Deck 15: Selecting Actions, Pursuing Goals

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a correct statement regarding the striatum?

A) The ventral striatum receives input from the motor and premotor cortices.
B) The ventral striatum receives input from the orbital prefrontal cortex.
C) The ventral striatum is involved in generating cravings for food, water, sex, and drugs.
D) The ventral striatum is a component of the basal ganglia.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The selection of goals, actions and movements involves a system of interconnected brain regions that is known as the ________________________ system.

Answer 2

frontostriatal

Question 3

Draw a diagram of the two parallel loops that comprise the major inputs and outputs of the frontostriatal system. Include the following structures in your diagram: orbital prefrontal cortex, motor cortex, dorsal striatum, ventral striatum, dorsal pallidum, ventral pallidum, thalamus, anterior pre-frontal cortex, posterior frontal lobe.

Answer 3

Answers will vary. One circuit should show: orbital pre-frontal cortex > ventral striatum > ventral pallidum > thalamus > anterior pre-frontal cortex. The other should show: motor cortex > dorsal striatum > dorsal pallidum > thalamus > posterior frontal lobe.

Question 4

In section 15.1, several terms are described that are confusing. For example, in humans the words caudate and putamen are used to describe parts of the dorsal striatum. Do you think it is likely that we will continue to use this terminology in the future? Why or why not? Justify your answer.

Question 5

Though the primary inputs to the striatum originate in the prefrontal cortex, motor cortex, and premotor cortex, the striatum also receives input from which of the following areas?

A) Parietal cortex
B) Visual cortex
C) Auditory cortex
D) All of the above

Question 6

Most neurons in the striatum are ________________________.

A) pyramidal neurons
B) sensory neurons
C) medium spiny neurons
D) cortical neurons
E) none of the above

Question 7

Which of the following statements best relates the morphology of striatal medium spiny neurons to their function?

A) The many dendrites present on these neurons suggests they receive many inputs.
B) The size of these neurons leads to a relatively firing rate.
C) Most axons of these neurons are long and do not terminate locally, indicating that there is a great deal of striatal output to nearly every region of the cortex.
D) all of the above

Question 8

Examine Figure 15.3. In the text Which of the following can you can conclude from these data?

A) The word "striatum" refers to its characteristic brown color.
B) Axons of medium spiny neurons are highly branched.
C) The cell bodies of medium spiny neurons are 100-200 µM.
D) Axons project from medium spiny neurons and terminate in the pallidum.

Question 9

Examine Figure 15.4. In the text Which of the following can you can conclude from these data?

A) Glutamate infused into the striatum leads to neurons in the pallidum decreasing their firing rate.
B) Glutamate infused into the striatum leads to neurons in the thalamus decreasing their firing rate.
C) Neurons in the thalamus and pallidum use glutamate as their primary neurotransmitter.
D) all of the above

Question 10

Examine Figure 15.4 In the text . Predict what would happen in the frontostriatal loop if a glutamate antagonist (glutamate receptor blocker) was administered.

A) Connections between the pallidum and thalamus would be disrupted.
B) Connections between the neocortex and the thalamus would be disrupted.
C) Connections between the striatum and the pallidum would be disrupted.
D) All of the above would likely occur.

Question 11

The frontostriatal loop is an example of a _______________________.

A) negative feedback loop
B) positive feedback loop
C) prefrontal loop
D) all of the above

Question 12

Which is true of the winner-take-all competition exhibited in striatal neural networks?

A) When active, medium spiny neurons inhibit other medium spiny neurons.
B) The most active medium spiny neurons excite adjacent medium spiny neurons, creating a positive feedback loop.
C) The most active medium spiny neurons secrete signals that lead to apoptosis in adjacent neurons.
D) all of the above are true.

Question 13

Compare and contrast the direct and indirect pathways through the basal ganglia. Which of the following is a true statement?

