Question 1

The term saltatory conduction refers to the fact that

Accepted Answer

A)  action potentials travel faster when extracellular salt concentration is high. 
B)  action potentials evoked by strong stimuli travel faster than those evoked by weaker stimuli. 
C)  action potentials occur only at the nodes of Ranvier of axons. 
D)  action potentials are generated only by myelinated portions of axons.

Question 2

Action potentials are electrical signals that are conducted down the axon of a neuron.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

is the idea that the columnar organization in the adult cortex is derived during development from the cells dividing in the ventricular region.

Accepted Answer

A)  Topographic mapping 
B)  The sensory homunculus 
C)  The radial unit hypothesis 
D)  The ventricular zone hypothesis

Question 4

What are the advantages of a cerebral cortex with gyri and sulci? Why might the human cerebral cortex be more heavily folded than those of other mammals?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the advantages of a cerebral...

Question 5

Gray matter is to white matter as are to .

Accepted Answer

A)  gyri ; sulci 
B)  glial cells ; neurons 
C)  cell bodies ; axon tracts 
D)  oligodendrocytes ; Schwann cells

Question 6

The specialized structures that comprise the midbrain control functions such as

Accepted Answer

A)  hormone regulation. 
B)  visual reflexes. 
C)  memory. 
D)  emotional processing.

Question 7

The 3H-thymidine labeling method is especially useful in determining when particular cells in the nervous system emerge because

Accepted Answer

A)  only cells that are fully myelinated at the time of injection are radioactively labeled. 
B)  only glial cells absorb the marker and are radioactively labeled. 
C)  only cells that are fully mature at the time of injection are radioactively labeled. 
D)  only cells that are undergoing cell division at the time of injection are radioactively labeled.

Question 8

The primary auditory cortex is organized using a tonotopic map, which means that there is an orderly representation of

Accepted Answer

A)  loudness. 
B)  frequency. 
C)  duration. 
D)  spatial location.

Question 9

The term concentration gradient refers to a difference in the

Accepted Answer

A)  number of two different ion types within the neuron. 
B)  number of ions found on opposite sides of the cell membrane. 
C)  permeability of the membrane to one kind of ion compared to another. 
D)  permeability of the membrane at rest compared to during an action potential.

Question 10

In myelinated axons, action potentials are generated

Accepted Answer

A)  at the nodes of Ranvier only. 
B)  along the entire length of the axons. 
C)  underneath the myelinated portions of the axons only. 
D)  only at the axon hillocks and axon terminals.

Question 11

The hippocampus is considered part of the neocortex.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

A gap junction is

Accepted Answer

A)  the point where a neurotransmitter vesicle binds to the presynaptic membrane. 
B)  a connection between two sections of a G protein that plays a role in second-messenger cascades. 
C)  a transmembrane channel that connects the cytoplasm of two cells at an electrical synapse. 
D)  more likely to be found on the amino acids than on the biogenic amines.

Question 13

The cells in the brain that guide migrating neurons to their final locations are called

Accepted Answer

A)  microglia. 
B)  radial glia. 
C)  oligodendrocytes. 
D)  ventricular cells.

Question 14

Of the following choices, the most anterior portion of the frontal lobes-the prefrontal cortex-is most critical to

Accepted Answer

A)  processing information about pain, touch, and temperature. 
B)  executive functions. 
C)  the "what" visual pathway. 
D)  the "where" visual pathway.

Question 15

Communication between the two hemispheres of the brain occurs mainly through the

Accepted Answer

A)  basal ganglia. 
B)  cingulate gyrus. 
C)  corpus callosum. 
D)  limbic system.

Question 16

Explain the concept of electrochemical equilibrium. How does this concept allow us to understand the transmembrane potentials in neurons?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain the concept of electrochemical equilibrium. How...

Question 17

The two main classes of cell in the nervous system are

Accepted Answer

A)  dendrites and axons. 
B)  axons and neurons. 
C)  neurons and glial cells. 
D)  glial cells and dendrites.

Question 18

If you inserted a micropipette into a neuron without harming the cell, and pumped in a small quantity of calcium ions, each of which carried two positive charges, how would this affect the membrane potential?

Accepted Answer

A)  The membrane potential would become depolarized relative to the resting potential. 
B)  The membrane potential would become hyperpolarized relative to the resting potential. 
C)  There would be no change because calcium does not contribute to the resting potential. 
D)  There would be no change because the sodium-potassium pump would remove excess calcium from the cell.

Question 19

If the sum of the excitatory postsynaptic potentials EPSPs) causes a postsynaptic neuron to reach its threshold, then the postsynaptic neuron will generate an action potential.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Consider the synapse shown schematically here. If neuron A causes neuron B to become hyperpolarized relative to B's resting state,

Accepted Answer

A)  neuron B is more likely to fire its own action potential. 
B)  neuron B is less likely to release neurotransmitter molecules from its own axon terminal. 
C)  neuron B is more likely to absorb extracellular potassium through voltage-gated channels. 
D)  neuron B is less likely to absorb extracellular sodium through the sodium-potassium pump.

Exam 2: Structure and Function of the Nervous System

The term saltatory conduction refers to the fact that

Action potentials are electrical signals that are conducted down the axon of a neuron.

is the idea that the columnar organization in the adult cortex is derived during development from the cells dividing in the ventricular region.

What are the advantages of a cerebral cortex with gyri and sulci? Why might the human cerebral cortex be more heavily folded than those of other mammals?

Gray matter is to white matter as are to .

The specialized structures that comprise the midbrain control functions such as

The ³H-thymidine labeling method is especially useful in determining when particular cells in the nervous system emerge because

The primary auditory cortex is organized using a tonotopic map, which means that there is an orderly representation of

The term concentration gradient refers to a difference in the

In myelinated axons, action potentials are generated

The hippocampus is considered part of the neocortex.

A gap junction is

The cells in the brain that guide migrating neurons to their final locations are called

Of the following choices, the most anterior portion of the frontal lobes-the prefrontal cortex-is most critical to

Communication between the two hemispheres of the brain occurs mainly through the

Explain the concept of electrochemical equilibrium. How does this concept allow us to understand the transmembrane potentials in neurons?

The two main classes of cell in the nervous system are

If you inserted a micropipette into a neuron without harming the cell, and pumped in a small quantity of calcium ions, each of which carried two positive charges, how would this affect the membrane potential?

If the sum of the excitatory postsynaptic potentials EPSPs) causes a postsynaptic neuron to reach its threshold, then the postsynaptic neuron will generate an action potential.

Consider the synapse shown schematically here. If neuron A causes neuron B to become hyperpolarized relative to B's resting state,