neuroanatomy practice exams and exam questions

which is NOT a glial cell type?

parietal cells

What plane of sectioning would divide the rostral part from the caudal part of the cerebral cortex?

coronal

In the peripheral nervous system, groups of neuronal somata are called ________, and bundles of axons are called _________.

ganglia, nerves

The two hemispheres of the brain are separated by which of the following?

interhemispheric fissure

What does ectoderm give rise to?

Skin, nervous system

What occurs during the G0 phase of the cell cycle?

Mitosis no longer occurs

The ____ induces the ___ to become the neural plate.

mesoderm, ectoderm

The basal plate develops into ____ neurons ____ the spinal cord.

motor, exiting

Pick best answer. What structure produces most of the cerebrospinal fluid?

Choroid plexus

What is a major result of the CSF not draining properly?

Hydrocephalus

The cerebral aqueduct allows cerebrospinal fluid to move directly from the ____ ventricle to the ____ ventricle.

third, fourth

In principle, there are multiple sites from which CSF could be sampled. From which of the following sites is sampling LEAST likely to result in damage to the CNS?

the space between the L3 vertebra and the L4 vertebra

The anterior cerebral artery primarily supplies blood flow to which of the following?

midline of the cerebral cortex

What do the dural venous sinuses drain into?

Internal jugular vein

The right ventricle pumps ____ blood to the ____

deoxygenated, lungs

What alleviates decreased oxygen to the brain?

Vasodilation

Synthesis of mRNA from DNA in the nucleus is a process called...

Transcription

What mechanism moves microtubules and neurofilaments away from the cell body?

Slow anterograde transport

Nissl substance is composed of which of the following?

Rough endoplasmic reticulum

Which of the following is NOT a function of astrocytes?

Increases axonal conduction velocity

Which of these comes first during an action potential? Pick best answer.

Opening of voltage-gated Na+ channels

Which of the following has the greatest effect on axonal conduction velocity?

Diameter of the axon

What are SNARE proteins?

Proteins that cause the vesicle to fuse with the cell membrane

Some toxic nerve gasses act by inhibiting the action of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase. What is the function of acetylcholinesterase?

It is the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine after its release into the synapse

Which of the following statements are TRUE?

In metabotropic receptors, binding of a neurotransmitter changes the activation of a G-protein

Excitatory neurotransmitter receptors often open ________ channels causing the cell to ___________.

Na+, depolarize

Which of the following statements is correct?

Each vertebra has two spinal nerves exiting from beneath it

Which of the following relationships is correct?

White matter increases as you move rostrally in the spinal cord

The spinal cord can process information in several ways. Which of the following is NOT one of those ways?

Sensory input arriving through the ventral roots can evoke a special type of extremely fast reflex

Which of the following structures is derived from the embryonic diencephalon?

Hypothalamus

Which of the following structures can NOT be seen on the ventral surface of the sheep brain?

Corpus callosum

Which of the following structures surrounds the cerebral aqueduct?

Midbrain

There are vessels that feed into the Circle of Willis that don’t form part of the “circle” (i.e. don’t form part of its anastomotic loop). Which of the following vessels is NOT part of the anastomotic loop of the Circle of Willis?

Vertebral artery

Which of the following meningeal membranes follows the surface of the brain into the sulci of the human cerebral cortex?

Pia mater

Which of the following structures does not need to be severed in order to remove the cerebellum from the brainstem?

Cerebral peduncle

Complete the following sentence correctly. The inferior colliculus...

is located at the level of the cerebral aqueduct.

Which of the following is NOT a structure in the caudal medulla?

Cerebral aqueduct

Which of the following forms a prominent gross structure of the rostral medulla?

Inferior olive

Which sub-region of the striatum is only present rostral to the thalamus?

nucleus accumbens

The medial geniculate nucleus relays ____ information.

hearing

Layer IV of the neocortex receives input from which of the following?

thalamus

The two halves of the thalamus are separated by which space?

3rd ventricle

All of the following cranial nerves innervate skeletal muscle. Which of these cranial nerves innervates something in addition to skeletal muscle?

Glossopharyngeal

Injury to the trigeminal nerve would most likely result in impairment in which of the following?

chewing

Which of the following is FALSE?

The trigeminal nerve exits the dorsal surface of the brain.

Which of the following is NOT a function of the facial nerve?

Sensing of blood oxygenation and CO2

Which of the following is TRUE?

The axons of thalamic neurons do not cross the midline as they project to the somatosensory cortex.

Damage to the _____ of the thalamus could impair the relay of somatosensory information to the cerebral cortex.

ventral posterior lateral nucleus

Neurons that sense vibration and light touch...

have axons that ascend through the dorsal columns

Which of the following accurately describes Piezo2?

It can form a channel through which ions pass, causing the cell to depolarize.

Stimulation of the periaqueductal gray results in...

analgesia.

