Neuroscience Chapter 5 - Test Questions to Study

Information about which of the following senses does NOT pass through the thalamus on the way to the cortex?

a) audition

b) somatosensation

c) gustation

d) olfaction

d) olfaction

After modeling the quick habituation found in the olfactory system, Sobel's fMRI research suggested that

a) the primary olfactory cortex is related to sniffing and smell, whereas the orbitofrontal cortex is related to smell but not sniffing.

b) the orbitofrontal cortex is related to sniffing and smell, whereas the primary olfactory cortex is related to smell but not sniffing.

c) the orbitofrontal cortex is related to sniffing, and the primary olfactory cortex is related to smell.

d) the primary olfactory cortex is related to sniffing, and the orbitofrontal cortex is related to smell.

a) the primary olfactory cortex is related to sniffing and smell, whereas the orbitofrontal cortex is related to smell but not sniffing.

Sobel and colleagues (Gelstein et al., 2011) asked male participants to rate pictures of women's faces in terms of sexual attraction. While rating the photos, they instructed the participants to sniff either tears from "donor women" or an odorless saline solution. Which of the following best summarizes the findings of this study?

a) Participants were equally likely to rate faces as sexually attractive, regardless of whether they were sniffing tears or saline. 

b) Participants rated faces as less sexually attractive when sniffing tears compared to when they were sniffing the saline solution.

c) There were no differences in participant ratings, however functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data revealed differences in activation for brain areas associated with sexual arousal.

d) Participants rated faces as more sexually attractive when sniffing tears compared to when they were sniffing the saline solution.

b) Participants rated faces as less sexually attractive when sniffing tears compared to when they were sniffing the saline solution.

The orbitofrontal cortex is an integration area for which two senses?

a) vision and audition

b) olfaction and gustation

c) somatosensation and vision

d) somatosensation and properioception

b) olfaction and gustation

Which of the following is NOT a type of corpuscle used for somatosensation?

a) Calvert

b) Meissner

c) Pacinian

d) Merkel

a) Calvert (Calvert corpuscles do not exist)

Information about the left hand is processed

a) in the left hemisphere for the primary somatosensory cortex and bilaterally for the secondary somatosensory cortex.

b) in the right hemisphere for the primary somatosensory cortex and bilaterally for the secondary somatosensory cortex.

c) in the right hemisphere for both the primary and secondary somatosensory cortices.

d) in the left hemisphere for both the primary and secondary somatosensory cortices.

b) in the right hemisphere for the primary somatosensory cortex and bilaterally for the secondary somatosensory cortex.

Which area of the body has the greatest amount of representation in the human primary somatosensory cortex?

a) gums

b) hands

c) trunk

d) feet

b) hands

High-frequency sounds primarily activate hair cells at the ________ of the cochlea, whereas low-frequency sounds primarily activate hair cells at the ________ of the cochlea.

a) superior end; inferior end

b) apex (thinner end); base (thicker end)

c) base (thicker end); apex (thinner end)

d) inferior end; superior end

c) base (thicker end); apex (thinner end)

The primary auditory cortex is located in the

a) superior temporal lobe

b) medial geniculate nucleus

c) inferior temporal lobe

d) lateral geniculate nucleus

a) superior temporal lobe

The primary visual pathway is best described as

a) retina → optic nerve → hypothalamus → superior colliculus → occipital lobe

b) retina → cochlea → optic chiasm → thalamus → occipital lobe

c) retina → hippocampus → thalamus → superior colliculus → occipital lobe

d) retina → optic nerve → optic chiasm → thalamus → occipital lobe

d) retina → optic nerve → optic chiasm → thalamus → occipital lobe

Due to a defect in one type of photoreceptor, Sheena has poor vision at night, when light levels are relatively low. Which type of photoreceptor is defective?

a) cone

b) ganglion cell

c) rod

d) cornea

c) rod

Before entering the brain, each optic nerve splits into two branches so that information from the ________ half of each retina crosses to the opposite side of the brain.

a) right (ventral)

b) nasal (medial)

c) temporal (lateral)

d) left (dorsal)

b) nasal (medial)

Simple cells in the primary visual cortex selectively respond to visual stimuli based on

a) stimulus orientation

b) stimulus color

c) distance of the stimulus from the viewer

d) direction of stimulus motion

a) stimulus orientation

If you were to conduct a single-cell recording from a neuron in the MT region of the extrastriate visual cortex, you would probably find that the cell fires most vigorously to a

a) bar of light that alternates in color between red and green.

b) bar of light that moves across the cell's receptive field.

c) corner-shaped region of light on a dark background.

d) bar of light tilted at a 15° angle in the center of the cell's receptive field.

b) bar of light that moves across the cell's receptive field.

Using single-cell recording, you isolate a neuron in area MT that selectively responds to moving stimuli. What other response property would you expect from this cell?

a) it is selective for stimulus hue

b) it is selective for stimulus velocity

c) it is selective for stimulus shape

d) it is selective for stimulus color

b) it is selective for stimulus velocity

While simultaneously listening to a person saying "ba" and seeing a video of them saying "fa," you will most likely hear ____. This is because of _________________.

a) "fa"; the McGurk effect

b) "fa"; sensory acuity

c) "ba"; the McGurk effect

d) "ba"; sensory acuity

a) "fa"; the McGurk effect

Which subcortical region is known to maintain multimodal maps of the environment and is involved in the control and orienting of movements?

a) The medulla

b) the superior collliculus

c) the cerebellum

d) the pons

b) the superior colliculus

Which of the following is the best example of cortical plasticity?

a) the processing of tactile information by blind people in cortical regions that process visual information in sighted people

b) the ability of the barn owl to localize objects in space based on auditory and not visual information

c) the integration of information about olfaction and gustation in the orbitofrontal cortex

d) the activation of the superior colliculus by visual information in patients exhibiting blindsight

a) the processing of tactile information by blind people in cortical regions that process visual information in sighted people

Studies of cortical organization in blind people have shown that compared to sighted people,

a) blind people show increased activity in the occipital cortex when idly sweeping their fingers over rough surfaces and when given tactile discrimination tasks.

b) blind people show no difference in occipital cortex activity when idly sweeping their fingers over rough surfaces or when given tactile discrimination tasks.

c) blind people show no difference in occipital cortex activity when given tactile discrimination tasks and increased activity when idly sweeping their fingers over rough surfaces.

d) blind people show increased activity in the occipital cortex when given tactile discrimination tasks but not when idly sweeping their fingers over rough surfaces.

d) blind people show increased activity in the occipital cortex when given tactile discrimination tasks but not when idly sweeping their fingers over rough surfaces.

Different parts of the body are represented in the primary somatosensory cortex in proportion to their size.

a) True

b) False

b) False