Neurotechnology and Cognitive Neuroscience – MCQ Q&A

Question-and-answer flashcards covering MRI physics, EEG, TMS/tDCS, memory, language, executive function, attention, and autism neuroscience. Each card poses a concise question with its correct answer for efficient exam revision.

What is the main purpose of the static magnetic field in an MRI scanner?

To provide a homogeneous magnetic field.

Which statement about the brain’s energy use is correct?

The brain does not store energy and relies on energy in the blood supply to sustain neuronal activities.

In learning, what is sensitisation?

An increased response to a habituated stimulus when it is paired with an aversive stimulus.

How many sets of gradient coils are found in an MRI scanner?

Three sets of gradient coils.

Which statement about brain-based lie detection is incorrect?

fMRI provides the perfect lie-detection technique.

Which statement about fMRI is correct?

fMRI does not measure brain activity directly.

What best describes habituation?

A reduced response to the same repeated stimulus.

Is it possible to predict behaviour from patterns of brain activity?

Yes, it is possible to make predictions based on brain activity patterns.

BOLD-fMRI is particularly sensitive to changes in what?

De-oxygenated haemoglobin.

What is a limitation of scalp EEG?

It cannot pinpoint which exact gyrus or sulcus generated the measured activity.

What does the term ‘engram of memory’ refer to?

The physical and biological changes underlying memory storage in the brain.

EEG primarily measures which neuronal signal?

Post-synaptic potentials.

What is the main cellular source of scalp EEG signals?

Pyramidal cells.

Which statement about EEG vs fMRI is incorrect?

EEG can distinguish brain activity from subcortical areas.

Which pattern of stimulation induces long-term potentiation (LTP)?

A high-frequency train of stimulation.

TMS works by…

Using a magnetic pulse to induce electric current in the targeted brain area.

Which TMS coil has the better spatial resolution?

The figure-of-eight coil.

How is individual TMS intensity typically set?

By measuring the participant’s motor threshold (e.g., finger twitch).

How can researchers localise a TMS target?

By using both anatomical and functional localisation methods.

TMS pulse trains can be:

Either inhibitory or excitatory.

In TMS experiments, pulse intensity…

Depends on the desired experimental effect.

Which statement about tDCS is incorrect?

tDCS has better spatial resolution than TMS.

What do transhumanists advocate?

Using technology to modify and enhance humans beyond current biological constraints.

What do bioconservatives argue?

We should reject biotechnologies that enhance natural human capacities.

The dorsal laryngeal motor cortex primarily controls…

Pitch and voicing.

Language processing utilises…

A wide range of cognitive processes.

In the McGurk effect, speech perception is influenced by…

Both visual and auditory input.

Context in language perception…

Influences the perception phase of language.

Transpose-letter effect: comprehension is easier when

The transposed letters are internal (in the middle of words).

Broca’s aphasia mainly affects…

Language production.

Damage to which region impairs language comprehension?

Wernicke’s area.

What is the arcuate fasciculus?

A white-matter tract connecting key language areas.

What is the most accurate statement about the critical period for language?

It is easier to learn a language within the critical period, but learning is still possible afterwards.

Looking at the sea requires executive function?

No – it largely does not require executive control.

Human frontal-lobe volume is…

Similar in proportion to that of great apes such as the orang-utan.

Where does the frontal lobe end anatomically?

At the central sulcus.

Contention scheduling is…

An automatic, learned process executed via schemas for efficiency.

Which statement about the Supervisory Attentional System (SAS) is NOT correct?

SAS engages more when facing easier questions.

Running across the road at a red pedestrian light requires…

The Supervisory Attentional System (to override habitual response).

Environmental-dependency syndrome indicates…

Behaviours triggered by environmental stimuli even when irrational.

Perseveration refers to…

Repeating the same response when it is no longer appropriate.

In the oddball paradigm, which factor matters?

The length of the repetition sequence affects the oddball effect.

Goal-centred processing suggests executive function has…

A hierarchical structure of goals and sub-goals.

The Multiple-Demand (MD) system suggests executive processing is…

Domain-general.

Context in executive function is…

Important for guiding behaviour.

Multifactor models of executive function propose…

One general factor and two specific factors.

What is Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)?

An increase in synaptic strength following high-frequency stimulation of neurons.

NMDA and AMPA receptors are activated by…

Glutamate.

Complete the Hebbian rule: ‘Cells that fire together…’

…wire together; cells that fire out of sync fail to link.

Patient H.M. had surgery on which lobe?

Temporal lobe (medial temporal structures).

An inability to form new memories after brain injury is called…

Anterograde amnesia.

London taxi drivers show…

Larger posterior hippocampi and smaller anterior hippocampi.

During sleep, replay of neural activity…

Reactivates neurons in sequence to facilitate memory consolidation.

Procedural memory is…

Knowing how to perform tasks (e.g., riding a bike).

The primacy effect refers to…

Better recall for items at the beginning of a list.

Encoding is the memory stage that…

Transforms sensory input into a storable form.

Declarative memory includes…

Semantic, episodic, and autobiographical memory (all of the above).

In memory formation, NMDA vs AMPA receptors:

NMDA receptors allow a large calcium influx (critical for plasticity); AMPA receptors mainly pass sodium and support fast synaptic transmission.

Primary purpose of neuroscientific research on autism?

To understand overarching brain mechanisms underlying behaviour in autism.

Which region shows reduced activation for faces in autism?

Fusiform Face Area (FFA).

Which lobes show divergent early development in autism?

Frontal and temporal lobes.

What do studies suggest about synaptic pruning in autism?

Delayed or reduced pruning leads to increased cortical thickness early in development.

Why are females often diagnosed with autism later?

They display subtler traits and more compensatory mechanisms.

Mutations in which gene family are linked to autism?

Genes involved in synaptic function, e.g., SHANK3.

A key limitation of neuroscientific autism research is…

It relies on group averages and may miss individual differences.

Which brain area shows atypical emotional activity in autism?

Amygdala.

A core diagnostic criterion for autism is…

Restricted interests and repetitive behaviours.

Selective attention is…

Focusing on a particular stimulus while ignoring others.

Attention triggered by external stimuli is called…

Exogenous attention.

Endogenous attention is…

Goal-directed, voluntary attention.

During fixation, rods are most sensitive to…

Motion.

What is the role of saccades?

To align the focus of attention (fovea) with the object of interest.

In cellular attention studies, a higher signal-to-noise ratio means…

Neurons respond more to relevant stimuli than to background activity.

Which brain area helps maintain focus during selective attention?

Prefrontal cortex.

Which task measures attentional shifts with visual cues?

The Posner Cueing Task.

During the ‘orienting’ stage of Posner’s model…

Attention shifts to a specific spatial location.

Single-cell recordings show that neurons in visual/parietal cortex…

Prioritise attended stimuli over unattended ones.

The P300 ERP component indexes…

Attentional engagement with relevant stimuli.

Which oscillatory band supports sustained, goal-oriented attention?

Beta oscillations.

What happens to the Default Mode Network (DMN) during attention tasks?

DMN activity is suppressed to allow task-positive networks to focus.

Joint attention is…

A shared focus on a stimulus through coordinated attentional shifts between individuals.

Which network underlies goal-directed, voluntary attention?

Dorsal attention network