A) The direct pathway and indirect pathways involve both excitatory and inhibitory synapses.
B) The striatum, when active, inhibits neurons in the pallidum
C) The striatum, when active, excites neurons in the pallidum
D) all of the above are true.

Question 14

In section 15.2, a hypothesis is outlined regarding the underlying neural circuits affected by Huntington's Disease. Propose an experiment to test this hypothesis.

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT true of Huntington's Disease?

A) It is caused by a trinucleotide repeat of CAG in the huntingtin gene.
B) In advanced stages, symptoms include involuntary movements and cognitive impairment.
C) Huntington's disease primarily involves neuronal cell death in the thalamus
D) Medium spiny neurons are susceptible to the neurotoxic effects of abnormal Huntington protein.

Question 16

Consider Figure 15.7. In the text Which of the following can you conclude from this image?

A) The caudate, putamen, and substantia nigra contain dopamine receptors that have excitatory effects.
B) It is likely that dopamine is used as a neurotransmitter in the caudate, putamen, and substantia nigra.
C) Most cortical input to the caudate and putamen involves dopaminergic synapses.
D) All of the above.

Question 17

You are studying the neurons involved in the frontostriatal loops. You find that a neuron uses GABA as a neurotransmitter and expresses the D2 dopamine receptor. This neuron would be best classified as ______________________.

A) a neuron in the substantia nigra
B) a neuron in the striatum, involved in the direct pathway
C) a neuron in the striatum, involved in the indirect pathway
D) a neuron in the pallidum
E) all of the above

Question 18

Consider Figure 15.8. In the text Which of the following can you conclude from these images?

A) Cells in the dorsal striatum express D1 receptors, but not D2 receptors.
B) D1 and D2 receptors are generally both present in each neuron of the dorsal striatum.
C) D1 and D2 receptors are both found in neurons of the dorsal striatum, but are not necessarily found in the same neuron.
D) D2 receptors are generally only found in the dorsal pallidum.
E) all of the above

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT true of Parkinson's Disease?

A) It afflicts 1% of people over 60 world-wide.
B) It is characterized by a shaking tremor of the hand.
C) Patients have a shuffling gate and hunched posture.
D) It is characterized by excess dopamine levels.

Question 20

Consider Figure 15.10. In the text Which statement accurately describes the data in this image?

A) In patients with Parkinson's disease, dopaminergic neurons are not expressed in more anterior regions of the SNc.
B) In patients with Parkinson's disease, the number of cells that express tyrosine hydroxylase increases with the duration of the disease.
C) As Parkinson's Disease progresses, fewer neurons are present in the SCn.
D) All of the above are accurate statements.

Question 21

In Parkinson's disease, the loss of dopaminergic inputs to the striatum lead to thalamic inhibition and ultimately disrupt the positive feedback loop that governs execution of cortically generated action commands. Dopamine has both excitatory and inhibitory actions on striatal neurons. Propose a hypothesis about whether excitatory effects on the striatum are more important than inhibitory effects. Design an experiment to test the hypothesis and describe below.

Question 22

The disorder characterized shuffling gate, byrigid limbs, a hunched posture, and a shaking tremor of the hand is known as _____________________________.

Question 23

Is Parkinson's disease a good example of a disorder where the underlying pathology leads clearly to the symptoms? Why or why not? Justify your response.

Question 24

Is it possible to understand diseases like Parkinson's disease using mouse model systems? Justify your answer with examples from the text.

Question 25

Which of the following accurately describes some of the inherent difficulties in developing treatments for Parkinson's disease?

A) drugs that are given to patients must be able to cross the blood-brain-barrier
B) some transplanted dopaminergic neurons seem to develop pathology
C) re-growth of cellular processes after neuronal transplantation may not be as robust as in mice because of the longer distances involved
D) all of the above are accurate statements

Question 26

Analyze Figure b15.1. In the text Which of the following statements is NOT true of the control group in this figure?

