Deck 5: Evolving Brains: Neural Development, Neuroplasticity, and Recovery of Function

Question 1

The consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI) may benefit from the administration of ________ during treatment.

A) progesterone
B) estradiol
C) testosterone
D) cortisol

Answer 1

A

Question 2

________is present in both males and females, can cross the blood-brain barrier, and may be useful in treating traumatic brain injury (TBI).

A) Progesterone
B) Epinephrine
C) Corticosterone
D) Adrenaline

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The conservative nature of brain and body evolution was reinforced by the drawings of the zoologist ________.

A) Ernst Haeckel
B) Leah Krubitzer
C) Osvaldo Cairo
D) Michael Gazzaniga

Answer 3

A

Question 4

What do we mean when we say that the evolution and development of different species' brains has been a conservative process?

A) Evolution abandons previously successful principles.
B) Political philosophies are determined by evolution.
C) Nature constantly reinvents the neural wheel for a new animal.
D) Nature did not start from scratch each time to give every new species a brain.

Question 5

Because of the instinctive tendencies for mammals to engage in play behavior, it is categorized in the discipline of ________.

A) Neuroethology
B) Neuropsychology
C) Behaviorism
D) Comparative Psychology

Question 6

In both free-living and captive animals, play consumes as much as ________ of an animal's daily activities.

A) 10%
B) 20%
C) 30%
D) 90%

Question 7

Which of the following is not a form of play behavior seen in rats?

A) Object play
B) Movement-play
C) Play fighting
D) Abstract-play

Question 8

The ________ is important for the reward aspects of play.

A) nigrostriatal pathway
B) raphe nuceli
C) prefrontal cortex
D) mesolimbic dopamine system

Question 9

The __________ regulates somatosensory input necessary for choreographing specific play responses.

A) area postrema
B) periaqueductal gray
C) prefrontal cortex
D) parafascicular area

Question 10

__________________ have been observed to be released from several relevant brain areas during play

A) Endocannabinoids
B) Endogenous opioids
C) Progesterone molecules
D) Stress hormones

Question 11

Psychostimulants such as Ritalin prescribed to children with ADHD appear to _________________.

A) diminish the play response
B) increase the play response
C) have no effect on the play response
D) increase impulsive behavior.

Question 12

Adults may interpret _________________ in children as a form of impulse-control disorder.

A) anorexia
B) play urges
C) insomnia
D) picky eating

Question 13

_________________ may be contributing to the rising rates of nearsightedness in children.

A) Myopia
B) Limited outdoor play
C) ADHD
D) Play urges

Question 14

_________________ made the statement that "the human brain is undoubtedly the most impressive, complex, and intricate organ that has evolved over time."

A) Ernst Haeckel
B) Leah Krubitzer
C) Osvaldo Cairo
D) Michael Gazzaniga

Question 15

_______ has pointed out that one distinctive feature of the human brain is its large size, despite it not being the largest mammalian brain.

A) Ernst Haeckel
B) Leah Krubitzer
C) Osvaldo Cairo
D) Michael Gazzaniga

Question 16

The index determined by comparing the actual brain mass of an animal with the expected brain mass for an animal of that particular body mass based on measurements of representative mammals is called the ____________.

A) Cerebralization Quotient
B) Encephalization Quotient
C) Body-Brain Mass Quotient
D) Neurosomatic Quotient

Question 17

If the rodent brain were enlarged to the size of the human brain it would have ____________ neurons.

A) 1 trillion
B) 100 billion
C) 80 billion
D) 12 billion

Question 18

Genetic trends influenced by life events of an individual that can extend beyond an individual's lifetime across several generations are called ____________.

A) epigenetic
B) transgenerational
C) interactional
D) biomimetic

Question 19

The offspring of the more attentive mother rats exhibit __________ activity in the hippocampus.

A) more glucocorticoid receptor
B) less glucocorticoid receptor
C) more progesterone
D) less progesterone

Question 20

Adult offspring of more attentive mother rats exhibit __________.

A) enhanced startle responses
B) diminished startle responses
C) diminished exploration in a novel environment
D) enhanced territorial aggression

Question 21

Behavioral transmission of maternal traits is known as ______________.

