Deck 3: The Visual Brain

Question 1

Signals from the nasal retina of the left eye travel to _____ cerebral hemisphere(s) of the brain.

A) the left
B) the right
C) the asymmetrical
D) both the left and right

Answer 1

B

Question 2

In each hemisphere of the brain, about ninety percent of the axons in the optic tract go to the _____, which sends signals to the primary visual cortex (area V1) via the optic radiations.

A) superior colliculus
B) optic chiasm
C) lateral geniculate nucleus
D) inferior colliculus

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The magnocellular layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus contains neurons with:

A) many axons.
B) more than one cell body.
C) complex dendritic structures.
D) large cell bodies.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

How many koniocellular layers are there in the lateral geniculate nucleus in the right hemisphere of the brain?

A) two
B) four
C) six
D) eight

Question 5

Which hemisphere(s) of the brain represents the right visual field?

A) the left
B) the right
C) the asymmetrical
D) both the left and the right

Question 6

The visual properties associated with the parvocellular layers are:

A) dynamic.
B) static.
C) textural.
D) formal.

Question 7

Which visual property is processed by the magnocellular layers?

A) motion
B) form
C) color
D) depth

Question 8

The part of the visual pathway that has been described as a "volume control" for the brain is the:

A) lateral occipital cortex.
B) superior colliculus.
C) lateral geniculate nucleus.
D) optic chiasm.

Question 9

Which retinal ganglion cells send signals to the magnocellular layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus?

A) parasol
B) midget
C) bistratified
D) cortical column

Question 10

Which retinal ganglion cells send signals to the koniocellular layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus?

A) parasol
B) midget
C) bistratified
D) contralateral

Question 11

The study by O'Connor et al. (2002) that used fMRI to investigate the effects of attention on the activity level of the left or right lateral geniculate nucleus, found that:

A) as long as the direction of gaze did not change, the activity levels in the LGN did not change.
B) the activity levels from left to right LGN did not change when the direction of gaze changed.
C) even when the direction of gaze did not change, neural activity was greater in the LGN due to the direction of attention.
D) as long as the direction of gaze changed, the activity levels from left to right LGN were not influenced by the direction of attention.

Question 12

_____ is an arrangement of neurons in the visual system whereby signals from retinal ganglion cells with receptive fields that are next to each other on the retina travel to neurons that are next to each other in each visual area of the brain.

A) Preferred orientation
B) Contralateral organization
C) Retinotopic mapping
D) Multisensory Integration

Question 13

The location in the visual pathway where the optic nerve from each eye splits in half is called the:

A) optic tract.
B) optic chiasm.
C) blind spot.
D) nasal retina.

Question 14

The parvocellular layers of the LGN have neurons:

A) that help control eye movements.
B) with large cell bodies.
C) with small cell bodies.
D) that respond selectively to objects of different sizes.

Question 15

The thinner layers between the magnocellular and parvocellular layers of the LGN contain smaller cells and are called _____ layers.

A) koniocellular
B) retinal ganglion
C) superior colliculus
D) complex cells

Question 16

Which statement is a CORRECT example of contralateral organization?

A) Neural signals from the left temporal retina end up in the left hemisphere of the brain.
B) Neural signals from the left nasal retina end up in the left hemisphere of the brain.
C) Neural signals from the left temporal retina end up in the right hemisphere of the brain.
D) Neural signals from the left nasal retina end up in the right hemisphere of the brain.

Question 17

Which retinal ganglion cells send signals to the parvocellular layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus?

A) parasol
B) midget
C) bistratified
D) inferotemporal cortex

Question 18

Which layers of the left lateral geniculate nucleus receive signals from the contralateral eye?

A) 1, 4, and 6
B) 1, 3, and 5
C) 2, 3, and 5
D) 2, 4, and 6

Question 19

The expertise of different neural pathways and different areas of the brain for representing different kinds of information refers to:

A) retinotopic mapping.
B) contralateral organization.
C) functional specialization.
D) multisensory integration.

