would continue to fire at the same intensity until the face images become too dissimilar and firing would abruptly decline, but not stop. 
C)  The cell would continue to fire at the same intensity in response to all face images shown. 
D)  The cell would significantly decrease firing intensity in response to the first significant alteration of the face. 
E)  The cell would gradually decrease firing intensity as the resemblance to the original image decreases.

Question 10

Concept cells are a specialized type of neuron in the

Accepted Answer

A)  entorhinal cortex. 
B)  visual cortex. 
C)  retina. 
D)  parietal cortex. 
E)  hippocampus. 
A)  entorhinal cortex. 
B)  visual cortex. 
C)  retina. 
D)  parietal cortex. 
E)  hippocampus.

Question 11

Intense thought devoted to planning your next vacation should show greater blood flow in the _______, as revealed by fMRI.

Accepted Answer

A)  prefrontal cortex 
B)  hippocampus 
C)  cerebral cortex 
D)  cerebellum 
E)  visual cortex 
A)  prefrontal cortex 
B)  hippocampus 
C)  cerebral cortex 
D)  cerebellum 
E)  visual cortex

Question 12

The beginning and hallmark of wisdom is embodied in the statement,

Accepted Answer

A)  "Correlation does not imply causation" (source is controversial). 
B)  "Imagination is more important than knowledge" (A. Einstein). 
C)  "Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood" (M. Curie). 
D)  "I don't know." 
E)  "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants" (I. Newton). 
A)  "Correlation does not imply causation" (source is controversial). 
B)  "Imagination is more important than knowledge" (A. Einstein). 
C)  "Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood" (M. Curie). 
D)  "I don't know." 
E)  "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants" (I. Newton).

Question 13

If an ion channel is composed of five different sub-units, and no RNA splicing or any other kind of processing occurs, how many different genes are required to express this channel?

Accepted Answer

A)  10 
B)  8 
C)  5 
D)  1 
E)  Not enough information given 
A)  10 
B)  8 
C)  5 
D)  1 
E)  Not enough information given

Question 14

In the peripheral nervous system, the fact that most neurons are unmyelinated suggests, from a teleological perspective, that they do not need to be myelinated. This greatly decreases the burden of having to produce so many more

Accepted Answer

A)  astrocytes. 
B)  oligodendrocytes. 
C)  Schwann cells. 
D)  bipolar cells. 
E)  motor neurons. 
A)  astrocytes. 
B)  oligodendrocytes. 
C)  Schwann cells. 
D)  bipolar cells. 
E)  motor neurons.

Question 15

In Figure 30.1 (in the text) , beside the red bars that represent the neuron's response to Pamela Anderson's face at five spikes or higher, that same neuron also responded with four spikes to four other stimuli. Hypothesize what these other stimuli might have been.

Accepted Answer

Human faces, perhaps those that resemble

Question 16

Sleep can be considered an altered state of consciousness; not unconsciousness. Moreover, it is well known that sleep is needed to consolidate learning and memories. Studying the rhythmicity of the _______, therefore, will likely yield the most useful information about why we need to sleep.

Accepted Answer

A)  respiratory centers in the medulla 
B)  suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus 
C)  hippocampus and association cortices 
D)  spinal cord 
E)  visual cortex 
A)  respiratory centers in the medulla 
B)  suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus 
C)  hippocampus and association cortices 
D)  spinal cord 
E)  visual cortex

Question 17

Of all the different types of cells in the retina, including the enormous number of each cell type (e.g., amacrine cells), propose an explanation for why only ganglion cells are myelinated, but not until part of their axons enter the optic nerve.

Accepted Answer

Teleological questions or "Why" question

Question 18

In biology, one of the most common ways to determine the function of something is to

Accepted Answer

A)  purify it. 
B)  isolate it. 
C)  remove it or prevent it from working. 
D)  add more of it. 
E)  change it only a little so that it is still functioning, but only partially so. 
A)  purify it. 
B)  isolate it. 
C)  remove it or prevent it from working. 
D)  add more of it. 
E)  change it only a little so that it is still functioning, but only partially so.

Question 19

Which class of molecules would be a good candidate to aid in the regeneration of injured axons?

