You find a new presynaptic protein that you call 'synprotelm' and you want to see where it is in relation to the presynaptic Ca2+ channels. What is the best method to use to understand this? Defend your answer.

A) Scanning electron microscopy B) Transmission electron microscopy C) Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy D) Immunoelectron microscopy A) Scanning electron microscopy B) Transmission electron microscopy C) Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy D) Immunoelectron microscopy

Exam 13: Ways of Exploring

Neurons in the motor cortex are broadly tuned and show selectivity for a direction of movement. There is evidence that movement is coded by the activity of a population of neurons. One of the experiments that provided evidence for this used a multi-electrode array. Why is this a good method for studying this type of coding and why would a local field potential or intracellular recording not have provided the evidence needed to show a population code?

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Question 1

Correct Answer:

Verified

Multi-electrode arrays are able to isolate single unit action potential activity over a relatively large area of tissue. As the direction of movement is coded by a population of neurons, a large number of neurons across an area of tissue was required. This allowed the investigators to monitor the activity of many neurons at one time. If the investigators had only monitored one neuron at a time they would have seen that any one neuron was active at some times but not others and the de-coding would have been very difficult. A local field potential monitors the synaptic activity in an area so this would have been very similar across many movement directions. The local field potential would not have shown different individual neurons active for particular movements.

What is a connectome?

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Question 2

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A

Carl von Frisch studied honeybee foraging to understand the cues bees use to transmit information about the location of a food source. What was correlated with distance of feeding place?

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Question 3

Correct Answer:

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C

Why is a closed-loop design so important for understanding the neural basis of behavior?

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Question 4

What main advantage do both Drosophila and C. elegans provide as an animal model in neuroscience?

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Question 5

What are the advantages and disadvantages of studying an animal in its natural environment?

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Question 6

Match the technique with its description.

Multi-electrode arrays

Made with an electrode placed outside of a neuron cell membrane

Extracellular recording

A recording of the dendritic and synaptic activity of a group of neurons

Intracellular recording

Made with an electrode placed right at the surface of the cell membrane

Correct Answer:

Verified

Multi-electrode arrays

Extracellular recording

Intracellular recording

Whole-cell patch recording

Local field potential

Single-unit recording

Electroencephalography

(Matching)

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Question 7

What is a loss-of-function mutation?

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Question 8

Match the technique with the molecule it detects.

Northern blot

membrane-bound protein

Southern blot

membrane-bound mRNA

Immunostaining

intact tissue protein

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Northern blot

Southern blot

Immunostaining

In situ hybridization

Western blot

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Question 9

You find a new presynaptic protein that you call 'synprotelm' and you want to see where it is in relation to the presynaptic Ca²⁺ channels. What is the best method to use to understand this? Defend your answer.

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 10

Select all that are correct about diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 11

The CASPR/Cas9 system is a new, very powerful technique that can knockout genes in mice, flies, and animals that are not accessible to genetic manipulation. If you are trying to remove expression of a presynaptic protein you need to add a guide RNA and Cas9. What does the Cas9 do?

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 12

Why is functional magnetic resonance imaging advantageous for human brains? Select all that apply.

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 13

Which of the following are ways to inactivate neurons or group of neurons? Choose all that apply.

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Question 14

To find gene(s) involved in the Drosophila Period phenotype investigators used 'forward genetics'. What does this mean?

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 15

You are a new investigator at a lab and think you have identified an area of the brain (fictitiously called SASD) important for social interactions, which might be effected in a mouse model of autism spectrum disorder. Describe an experiment in which you test the necessity and sufficiency of this brain area in social interactions. Include the neural manipulation and behavioral assay. Also include the predicted outcome of the experiment if you are correct.

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Question 16

You are recording from some neurons in the pulvinar nucleus in the thalamus and want to know where neurons in that nucleus project. What is/are the best method(s) to use to determine this? Select all that apply.

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Question 17

You want to determine which genes are up- and down-regulated in glia after brain injury. Which technique would be best for this type of analysis?

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Question 18

Using any vertebrate animal in research is governed by ethical rules that are regulated by government agencies and maintained through an institutional animal care and use committee. What are some of the ethical obligations of researches when using vertebrates in research?

(Essay)

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Question 19

What is the advantage of an intracellular recording over an extracellular recording?

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Question 20

What is a connectome?

Carl von Frisch studied honeybee foraging to understand the cues bees use to transmit information about the location of a food source. What was correlated with distance of feeding place?

Why is a closed-loop design so important for understanding the neural basis of behavior?

What main advantage do both Drosophila and C. elegans provide as an animal model in neuroscience?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of studying an animal in its natural environment?

What is a loss-of-function mutation?

You find a new presynaptic protein that you call 'synprotelm' and you want to see where it is in relation to the presynaptic Ca²⁺ channels. What is the best method to use to understand this? Defend your answer.

Select all that are correct about diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

The CASPR/Cas9 system is a new, very powerful technique that can knockout genes in mice, flies, and animals that are not accessible to genetic manipulation. If you are trying to remove expression of a presynaptic protein you need to add a guide RNA and Cas9. What does the Cas9 do?

Why is functional magnetic resonance imaging advantageous for human brains? Select all that apply.

Which of the following are ways to inactivate neurons or group of neurons? Choose all that apply.

To find gene(s) involved in the Drosophila Period phenotype investigators used 'forward genetics'. What does this mean?

You are recording from some neurons in the pulvinar nucleus in the thalamus and want to know where neurons in that nucleus project. What is/are the best method(s) to use to determine this? Select all that apply.

You want to determine which genes are up- and down-regulated in glia after brain injury. Which technique would be best for this type of analysis?

Using any vertebrate animal in research is governed by ethical rules that are regulated by government agencies and maintained through an institutional animal care and use committee. What are some of the ethical obligations of researches when using vertebrates in research?

What is the advantage of an intracellular recording over an extracellular recording?

An Invitation to Neurobiology

Signaling Within Neurons

Signaling Across Synapses

Vision

Wiring of the Visual System

Olfaction, Taste, Audition, and Somatosensation

Wiring of the Nervous System

Motor and Regulatory Systems

Sexual Behavior

Memory, Learning, and Synaptic Plasticity

Brain Disorders

Evolution of the Nervous System

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