Psychology 427-Physiological

Spring 2001- Exam 2

Name________________________________

Multiple Choice [worth 2 points]

  1. Which division of the nervous system consists of neurons that control the heart, intestines, and other organs?
    1. internal
    2. parasomatic
    3. somatic
    4. autonomic
  1. If the spinal cord is cut at a given segment, the brain loses sensation:
    1. but not motor control over all parts of the body.
    2. and motor control over all parts of the body.
    3. but not motor control from that segment and all segments below it.
    4. and motor control from that segment and all segments below it.
  1. What happens if an immature neuron is transplanted to another area of the brain early in its development?
    1. It makes its way back to its original location.
    2. It takes on all the characteristics of neighboring neurons.
    3. It develops as other cells in the area from which it came originally.
    4. It dies.
  1. Myelination in the human brain:
    1. is complete upon birth.
    2. is complete around the second birthday.
    3. is complete before adolescence.
    4. continues well into the adult years.

  1. Which of the following is the mostly likely explanation for the excess proliferation of neurons?
    1. to allow the nervous system to match incoming axons to receiving cells.
    2. to allow for cell death in the event of injury.
    3. to allow for genetic error.
    4. to allow for the proliferation of dendrites.
  1. One way to relieve the pain associated with a phantom limb is to:
    1. remove more of the amputated limb.
    2. have the amputee learn to use an artificial limb.
    3. stimulate that part of the cortex.
    4. help them to understand that there is no neural basis for these sensations.
  1. Researchers have found the vomeronasal organ in humans. It compares to other species in that it is:
    1. more dependent on practice or training in humans.
    2. a more prominent organ in humans.
    3. a small organ without obvious receptors.
    4. a small organ with many more receptors.

  1. How many olfactory receptors do we have?
    1. two or three
    2. seven
    3. twenty
    4. hundreds
  1. Which of the following procedures temporarily causes sour substances to taste sweet?
    1. first tasting bitter substance, then the sour substance.
    2. first tasting a capsaicin extract.
    3. first tasting a different sour substance
    4. first chewing a "miracle berry"

  1. What are found in papillae?
    1. olfactory receptors
    2. clusters of neurons
    3. hair cells
    4. taste buds

 

 

Fill-in-the-blank(s) with the appropriate word(s) [worth 3 points each]

In the spinal cord, the gray matter is located on the _________(medial/lateral) portion. This is because the _____________ (axons/cell bodies) of the ____________(sensory/motor) neurons are located there. Most sensory neurons are located on the __________(dorsal/ventral) side of the spinal cord and enter via the ________________________________.

In the film clip about terotogens, we saw the effects of alcohol on brain development. Specifically, alcohol appears to disrupt this aspect of "neurogenesis" _____________________. One of the consequences of this is that the brains of children with FAS are abnormal in what other way(s) _____________________________________.

In another film, we saw a girl who had an entire hemisphere surgically removed because of uncontrollable ______________. The fact that she was able to recover almost all of the functions normally controlled by her __________ hemisphere is best attributed to the amount of physical/cognitive therapy and her ____________ (hint: Kinnard's principle).

 

 

 

Short Answer [worth 5 points each] Answer only 3 of the following.

  1. Explain the importance of the research study described in the film "The Sight of Touch".
  2. What are ventricles and what do they provide for the brain?

    3. Bonus: what condition is associated with abnormalities of the ventricles (what is abnormal about them and what problems does it cause)?

  3. What is the "binding problem"? Explain how it relates to vision.
  4. Explain what is meant by the expression "Neural Darwinism"
  5. What is capsaisin and what role does it play in both taste and pain?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Essay

Answer only 1 of the following. You should write a detailed answer of at least 8-12 sentences. [worth 15 points]

  1. Explain the various mechanisms by which the brain recovers from injury. What are some of the barriers to recovery? Include in your description the following: collateral sprouts, denervation supersensitivity, diaschisis and the role of myelination.

    2. Bonus: How does "phantom limb pain" fit into this recovery process?

  2. Explain the process of sight from stimulus to perception. Include the following in your description: types of receptor cells, transduction, optic nerve, visual pathways (parvo vs. magnocellular), and parallel processing. You do not need to describe color vision or the specific brain regions involved in perception.

    3. Bonus: What is a "grandmother cell"?

  3. Explain the process of audition from stimulus to perception. Include the following in your description: amplitude vs. frequency, most important structures in the ear, receptor cells, volley principle, traveling wave, and tonotopic map.

Bonus: Differentiate between conductive deafness and nerve deafness.

 

 

 

Figure 6.2 (Worth 8 points each)

Identify the following parts of the eye and briefly state their purpose.

  1. __________________________________________________________________________
  2. ___________________________________________________________________________
  3. ___________________________________________________________________________
  4. ___________________________________________________________________________

 

Figure 4.12 [Worth 12 points]

Name the unidentified regions of the brain and describe their primary functions

a)____________________________________________________________________________

b)____________________________________________________________________________

c)____________________________________________________________________________

d)____________________________________________________________________________

 

Bonus: Explain what is meant by "synesthesia".