Accepted Answer

A)  Cations, such as sodium, potassium, and calcium 
B)  Anions, such as chloride and phosphate 
C)  Lipids, such as fatty acids 
D)  Growth factors, such as nerve growth factor 
E)  Nucleotides 
A)  Cations, such as sodium, potassium, and calcium 
B)  Anions, such as chloride and phosphate 
C)  Lipids, such as fatty acids 
D)  Growth factors, such as nerve growth factor 
E)  Nucleotides

Question 20

Arguably, some of the most significant early (and current) discoveries about how the brain works has been because of

Accepted Answer

A)  neuroscientists. 
B)  neurologists. 
C)  technological advances. 
D)  patients. 
E)  educational advances that have trained more neurologists and other physicians. 
A)  neuroscientists. 
B)  neurologists. 
C)  technological advances. 
D)  patients. 
E)  educational advances that have trained more neurologists and other physicians.

Exam 30: Appendix

If a left-handed man had a large right parietal lobe lesion, would he be able to draw or write with his left hand?

When a hippocampal neuron responds not only to one famous face from, say, a movie, but to all other famous faces from that same movie, this provides a common _______ for recognition.

Ultimately, the most thorough understanding of how tangible neural firing patterns are translated into intangible, abstract thought or consciousness is to understand the brain at the

What is one advantage of using neural stem cells for repairing injured neuronal axons?

One of the main obstacles in treating monogenic diseases using gene therapy is that a single gene

What can you infer from studies that show that when subjects are surgically treated for epilepsy, and are shown visual images, cells in the medial temporal lobe and hippocampus fire?

Explain how concept cells function.

Concept cells are a specialized type of neuron in the

Intense thought devoted to planning your next vacation should show greater blood flow in the _______, as revealed by fMRI.

The beginning and hallmark of wisdom is embodied in the statement,

If an ion channel is composed of five different sub-units, and no RNA splicing or any other kind of processing occurs, how many different genes are required to express this channel?

In the peripheral nervous system, the fact that most neurons are unmyelinated suggests, from a teleological perspective, that they do not need to be myelinated. This greatly decreases the burden of having to produce so many more

In Figure 30.1 (in the text) , beside the red bars that represent the neuron's response to Pamela Anderson's face at five spikes or higher, that same neuron also responded with four spikes to four other stimuli. Hypothesize what these other stimuli might have been.

Sleep can be considered an altered state of consciousness; not unconsciousness. Moreover, it is well known that sleep is needed to consolidate learning and memories. Studying the rhythmicity of the _______, therefore, will likely yield the most useful information about why we need to sleep.

Of all the different types of cells in the retina, including the enormous number of each cell type (e.g., amacrine cells), propose an explanation for why only ganglion cells are myelinated, but not until part of their axons enter the optic nerve.

In biology, one of the most common ways to determine the function of something is to

Which class of molecules would be a good candidate to aid in the regeneration of injured axons?

Arguably, some of the most significant early (and current) discoveries about how the brain works has been because of

Principles of Signaling and Organization

Signaling in the Visual System

Functional Architecture of the Visual Cortex

Ion Channels and Signaling

Structure of Ion Channels

Ionic Basis of the Resting Potential

Ionic Basis of the Action Potential

Electrical Signaling in Neurons

Ion Transport Across Cell Membranes

Properties and Functions of Neuroglial Cells

Mechanisms of Direct Synaptic Transmission

Indirect Mechanisms of Synaptic Transmission

Release of Neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitters in the Central Nervous System

Transmitter Synthesis, Storage, Transport, and Inactivation

Synaptic Plasticity

The Molecular and Cellular Biology of Synaptic Plasticity

Mechanisms of Extrasynaptic Communication

Autonomic Nervous System

Walking, Flying, and Swimming: Cellular Mechanisms of Sensorimotor Behavior in Invertebrates

Sensory Transduction

Transduction and Transmission in the Retina

Touch, Pain, and Texture Sensation

Auditory and Vestibular Sensation

Constructing Perception

Initiation and Control of Coordinated Muscular Movements

Development of the Nervous System

Critical Periods in Sensory Systems

Regeneration and Repair of Synaptic Connections After Injury

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