Question 20

Research by Schiller and Logothetis (1990) showed that lesions in the magnocellular layers of monkeys led to significant impairment of the perception of:

A) pattern.
B) shape.
C) color.
D) motion.

Question 21

Simple cells A and B have receptive fields at the same location on the retina but have different preferred orientations, as shown by these orientation tuning curves: a preferred orientation of 90° for simple cell A and 75° for simple cell B. What happens when the receptive field location on the retina is illuminated by a bar of light oriented at 90°?

A) When an electrode was advanced obliquely through the simple cell, its orientation tuning was determined by presenting bars of light with a specific orientation.
B) When the receptive field location on the retina is illuminated by a bar of light oriented at 90°, the response of simple cell A is greater than the response of simple cell B.
C) When the receptive field location is illuminated by a bar of light oriented less than 90°, the response of simple cell A is greater than the response of simple cell B.
D) When a bar is oriented at 90°, it evokes, on average, a response of 40 spikes/sec above baseline.

Question 22

Area V1 is better known as the:

A) primary visual cortex.
B) lateral geniculate nucleus.
C) left temporal retina.
D) magnocellular layers.

Question 23

Cortical columns consisting of neurons with the same or very similar orientation tuning are called:

A) ocular dominance columns.
B) orientation columns.
C) the superior colliculus.
D) the lateral occipital cortex.

Question 24

Which statement is TRUE regarding a simple cell?

A) It responds to a light bar on a dark background as well as to a dark bar on a light background.
B) Its response strength is affected not only by the orientation of the bar, but also by the luminance contrast of the bar with its background.
C) It responds to a wider range of stimuli at a wider range of locations.
D) It responds to a small spot of light.

Question 25

A consistent difference in the patterning of the relative responses of neurons with different orientation tuning curves is called:

A) population code.
B) preferred orientation.
C) multisensory integration.
D) contralateral organization.

Question 26

Area V1 of the cerebral cortex:

A) has four layers of cells.
B) has cortical columns running vertically through the layers.
C) can respond to any visual stimulus regardless of shape or color.
D) is located on the ventral surface of the cortex.

Question 27

In which situation would neurons in the superior colliculus respond with the MOST strength?

A) seeing your phone light up with a new message
B) hearing your phone ring with a new message
C) feeling your phone vibrate with a new message
D) seeing, hearing, and feeling your phone signal a new message

Question 28

Which statement is TRUE regarding the differences between simple cells and complex cells?

A) Simple cells respond to either light or dark bars but not both, whereas complex cells respond to both light and dark bars.
B) Simple cells respond to both light and dark bars, whereas complex cells respond to either light or dark bars but not both.
C) Simple cells receive signals from different sensory systems, whereas complex cells receive signals from a specific visual pathway.
D) Simple cells have preferred orientations, whereas complex cells do not have preferred orientations.

Question 29

How do we determine the location of a simple cell's receptive field?

A) by finding the area on the parietal lobe where a flashed bar causes the cell to fire
B) by flashing bars in the inhibitory central area and excitatory surrounding area
C) by finding the area on the retina where a flashed bar causes the cell to fire
D) by flashing bars vertically into the cortex so that they respond to similar types of stimuli

Question 30

Which type of column consists of neurons that receive signals from the left eye or from the right eye?

A) contralateral
B) orientation
C) cortical magnification
D) ocular dominance

Question 31

The ventral pathway receives signals from:

A) midget RGCs and the parvocellular layer of the LGN.
B) parasol RGCs and the magnocellular layer of the LGN.
C) neurons in the parietal cortex.
D) midget RGCs, the magnocellular layer of the LGN, and neurons in the inferotemporal cortex.

Question 32

A visual pathway that runs from V1 and V2 into MT and then to the parietal cortex is called:

A) dorsal pathway.
B) ventral pathway.
C) inferotemporal cortex.
D) cortical magnification.

