NSCI 2101 Exam 3 Questions

Stimulation of the dorsomedial nucleus of the hypothalamus would be expected to ....

increase blood pressure

In 1846, Phineas Gage received an injury that dramatically reduced his ability for self-control (at least initially). Which of the following regions was directly injured?

prefrontal cortex

Where is the first synapse for touch and proprioceptive information from the leg?

nucleus gracilis

The primary output of the basal ganglia is from what two nuclei?

global pallidus internal and substantia pars reticulata

A major input to the striatum that uses glutamate as the neurotransmitter is from the...

cerebral cortex

What neurotransmitter is typically used between a somatic motor neuron and a skeletal muscle fiber?

acetylcholine

The primary output of the basal ganglia is directly to the ...

thalamus and is inhibitory

What hormone promotes milk ejection in females, as well as promoting social bonding within one's own group?

oxytocin

If you want to look to the left, which extraocular muscles must contract?

lateral rectus muscle of the left eye and medial rectus muscle of the right eye

If a person's heart rate was too high, you might consider giving them a drug to block signaling by what neurotransmitter?

norepinephrine

What is the major input to the flocculonodular lobe of the cerebellum?

vestibular nuclei

The reticular formation is said to be responsible for "accompanying" movements. Which of the following statements about accompanying movements is true?

Accompanying movements can adjust muscle tone in an unrelated part of the body to help one maintain balance during a voluntary movement.

Which of the following eye movements is disconjugate (eyes move in opposite directions)?

vergence

Where are axons from autonomic neurons in the intermediolateral cell column of the thoracic spinal cord likely to synapse?

sympathetic chain ganglia

Preganglionic parasympathetic axons for control of the heart, lungs and a portion of the gut run in the ...

vagus nerve

Which of the following functions is NOT regulated by the brainstem reticular formation?

All of the above functions are regulated by the reticular formation

Bilaterally destroying which of the following brain regions would be expected to reduce or eliminate fear of a predatory animal?

amygdala

Below is an image of a coronal slice of the sheep brain. What is labeled at the tip of the white arrow?

cerebral peduncle

The major output from the cerebellum is from neurons in the...

deep cerebellar nuclei

Patient HM received surgery for epilepsy that destroyed a part of his brain on both sides. This surgery left him unable to acquire new long-term declarative memory. What part of his brain was destroyed?

temporal

Which of the following nuclei or tracts is part of the limbic system?

All of the above

Which of the following statements is NOT correct regarding the vestibulo-ocular reflex?

It is slow due to need for visual input

With no outside input your circadian clock normally runs slowly, averaging slightly over 25 hours per cycle. What sets your circadian clock to the correct time?

light-sensitive neurons of the retina

What disease results from degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain?

Parkinson's

A person broke his back in a car accident. Unfortunately, the left side of his mid-thoracic spinal cord was crushed. Where would you expect to find the most significant paralysis?

Left leg

In this coronal section of sheep brain stained with Prussian Blue, fibers appear white and cell bodies are dark blue. What fibers are marked by the red arrow?

optic tract

Which of the following statements is true regarding inputs to the cerebellum?

Axons from motor cortex synapse in the pontine nuclei, and neurons in the pontine nuclei synapse in the cerebellar cortex.

Compared to other types of muscle fibers, type I muscle fibers...

have more mitochondria

Which of the following eye movements do you make when you are reading?

fixation followed by saccade

Which of the following regions is most involved in the reinforcing aspects of addiction?

nucleus accumbens

80-90% of the corticospinal axons cross the midline in the....

medulla

Which of the following statements about melatonin is true?

highest levels in the dark

What part of the nervous system is particularly sensitive to alcohol consumption (i.e. alcohol inhibits its function)?

Cerebellum

Which of the following helps regulate water balance by DECREASING urination?

anti-diuretic hormone/vasopressin

Which of the following is NOT a common characteristic of sleep in Parkinson's disease?

inability to dream

In a two-point discrimination test, your group of 30 students obtained the following results.

Body part 1: mean distance 4.5mm

Body part 2: mean distance 7.5mm

p-value in t-test: 0.01

Which of the following statements is NOT true regarding this data?

Body part 1 has lower receptor density on the skin.

Which of the following is illustrated in the photo of the eyes shown below?

Strabismus

Which of the statements below is true about the blind spot?

corresponds to optic disk

Imagine that the McDonald's fast-food chain asked you to develop a chemical that they could add to their food to make customers want to come back to the counter and order more. What properties should your chemical have, to be most attractive to McDonald's?

It should mimic ghrelin

Below is an image of a horizontal slice of the sheep brain. What is labeled at the tip of the white #1 arrow in the image?

Putamen