A) nongenomic transmission
B) psychogenomic transmission
C) psychosomatic transmission
D) epigenomic transmission

Question 22

______________ refers to a mechanism in which genes can be modified by the addition of a methyl chemical compound to the cytosine nucleotide base in DNA.

A) DNA methylation
B) DNA polymerization
C) DNA cytosination
D) DNA dimerization

Question 23

The addition of an acetyl group to a histone changes the shape of nearby DNA, ______________.

A) temporarily inactivating those genes
B) making those genes more likely to be expressed
C) mutating those genes
D) permanently inactivating those genes

Question 24

Histones are proteins located in cellular nuclei that ________.

A) act as spools around which DNA coils
B) transport amino acids to ribosomes
C) repair damaged DNA
D) Pull chromosomes apart during cell division

Question 25

Cells are considered pluripotent ______________.

A) are able to become many different types of cells
B) are destined to become a specific kind of tissue
C) are slow to divide
D) are more specialized than stem cells

Question 26

Pluripotent cells are also called______________.

A) progenitor cells
B) stem cells
C) differentiated cells
D) specialized cells

Question 27

______________ refers to the brain's ability to restructure itself.

A) Neuroplasticity
B) Neuroelasticity
C) Neurospasticity
D) Neurospecificity

Question 28

Once stem cells have differentiated into progenitor cells ______________.

A) they lose the ability to produce pluripotent (unspecialized) cells
B) they maintain the ability to produce pluripotent (unspecialized) cells
C) regain their lost ability to produce pluripotent (unspecialized) cells
D) None of the above options are correct.

Question 29

The first stage of neural development is______________.

A) aggregation and differentiation
B) synaptogenesis and circuit formation
C) migration
D) neurogenesis

Question 30

The second stage of neural development is______________.

A) aggregation and differentiation
B) synaptogenesis and circuit formation
C) migration
D) neurogenesis

Question 31

The third stage of neural development is______________.

A) aggregation and differentiation
B) synaptogenesis and circuit formation
C) migration
D) neurogenesis

Question 32

The fourth stage of neural development is______________.

A) aggregation and differentiation
B) synaptogenesis and circuit formation
C) migration
D) neurogenesis

Question 33

During ___________the formation of new synapses occurs.

A) neurogenesis
B) synaptogenesis
C) apoptosis
D) proliferation

Question 34

Neurons deemed unnecessary after circuit formation will undergo programmed cell death known as ___________.

A) neuropathy
B) neurodegeneration
C) apoptosis
D) necrosis

Question 35

Certain glial cells known as ___________ will help developing neurons to their destinations.

A) microglia
B) astrocytes
C) radial cells
D) oligodendrocytes

Question 36

The ventricular and subventricular zones are___________ areas for eventual cortical neurons.

A) proliferative
B) dissemination
C) genealogical
D) substantive

Question 37

During early neural development ________________ facilitates the growth of axons and dendrites and enhances the probability of neuronal survival.

A) glutamate
B) progesterone
C) testosterone
D) nerve growth factor (NGF)

Question 38

In addition to promoting the maturation of neurons and synapse formation throughout the brain, ________________ has also been implicated in complex behaviors such as learning.

A) nerve growth factor (NGF)
B) brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)
C) phenylalanine
D) tryptophan

Question 39

The ability to consciously override the impulse to orient to a new sensory stimulus is indicative of___________.

A) enhanced levels of GABA
B) decreased levels of dopamine
C) behavioral vigilance
D) top-down processing

Question 40

The ability to inhibit irrelevant responses that interfere with the completion of a task is known as___________.

A) cognitive inhibition
B) attentional inhibition
C) response inhibition
D) behavioral inhibition

Question 41

Though drug addiction involves many neurotransmitters which of the following is considered part of a common neural pathway for most drugs of addiction?

A) Serotonin projections from the raphe nuclei .
B) Dopamine projections from the substantia nigra.
C) Norepinephrine projections from the locus coeruleus.
D) Dopamine projections from the ventral tegmental area.

Question 42

From childhood to adulthood, performance in a response inhibition task improves from _____ of trials containing errors to only about _____ in adulthood.

A) 50%, 10%
B) 50%, 15%
C) 70%, 10%
D) 70%, 5%

Question 43

___________ are critical for keeping our genes intact during chromosome replication.

A) Telomeres
B) Histones
C) Chromatin
D) Ribosomes

Question 44

Degradation of our ___________ may account for the functional decline of various body organs, including the brain, during normal aging.

