Deck 27: Development of the Nervous System

Question 1

During nervous system development, the following factors control cell specification.

A) DNA polymerases
B) RNA polymerases
C) Ribosomes
D) Proteases
E) Transcription factors

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Reprogramming mature, differentiated somatic cells with Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, c-Myc can produce

A) irreversible genetic loss.
B) actual embryonic stem cells.
C) a fertilized egg.
D) induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
E) immature differentiated somatic cells.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Cell differentiation can be regulated by

A) transcription factors.
B) juxtacrine signaling.
C) paracrine signaling.
D) all of the above.
E) none of the above.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which molecules do not act as a morphogen during nervous system development?

A) Wnt
B) cAMP
C) FGFs
D) Shh
E) RA

Question 5

The following tools have been used to study to study cell fate mapping.

A) Lipophilic dyes
B) Ion channel blockers
C) cAMP analogues
D) Kinase inhibitors
E) Microtubule inhibitors

Question 6

This embryonic structure is known as the Spemann Organizer in amphibians.

A) Neural plate
B) Notochord
C) Dorsal blastopore lip
D) Epidermis
E) Endoderm

Question 7

What type of experiment did Spemann use to study neural induction?

A) Gene knockout
B) Antibody injection
C) Lipophilic dye labeling
D) Radioactive labeling
E) Transplantation

Question 8

According to the default model of neural induction, BMP

A) induces neural fate in ectoderm.
B) maintains epidermal fate in ectoderm.
C) reduces phosphorylation of SMAD transcription factors.
D) binds to notch.
E) acts only intracellularly.

Question 9

Which gene is not a proneural gene?

A) Delta
B) Neurogenin
C) Achaete scute
D) Atonal
E) Enhancer of split

Question 10

The neuroblast is determined by elevated levels of Delta during the

A) specification of the neural plate.
B) process of lateral inhibition.
C) formation of the neural tube.
D) process of cell dissociation.
E) mutation of neurogenic genes.

Question 11

This molecule specifies posterior fate along the anteriorposterior axis.

A) BMP
B) Wnt
C) Noggin
D) NGF
E) Shh

Question 12

This molecule determines the midbrain-hindbrain boundary.

A) Shh
B) BMP
C) Follistatin
D) FGF8
E) RA

Question 13

Hox genes are

A) growth factors.
B) cell surface receptors.
C) transcription factors.
D) histon proteins.
E) tyrosine kinases.

Question 14

This embryonic structure induces the floor plate.

A) Notochord
B) Spemann organizer
C) Central canal
D) Roof plate
E) Neural plate

Question 15

This morphogen is involved in ventral patterning of the nervous system.

A) FGF
B) Shh
C) Wnt
D) BMP
E) EGF

Question 16

During development of the cortex, neurons migrate outward along the following cells.

A) Fibroblasts
B) Microglia
C) Oligodendrocytes
D) Astrocytes
E) Radial glia

Question 17

The innermost layer in the developing vertebrate cortex is called the

A) cortical plate
B) marginal zone
C) intermediate zone
D) ventricular zone
E) subventricular zone

Question 18

Which of the following transcription factors determine the regional identity of the caudal portion of the cerebral cortex?

A) Emx2
B) Sp8
C) Pax6
D) Couptf1
E) Hox3

Question 19

Which neuronal subtype exhibits tangential migration during cortical development?

A) Pyramidal neurons
B) Purkinje neurons
C) Spiny neurons
D) Basket cells
E) GABAergic interneurons

Question 20

Neurogenesis in the adult brain was shown in this animal.

A) Chicks
B) Aplysias
C) Ferrets
D) Songbirds
E) Dolphins

Question 21

Transplantation experiments showed that

A) different progenitor cells give rise to distinct cell types in the cortex.
B) common progenitor cells gain more and more competence to create different cell types as development proceeds.
C) common progenitor cells have more and more restricted competence to develop into different cell types as time progresses.
D) common progenitor cells do not change their competence level during development.
E) None of the above

Question 22

McConnell and colleagues found evidence for the progressive competence restriction model by performing

A) transplantation experiments in ferrets.
B) transplantation experiments in amphibians.
C) transplantation experiments in mice.
D) viral labelling experiments in chick.
E) radioactive labelling experiments in rats.

Question 23

Which cell type is derived from neural crest cells?

A) Sensory neuron of dorsal root ganglion
B) Adrenal chromaffin cell
C) Schwann cell of dorsal root ganglion
D) Sympathetic neuron
E) All of the above

Question 24

Peripheral nervous system sympathetic neurons that innervate sweat glands switch their neurotransmitter from

A) glutamine to acetylcholine.
B) GABA to glycine.
C) acetylcholine to norepinephrine.
D) norepinephrine to GABA.
E) norepinephrine to acetylcholine.

Question 25

As embryonic Xenopus striated muscle cells mature, the following receptor type prevails.

A) Acetylcholine
B) Epinephrine
C) Glutamine
D) Dopamine
E) GABA

Question 26

The fingerlike structures in the growth cone are called

A) lamellipodia.
B) ruffles.
C) filopodia.
D) arcs.
E) stress fibers.