Question 33

Neurons in the superior colliculus:

A) enable quick shifting of the gaze from one object to another in the field of view.
B) receive signals mainly from the left eye or mainly from the right eye.
C) receive visual signals via the axons of retinal ganglion cells.
D) respond strongly to a weak auditory stimulus alone.

Question 34

Ungerleider and Mishkin's (1982) study of the ventral and dorsal pathways in the brains of monkeys demonstrated that lesions of the _____ cortex led to poor performance on _____ task(s).

A) parietal; the landmark
B) inferotemporal; the landmark
C) parietal; the object
D) parietal; both the landmark and object

Question 35

The receptive fields of V1 neurons that receive inputs from:

A) foveal RGCs are very large.
B) foveal RGCs are very small.
C) peripheral RGCs are much smaller.
D) peripheral RGCs are much larger.

Question 36

The dorsal pathway receives signals from the:

A) parvocellular layer of the LGN.
B) intermediate visual area MT.
C) intermediate visual area V4.
D) inferotemporal cortex.

Question 37

If a researcher inserts a recording electrode into V1 perpendicular to the surface of the cortex so that the electrode encounters neurons within a single column, the person in such a situation will encounter receptive fields of those neurons:

A) at adjacent locations on the retina.
B) at about the same location on the retina.
C) corresponding to the center of the fovea.
D) occupying equal areas of the retina.

Question 38

Ocular dominance columns alternate systematically between left-eye and right-eye dominance, orientation columns vary systematically across the full range of preferred orientations. This was shown by experiments in which an electrode was advanced _____ through the visual cortex.

A) perpendicularly
B) contralaterally
C) obliquely
D) horizontally

Question 39

According to cortical magnification in V1, what is the reason that leads to a greater amount of cortical territory devoted to the central part of the visual field than the amount devoted to the periphery?

A) The fovea has a very high density of retinal ganglion cells, with small receptive fields, while the density of RGCs declines rapidly with distance from the fovea.
B) The neurons in this pathway are specialized for transmitting information about the form and color of objects in the visual field.
C) The density of RGCs increases rapidly with distance from the central part of the visual field.
D) The areas of the visual cortex differ according to the other areas in the brain from which they receive signals or to which they send signals.

Question 40

A simple cell in the primary visual cortex responds:

A) best to a stimulus with a particular orientation in the location of its receptive field.
B) to similar types of stimuli that have highly overlapping receptive fields.
C) about equally well to a stimulus at almost any location within their receptive field.
D) to stimuli in exactly the same manner as a retinal ganglion cell.

Question 41

What structures along the visual stream exhibit retinotopic mapping? Why do we not expect to find retinotopic mapping in an area such as the FFA (fusiform face area)?

Question 42

Briefly describe the lesion studies on monkeys performed by Schiller and Logothetis (1990) and Ungerleider and Mishkin (1982). How similar were their methods? Describe the findings of each experiment, and explain the reasoning they used to draw their conclusions.

Question 43

Contralaterality of vision is based on the field of vision and not on the eye of signal origin. Explain the statement.

Question 44

The responses of an individual simple cell do not give the visual system enough information to unambiguously determine orientation. Which additional factors should be kept in mind to understand the way in which the visual system gets the information it needs?

Question 45

Achromatopsia is an inability to:

A) perceive faces.
B) perceive basic shapes.
C) perceive colors.
D) use vision to guide movements.

Question 46

In Ungerleider and Mishkin's (1982) study of the ventral and dorsal pathways in the brain, monkeys were trained to find food in a covered bin using either a landmark or an object to identify the correct bin. Following lesions of the inferotemporal cortex, they were no longer able to successfully:

A) do the landmark task.
B) do the object task.
C) do either the landmark or object task.
D) eat the food once it had been found.