A) The control group is people who do not have Parkinson's disease.
B) The control group experienced no change in activities of daily life score after surgery.
C) The control group was monitored for at least 1 year after surgery
D) The control group is represented by blue dots and a blue line.

Question 27

Analyze Figure 15.12. In the text Which of the following is NOT an accurate statement regarding the experiment depicted?

A) Mice used in the study are incapable of normal dopamine production without dietary L-dopa supplementation.
B) Mice given carbidopa in conjunction with L-dopa walk around less than mice given L-dopa alone.
C) D2 receptor function is necessary for inducing the taffy-pulling sterotyped behavior.
D) Mice given carbidopa in conjunction with L-dopa experience a downregulation of the D1 receptor.

Question 28

Compare and contrast Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease. Describe how each disease impacts the frontostriatal pathway and leads to disruption in selection of behaviors.

Question 29

Which of the following statements is NOT true about amphetamines?

A) They cause dopamine to be released from pre-synaptic terminals.
B) They cause proliferation of dopaminergic terminals.
C) They kill dopaminergic neurons
D) Individuals that regularly use amphetamines require increasingly large doses.

Question 30

The process of trying out various behaviors to learn which ones result in positive reinforcement (and few negative consequences) is known as ______________________________.

Question 31

You are interested in measuring dopamine levels in the striatum, but your experiment requires fast temporal resolution (100ms). Select which technique would be best suited.

A) microdialysis probes
B) fast-scan cyclic voltammetry
C) lobotomy
D) stroop task

Question 32

Analyze Figure 15.14 In the text . Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding these data?

A) Striatal dopamine increases greatly following a food reward in mice that have learned to associate a stimulus with a food reward.
B) Striatal dopamine increases greatly following a stimulus in mice that have not yet learned to associate a stimulus with a food reward.
C) Striatal dopamine increases greatly following a stimulus in mice that have learned to associate a stimulus with a food reward.
D) Striatal dopamine decreases greatly following a food reward in mice that have learned to associate a stimulus with a food reward.
E) Striatal dopamine decreases greatly following a stimulus in mice that have learned to associate a stimulus with a food reward.

Question 33

Choose 3 animal studies and describe how the experimental findings lend support to the idea that dopamine is used in signaling pathways that reward certain behaviors.

Question 34

Several animal studies are described that find a link between dopamine signaling and drugs of addiction. How might these findings inform our understanding of drug-seeking human behaviors?

Question 35

Analyze Figure 15.15In the text and the text associated with this experiment. In this study, dopamine _____________________________________________.

A) is administered to the rat via a catheter after the rat presses a lever
B) is only released upon cocaine adminstration
C) increases before cocaine administration in trained animals
D) is given to the rat in the form of a dietary L-dopa supplement
E) None of the above are accurate statements.

Question 36

What is the role of dopamine as related to pleasure-seeking behaviors? Cite experimental evidence and outline a role for dopamine in reward pathways.

Question 37

Analyze Figure 15.16 In the text . Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding these data and the conclusions drawn from it?

A) Dopamine levels increased in rats when, after pressing a lever, they self-administered cocaine.
B) Rats that did not receive a dopamine infusion pressed a lever 3 times or more to self-administer cocaine.
C) Rats that were trained to self-administer cocaine by pressing a lever were not influenced by dopamine infusion.
D) Rats that were trained to self-administer cocaine by pressing a lever responded to dopamine infusion by pressing the lever.
E) None of the above are accurate statements.

Question 38

Regarding dopamine's role in reward and behavior, it is most plausible that dopamine's role is to

A) provide a "reward signal" for the behavior.
B) provide a teaching cue to reinforce behaviors that lead to reward.
C) underlie muscle movements that enable an animal to obtain a reward.
D) transmit messages from the striatum to other brain regions involved in reward.
E) None of the above are accurate statements.

Question 39

Analyze figure 15.17 In the text . Which of the following statements is NOT accurate regarding these data?