A) telomeres
B) histones
C) mRNA
D) ribosomes

Question 45

The risk of ___________, which is characterized by severe memory loss increases dramatically with age.

A) Parkinson's disease
B) Alzheimer's disease
C) Multiple sclerosis.
D) enzymatic degradation

Question 46

The neurofibrillary tangles found in brains diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease consist of what?

A) Plaques.
B) β-amyloid protein.
C) Myelin.
D) Knotted threads of tau (τ) protein.

Question 47

When young mice received blood from old mice their ___________.

A) levels of young neurons declined.
B) levels of doublecortin antibody increased.
C) rates of neurogenesis stayed the same.
D) activity levels went up.

Question 48

___________ occurs as axons twist and tear.

A) A convulsion.
B) A concussion
C) Axon shearing
D) Axonal flux

Question 49

The disruption of blood flow following an event such as an accident or a stroke is called ___________.

A) ischemia
B) a neurofibrillary tangle
C) subdural hematoma
D) ionic flux

Question 50

The neurological assessment known as the ___________ determines the patient's ability to speak, move, engage in conversation, and perform other basic cognitive functions.

A) Glasgow Coma Scale
B) Mini-Mental States Exam
C) Gazzaniga Assessment of Function
D) Babinsky Reflex Test

Question 51

___________ are important non-neuronal cells involved in recovery from a brain injury.

A) Astrocytes
B) Oligodendrocytes
C) Schwann cells
D) Microglia

Question 52

___________ restricts the use of a functional limb to encourage the use of the impaired limb, force new neural circuits to be formed that regulate the performance of the impaired limb.

A) Applied behavioral analysis
B) Physical therapy
C) Cognitive behavioral therapy
D) Constraint-induced movement therapy

Question 53

___________ was once referred to as dementia pugilistica.

A) Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)
B) Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
C) Alzheimer's disease (AD).
D) Parkinson's disease (PD)

Question 54

___________ is a form of behavioral profiling to determine whether the new genetically engineered mouse strain is a "match" for a human disorder.

A) Neurogenomics
B) Behavioral phenotyping
C) Behavioral genotyping
D) Behavioral genomics

Question 55

Decades of research on progesterone indicate that, among other functions, it ___________.

A) reduces swelling in the brain
B) reduces the expression of neural growth factors
C) impairs myelination of neuronal axons
D) induces apoptosis of injured neurons

Question 56

There are many more ___________ among the brains of various species.

A) similarities than differences
B) sensory neurons than motor neurons
C) hormones than neurotransmitters
D) differences than similarities

Question 57

What observation led to the investigation of progesterone as a potential treatment for traumatic brain injury?

A) Female rats were immune to brain damage.
B) Male rats do not produce progesterone.
C) Male rats were immune to brain damage.
D) Female rats recovered faster from brain damage than male rats.

Question 58

The conservative process of evolution can be paraphrased by which of the following statements?

A) Evolution works by natural selection.
B) The number of species is constrained natural selection.
C) Evolution follows the principle of survival of the fittest.
D) Each time a new species evolves, nature does not start all over again.

Question 59

Rats display what three specific neuroethological play behaviors?

A) Rolling, pins, flips.
B) Chasing, dorsal contacts, pins.
C) Pins, chasing, flips.
D) Dorsal contacts, sniffing, flips.

Question 60

During play rats emit ________ similar to those that are also emitted during other socially rewarding situations.

A) pheromones
B) aggressive behaviors
C) ultrasonic vocalizations
D) scent-marking odors

Question 61

How might play behavior in rats support the developing brain?

A) Serotonin levels decrease with more pinning behavior.
B) Play behavior leads to endorphin release
C) Play behavior raises metabolism.
D) Play behavior increases the levels of growth factors in the brain.

Question 62

What observation supports the hypothesis that that reduced outdoor play contributes to the rising rates of myopia, or nearsightedness?

A) Myopia decreased in children who had increased outdoor play.
B) Rats in an enriched environment don't show myopia.
C) Myopia increased in children who had increased outdoor play.
D) Children moved indoors quickly develop myopia.

Question 63

What observation suggests why the human brain seems to have the have the most advanced cognitive abilities compared to other mammals?