Question 27

The protrusion and retraction of the lamellipodia and filopodia is driven by

A) microtubules.
B) mitochondria.
C) vesicles.
D) F-actin.
E) neurofilaments.

Question 28

The following guidance cue mediates long-range attraction.

A) Semaphorin
B) Netrin-1
C) Laminin
D) NrCAM
E) Ephrin

Question 29

NrCAM belongs to this group of molecules.

A) Diffusible factors
B) Extracellular matrix molecules
C) Growth factors
D) Repulsive factors
E) Adhesion molecules

Question 30

DCC is a receptor for

A) semaphoring.
B) NCAM.
C) netrin-1.
D) ephrin.
E) slit.

Question 31

Slit stimulates the protein synthesis of

A) tubulin.
B) cofilin.
C) actin.
D) robo.
E) protein kinase C.

Question 32

Neurotrophic factors counteract

A) endocytosis.
B) phagocytosis.
C) necrosis.
D) apoptosis.
E) acidosis.

Question 33

Which function is not known to be controlled by NGF?

A) Axonal growth of DRG sensory neurons
B) Axonal growth of sympathetic neurons
C) Survival of sympathetic neurons
D) Local protein synthesis
E) Survival of hippocampal neurons

Question 34

Rita Levi-Montalcini and Stanley Cohen used _______ as source for purification of NGF.

A) chick embryonic brains
B) mouse salivary glands
C) chick embryonic eyes
D) pig brains
E) rat adrenal medulla

Question 35

Which experiment reduced the number of dying motoneurons in developing chick embryos?

A) Implanting an extra limb from another embryo
B) Removing a limb
C) Implanting a tail from another embryo
D) Implanting a head from another embryo
E) Removing the tail

Question 36

Brain derived growth factor (BDNF) binds this high-affinity receptor.

A) TrkA
B) TrkB
C) TrkC
D) TrkD
E) None of the above

Question 37

Temporal retina axons

A) prefer posterior tectal membranes because they are attracted to them.
B) prefer anterior tectal membranes because they are attracted to them.
C) prefer anterior tectal membranes because they are repelled by posterior membranes.
D) prefer posterior tectal membranes because they are repelled by anterior membranes.
E) do not have a preference of anterior vs posterior tectal membranes.

Question 38

Which protein causes acetylcholine receptor clustering?

A) NCAM
B) NGF
C) Wnt
D) Noggin
E) Agrin

Question 39

Mutations in neurexins have been implicated in

A) autism.
B) myasthenia gravis.
C) spina bifida.
D) multiple sclerosis.
E) peripheral neuropathy.

Question 40

Which property affects elimination of synapse after the initial formation?

A) Temperature
B) Nutrition
C) Neuronal activity
D) Level of myelination
E) Size of the synapse

Question 41

The human brain has an increased size and complexity compared to other mammals mainly because of

A) human cells are larger than cells from other mammals.
B) human neurons have a lower rate of cell death.
C) neurogenesis still occurs postnatally.
D) the ratio of neurons to glia cells is different in humans.
E) human neurons make more synapses in average compared to other mammals.

Question 42

This human-specific gene can induce the formation of additional neural progenitor cells and thereby a thicker cortex.

A) ARHGAP11B
B) GAP43
C) Sox3
D) Shh
E) CREB

Question 43

Human brain organoids are developed from

A) differentiated neurons.
B) glial cells.
C) adult human brain tissue.
D) embryonic human brain tissue.
E) induced pluripotent stem cells.

Question 44

Explain why zebrafish has become a popular model system to study nervous system development.

Question 45

Design an experiment that provides evidence that BMP4 is maintaining the ectoderm state during gastrulation.

Question 46

During neural tube formation, the neural tube ultimately separates from the ectoderm. Provide a molecular mechanism that explains how this separation occurs.

Question 47

Hoxb-1 has been implicated in the formation of rhombomere R4 during vertebrate hindbrain development. How would you design an experiment to test this hypothesis? What could be a potential problem with the approach?

Question 48

Radial glial cells give rise to neurons during brain development. Please provide some experimental evidence for this fact.

Question 49

Explain how retrospective birth-dating provided evidence of adult neurogenesis in the human brain.

Question 50

What is the experimental evidence provided from studies in the rat retina that neurogenesis happens before gliogenesis?

Question 51

Explain how it was demonstrated experimentally that neural crest cells assume a cell fate that is determined by the environment.

Question 52

Some cells in the developing nervous system are called "guidepost cells". Explain their function.

Question 53

Do all axonal guidance cues use protein synthesis as a mechanism to control axon guidance?

Question 54

Nerve growth factor (NGF) promotes the survival of sympathetic neurons. Can you describe three experiments that provide evidence for this function of NGF?

Question 55

Describe an experiment that demonstrated that NGF can be taken up by neurite terminals of sympathetic neurons and retrogradely transported to the cell body.

Question 56

How can the human brain establish such a complex connectivity with a limited set of proteins?

Question 57

Explain the function of pruning.

Question 58

Human brain organoids have become a useful model system to study human brain development and disorders. However, there are some limitations in this system to faithfully recapitulate human brain development. Please explain.