A) The experimenters were measuring electrical responses of striatal neurons.
B) Figure B shows that when striatal neurons are depolarized, post-synaptic potentials do not change.
C) Figure C shows that when SCn is stimulated at the same time as a striatal neurons is depolarized, EPSPs increase in magnitude.
D) Figure D shows that in the presence of D1 receptor antagonists, EPSPs do not increase after striatal depolarization/SCn stimulation.
E) None of the above are accurate statements.

Question 40

The phenomenon where synaptic connections are strengthened for relatively long time periods based on the detection of coincident stimuli is known as ___________________________.

Question 41

Consider information in this chapter along with information presented in prior chapters. What are two examples of long-term potentiation being used in different neural circuits and how are they similar and different?

Question 42

The dorsal striatum is most associated with which of the following?

A) seeking out sexual activity
B) seeking food
C) learning tasks that accomplish a goal
D) seeking water

Question 43

What effect would blocking dorsal striatal plasticity have on rats that are being conditioned to associate a specific location with a drug such as cocaine?

A) no changes would be seen in rat behaviors
B) rats would spend more time in the chamber associated with the drug
C) rats would spend less time in the chamber associated with the drug
D) rats would show changes in fos signaling.

Question 44

Which is an accurate statement regarding sex drives in humans?

A) Circulating sex hormones affect sex drives in men and women.
B) Removal of the gonads decreases sex drive in men but does not change sex drive in women.
C) Testosterone levels in men directly correlate with sex drive.
D) Women typically experience large changes in sex drive over the course of the menstrual cycle.
E) All of the above are accurate statements.

Question 45

Which of the following are accurate statements regarding sex-seeking behaviors and cocaine-seeking behaviors in rodents?

A) Rodents learn to associate a particular place with cocaine but not sex.
B) Rodents associate olfactory cues with cocaine but not sex.
C) Rodents associate a particular location with sex, but primates do not associate locations with sex.
D) Lemon scents trigger sexual arousal in sexually inexperienced rodents.
E) None of the above are accurate statements.

Question 46

As described in Box 15.2, sex, food cravings and drug-seeking are all behaviors that are associated with dopamine release in the ventral striatum. To what extent do you think that the animal studies described in this chapter are relevant to human behaviors? Justify your response by citing specific examples of scientific research and relating whether or not it applies to humans.

Question 47

Which of the following is NOT an accurate statement regarding the dorsal and ventral striatum?

A) The ventral striatum is involved in selecting goals and driving goal-oriented behaviors.
B) The dorsal striatum is involved in learned habitual actions.
C) The ventral striatum can direct goal-oriented behaviors via the dorsal striatum.
D) The ventral striatum can direct goal-oriented behaviors via the hypothalamus.
E) All of the above are accurate statements.

Question 48

The frontal cortex contains which of the following division?

A) orbital
B) lateral
C) polar
D) medial
E) all of the above

Question 49

Which of the following functions does the prefrontal cortex perform?

A) categorization of objects, sounds, and event sequences
B) problem solving strategies
C) sensory working memory
D) response inhibition
E) all of the above

Question 50

Which is an accurate statement regarding the prefrontal lobotomies performed during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s?

A) They were successful in that they often made patients more calm.
B) They proved to be a success in treating schizophrenia.
C) The transorbital lobotomy replaced the prefrontal lobotomies from this time period and is widely used today to treat patients with neuropsychiatric illness.
D) Prefrontal lobotomies represent an important neurosurgical tool because of their few side-effects.
E) all of the above

Question 51

What evidence do we have for the function of the prefrontal cortex? Evaluate at least three studies discussed in this chapter and cite experimental evidence in your response.

Question 52

An early case study in the function of the ____________________ involved a man named Phineas Gage. The damage done to this brain region showed that in part, its function is to ____________________.

A) dorsal striatum; inhibit responses that an individual performs habitually
B) prefrontal cortex; inhibit responses that an individual performs habitually
C) ventral striatum; initiate goal-oriented behaviors such as food-seeking
D) thalamus; serve as part of the positive feedback loop associated with the frontostriatal system
E) all of the above are correct

Question 53

Analyze Figure 15.24 In the text . Which of the following is NOT true regarding these data?