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

Stimulating the rostral ventromedial medulla can facilitate pain.

Complete the sentence correctly. Rods...

aid in the detection of motion.

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

Amacrine cells enhance contrast through lateral interactions.

Which of the following is an attribute of an M-type cell?

They are important for motion perception

Which of the following is TRUE?

Retinal ganglion cells synapse in the suprachiasmatic nucleus.

Axons in the temporal retina ____ cross in the optic chiasm, axons in the nasal retina ____ cross in the optic chiasm.

don’t, do

Which gives the correct path visual information takes to get to the thalamus?

optic nerve, optic tract, lateral geniculate

Cutting the right optic tract would be expected to result in

Loss of the left half of one’s visual field

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

The cell bodies of vestibular afferents are found in the spiral ganglion.

Suppose a tone with a frequency of 110 hz. resonates 2 mm from the apex of the cochlea. A tone with a frequency of 440 hz resonates 5 mm from the apex of the cochlea. Where will a tone with a frequency of 1760 hz resonate?

8 mm from the apex of the cochlea

Which is NOT a cranial nerve nucleus that the vestibular nuclei project to?

CN 5, trigeminal

If the stapes was removed from the ear, vibrations from sound would not be passed directly onto the...

oval window

The cell bodies of the primary afferent neurons that sense smell are located in which of the

following?

Nasal epithelium

How many odorant receptors are expressed by each olfactory primary afferent neuron?

1

Which cranial nerve provides taste sensation in the anterior 2/3 of the tongue?

facial

T2-type taste receptors are involved with sensing which of the following tastes?

bitter

Which of the following histochemical staining methods is most helpful for visualizing dendritic spines?

goligi staining

Neurons have a large amount of Nissl substance that can be stained with dyes like cresyl violet. What cell structure makes up this this substance?

Rough endoplasmic reticulum

The resting membrane potential of a neuron is closest to the equilibrium potential of which of the following ions?

Potassium

What is responsible for the rising phase of the neuronal action potential?

Voltage-gated sodium channels

Why do changes in the concentration of extracellular sodium affect the resting membrane potential less than changes in the concentration of extracellular potassium?

There are more potassium channels in the neuronal membrane.

Type II muscle fibers have ____ mitochondria and fatigue ____ quickly than type I muscle fibers.

less, more

Which of the following is TRUE?

Most lower motor neuron somata (--“somata” is the plural of “soma”) are found in the ventral horn of the spinal cord.

Unilateral damage to motor cortex leads to paralysis mainly on the ____ side of the body. Unilateral damage to the spinal cord leads to paralysis mainly on the ____ side of the body.

contralateral, ipsilateral

Which of the following is NOT needed for a muscle contraction?

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors

Which of the following is NOT a function of the basal ganglia?

Reflexes

What structure divides the striatum?

Internal capsule

Which type of neurons are concentrated in the substantia nigra, pars compacta (SNc)?

Dopamine neurons

The striatum synapses onto the ____ and releases ____.

globus pallidus pars interna, GABA

The middle cerebellar peduncles are connected to the ____.

pons

Parallel fibers originate from which of the following

Granule cells

Which of the cerebellar functional domains receives information on muscle length and tension?

Spinocerebellum

Which of the following correctly matches a cerebellar region with an output nucleus?

Lateral cerebellar hemispheres—dentate nuclei

Which of the following cranial nerves does NOT control a parasympathetic ganglion?

CN 6 (abducens)

What neurotransmitter is released by sympathetic pre-ganglionic neurons?

Acetylcholine

Neurons in the ____ control the secretion of digestive fluids.

submucosal plexus of the gut

The enteric nervous system in humans is estimated to contain as many neurons as

the human spinal cord.

Which of the following is NOT a conjugate eye movement?

Vergence

Which cranial nerve innervates the lateral rectus muscle?

Abducens

What system is activated when you rotate your head, but the image on the fovea remains stationary?

Vestibular Ocular Reflex

The internuclear neurons cause which of the following to happen when looking to the left?

Cause the right medial rectus to contract

In the Papez circuit, the mammillary bodies receive input directly from the ____ and then project their axons to the ____

hippocampus via the fornix, anterior nucleus of the thalamus

Septal lesions can cause which of the following?

Enhanced aggression

Urbach-Wiethe disease, which results in the bilateral loss of the amygdala, leads to...

decreased feelings of fear.

Golgi tendon organs relay information via ____ fibers about ____.

Ib, weight bearing

How is the subthalamic motor region is involved with locomotion?

It modulates speed of walking.

What is TRUE about the effects of the brain on locomotion?

Glutamate is required to initiate walking via descending pathways.

What is the effect in mice of knocking out the gene for EphA4?

The left and right legs extend in synchrony.

Which of the following statements is true?

Ghrehlin release enhances appetite.