Question 47

In the context of Milner and Goodale's patient, D. F. in the text, and the patients who suffer from optic ataxia, relate their respective impairments and abilities to recognize and perceive objects. What conclusions can be drawn about the visual processing streams based on these experiments?

Question 48

First, explain the concept of cortical magnification in terms of the receptive fields of RGCs.
Next, discuss the concept of cortical magnification from the point of view of your everyday visual experience.

Question 49

In the context of main pathways from retina to brain, how would visual processing be affected if the optic chiasm were severed, that is, cut at the crossover point, severing only crisscrossing fibers as a single left-to-right snip? Discuss how the input stream would be affected at LGN and at area V1.

Question 50

Damage to the fusiform face area (FFA) will result in:

A) achromatopsia.
B) memory impairment.
C) optic ataxia.
D) prosopagnosia.

Question 51

Studies using fMRI have identified that the fusiform face area (FFA) is found in the:

A) parietal cortex.
B) lateral occipital cortex.
C) inferotemporal cortex.
D) parahippocampal gyrus.

Question 52

A neuroprosthetic device that uses relatively fewer electrodes to stimulate the parts of V1 corresponding to the fovea aims to:

A) guide movements visually.
B) optimize facial recognition.
C) reproduce the layout of ocular dominance columns.
D) compensate for the distortion caused due to cortical magnification.

Question 53

Research investigating the functions of the anterior intraparietal (AIP) area indicates that the AIP is involved in:

A) reaching only.
B) grasping only.
C) touching only.
D) both reaching and touching.

Question 54

Single-cell recordings have shown that neurons in the middle temporal area (MT) tend to respond BEST to:

A) different colors and to edges with different curvatures.
B) pictures of faces, animals, buildings, tools, and appliances.
C) the direction and speed of motion of stimuli.
D) different common objects.

Question 55

What information is transmitted by the neurons in the magnocellular layers of the LGN that send signals to layer 4Cα of V1 area in the brain?

A) large-scale places such as landscapes, buildings, and rooms
B) form and color of objects in the visual field
C) movement and spatial location in the visual field
D) only the color of objects in the visual field

Question 56

Patients suffering from optic ataxia:

A) can accurately reach for and grasp objects.
B) cannot perceive colors, despite having a normal array of cones in the retina.
C) have suffered damage to their inferotemporal cortices.
D) can easily identify the objects that they see.

Question 57

Solie can perceive individual small objects but is unable to perceive very large objects such as buildings. Which area is MOST likely damaged?

A) the parahippocampal place area (PPA)
B) the fusiform face area (FFA)
C) area MT
D) area V4

Question 58

The parahippocampal place area (PPA) is found in the _____ cortex.

A) parietal
B) occipital
C) lateral
D) inferotemporal

Question 59

Single-cell recording studies in monkeys and fMRI studies in humans have shown that neural activity in area LIP is associated with tasks requiring eye movements to:

A) locate visual targets and with tasks requiring shifts of attention.
B) selectively respond to the direction and speed of motion of stimuli.
C) visually guide reaching and grasping objects.
D) view faces and a wide range of nonface stimuli.

Question 60

An electrode is inserted obliquely into area V1. Describe the changes in the characteristics of the neurons successively encountered as the electrode penetrates deeper into V1. A second electrode is inserted perpendicularly into area V1. What are the characteristics of the successively encountered neurons as the second electrode penetrates deeper into V1?

Question 61

You are having dinner when you notice something flying around the table. You realize it is a fly, but you keep on eating. Finally, it lands. You track its movement for a few seconds, then reach out and swat it flat. Describe the primary functional modules and visual pathways that are involved at each point in this chain of events.

Question 62

Describe the differences between simple, complex, and end-stopped cells.

Question 63

Draw the geometric pattern of neuron activity that occurs across area V1 when viewing an equilateral triangle that points rightward and whose center is at fixation. (See the figure on representation of simple shapes in V1 to model your response.)