A) Humans have the largest brain of any known mammal.
B) Human brains have the lowest number of glia cells of any known mammal.
C) Human brains have the largest ventricles of any known mammal.
D) Human cerebral cortex contains the most neurons of any known mammal.

Question 64

How does the mechanism of epigenetics explain the phenomenon of transgenerational inheritance?

A) Events that occur during an individual's lifetime can lead to changes in genetic expression across several subsequent generations.
B) DNA mutations that occur between generations alter the DNA of subsequent generations.
C) Life events have no influence on the genetic trends that are observed in subsequent generations.
D) DNA is hardwired at birth this genetic information is passed on to subsequent generations unchanged.

Question 65

Research has indicated that poor fetal nutrition ________.

A) is completely compensated for after one year of age.
B) has no effect on the developing brain.
C) Leads to drug addiction later in life.
D) leads to an increased the risk of cardiovascular disease later in life

Question 66

Just as it is sometimes more economical to renovate a home as opposed to building a new one, ________.

A) neural development requires raw materials.
B) recovery from a brain injury is completely different from fetal brain development.
C) recovery from a brain injury is completely different from learning.
D) it is likely more economical to reconstruct existing neurons rather than create new neurons

Question 67

What process(es) does the brain use to exhibit plasticity or change over time?

A) Modifications in dendritic arborization patterns and spines.
B) Apoptosis followed by neurogenesis.
C) Proliferation of new neurons from progenitor cells.
D) Glia cells slowly transform into neurons.

Question 68

The two discrete areas of the adult mouse brain exhibiting adult neurogenesis are the ______ and ____.

A) dorsal horn of spinal cord; ventral roots of spinal cord
B) prefrontal cortex; cerebellum
C) lateral hypothalamus; ventral hypothalamus.
D) subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus in the hippocampus; subventricular zone of the lateral ventricle

Question 69

The production of new glial cells is called ________.

A) synaptogenesis
B) apoptosis
C) cellular differentiation
D) gliogenesis

Question 70

It may take as long as ________ for a new neuron to become synaptically integrated into mature hippocampal neural circuitry.

A) four to eight weeks
B) one to two weeks
C) four months
D) a year

Question 71

The proteins and other substances that influence various neuroplasticity functions are known collectively as ________.

A) cell adhesion molecules (CAMs)
B) neuromodulators
C) neurotrophic factors
D) neurohormones

Question 72

The neurons are guided in their migration to their final destination by their attraction to specific ________

A) neuromodulators
B) neurotrophic factors
C) neurohormones
D) cell adhesion molecules (CAMs)

Question 73

In adolescence, ________ occurs resulting in decreased density of neuronal processes to maximize neural efficiency.

A) synaptic pruning
B) apoptosis
C) synaptogenesis
D) necrosis

Question 74

Restructuring of the neuron's existing cytoskeleton occurs in response to various neural adaptations that accompany ________.

A) aging.
B) Alzheimer's disease.
C) strokes.
D) learning in different contexts.

Question 75

It may take as long as ________ for a new neuron to reach their final mature physical form within hippocampal neural circuitry.

A) four to eight weeks
B) one to two weeks
C) four months
D) a year

Question 76

The task requiring top-down processing where subjects were told to look in the opposite direction of a presented light stimulus is called ________.

A) negative reinforcement
B) response inhibition
C) positive reinforcement
D) response latency

Question 77

Which mental disorders are more likely to emerge during adolescence?

A) Borderline disorder, dementia, posttraumatic stress disorder.
B) Autism, depression, Alzheimer's disease, eating disorders.
C) Depression, eating disorders, epilepsy, dementia.
D) Depression, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia.

Question 78

More important to intelligence than the actual size of the cortical area was the ________ associated with the cortical area, especially in the frontal cortex.

A) plasticity
B) number of neurons
C) number of glial cells
D) size of the individual neurons

Question 79

Compared to adults, the adolescent brain may have a ________ ventral striatum and ________ prefrontal cortex and amygdala?

A) underactive, hyperactive
B) hyperactive, hyperactive
C) underactive, underactive
D) hyperactive, underactive

Question 80

The limbic regions of the brain mature at a faster rate than the prefrontal cortical areas during adolescence suggesting ________ in adolescents than adults.

A) greater anxiety
B) less anxiety
C) more risk-taking
D) less risk-taking