A) Control animals had no damage to the striatum.
B) Monkeys with lateral prefrontal lesions take longer to associate new stimuli with a reward.
C) Monkeys with orbital prefrontal lesions take longer to associate a different stimulus with a reward.
D) Monkeys with lateral prefrontal lesions do not learn to associate a stimulus with a reward.

Question 54

You are a researcher studying inhibition in the prefrontal cortex using fMRI. You find that during a Stroop test, a specific region of the prefrontal cortex becomes active when subjects give incongruent responses to naming words that are written in various colors. Based on the information in this chapter, this region is likely the _________________ prefrontal cortex.

A) orbital
B) lateral
C) medial
D) polar
E) none of the above

Question 55

The Wisconsin card sort task is used in order to ________________________________.

A) measure the time it takes to unlearn an established behavior
B) see the effects of a treatment or injury on working memory
C) measure the speed at which a person can state the text of words written in various colors
D) all of the above

Question 56

In experiments, responses that used to be correct but are no longer correct are called ______________________ errors.

Question 57

What does functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measure?

A) glucose metabolism
B) blood oxygen levels
C) electrical activity
D) all of the above

Question 58

Analyze Figure 15.27 In the text . Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding the Stroop test and the data shown?

A) A plausible function for the brain areas activated in this experiment is inhibiting impulses such as correctly naming a word when the color is incongruent with that word.
B) The ratio of lateral to orbital prefrontal cortex activation correlates with a subject's ability to correctly name a word.
C) Subjects that have damage in the lateral prefrontal cortex are more likely to give incongruent responses.
D) Subjects that have damage in the medial prefrontal cortex are more likely to give incongruent responses.
E) All of the above are accurate.

Question 59

An example of working memory is

A) the ability to recall an address from your childhood
B) the ability to remember a phone number you learned yesterday
C) the ability to repeat a task such as solving a 3-dimensional puzzle
D) the ability to remember a list of ingredients in a recipe and what to do with them
E) none of the above

Question 60

If a person experiences a stroke that damages the pre-frontal cortex but leaves other brain areas largely intact, what might you reasonably expect to see as a symptom based on the primate experiments described in the text?

A) an inability to recall a sequence of numbers given a minute earlier
B) difficulty remembering the location of an object that has been out of sight for several minutes
C) deficits in learning to associate sensory stimuli with an event
D) difficulty keeping track of multiple things at once
E) all of the above could be reasonable predictions.

Question 61

Analyze Figure 15.28 In the text . Select the statement below that best describes experimental evidence related to the neurophysiological correlates of working memory. In

A) In monkeys trained to remember the location of a star on a screen, some prefrontal neurons respond preferentially to specific locations and remain active until after a saccade.
B) In monkeys trained to remember the location of a star on a screen, some prefrontal neurons respond preferentially to specific locations but stop responding when the star disappears from the screen.
C) In monkeys trained to remember the location of a star on a screen, some prefrontal neurons respond after a star is presented on the screen regardless of its location.
D) In monkeys trained to remember the location of a star on a screen, some prefrontal neurons respond only after a saccade is initiated toward the location of the star.

Question 62

Examine the organization of the prefrontal cortex and its connections with the frontostriatal system as presented in section 15.7. If these principles are correct, you could say that there is functional and anatomical evidence that ________________________.

A) anterior regions of the prefrontal cortex are most associated with the "big picture" goals of an organism.
B) the ventral striatum works largely independently from the prefrontal cortex in selecting behavioral goals.
C) the striatum is predominately responsible for decisions regarding motor control while the prefrontal cortex tends to be involved in high-level decision making processes.
D) Both the prefrontal cortex and the striatum communicate widely with other brain regions, thus they likely operative relatively independently of one another.
E) all of the above are accurate statements.