Week 2 Lecture Content Flashcards
Which of the following is NOT a reason why nervous system plasticity is essential?
a) Brain development
b) Recovery from injury
c) Learning and memory
d) Maintaining a fixed neural structure
d) Maintaining a fixed neural structure
Karl Lashley’s concept of “equipotentiality” refers to:
a) The idea that all cortical areas have equal potential for memory storage
b) The amount of tissue lesioned affects learning and memory
c) The specific location of a lesion determines memory deficits
d) The biological trace of a memory in the brain
a) The idea that all cortical areas have equal potential for memory storage
According to Hebb’s theory, what happens when neurons repeatedly fire together?
a) They become more inhibited
b) They form stronger connections
c) They die off
d) They become less excitable
b) They form stronger connections
Which type of memory remained intact in Henry Molaison (H.M.) after his surgery?
a) Episodic memory
b) Semantic memory
c) Implicit (procedural) memory
d) Short-term memory
Answer: c) Implicit (procedural) memory
In field electrophysiological recordings, what does the “fiber volley” reflect?
a) Postsynaptic action potential firing
b) Presynaptic action potential firing
c) Synaptic activity
d) Neurotransmitter release
b) Presynaptic action potential firing
What is the typical frequency used in High Frequency Stimulation (HFS) for inducing LTP?
a) 1 Hz
b) 10 Hz
c) 50 Hz
d) 100 Hz
d) 100 Hz
Which of the following is NOT a key feature of Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)?
a) Activity-dependent
b) Rapid onset
c) Irreversible
d) Long-lasting
c) Irreversible
Which glutamate receptor acts as a “coincidence detector” for LTP induction?
a) AMPA receptor
b) NMDA receptor
c) Kainate receptor
d) Metabotropic glutamate receptor
b) NMDA receptor
Which form of plasticity involves changes in the neuron’s likelihood to fire action potentials?
a) Long-Term Potentiation
b) White matter plasticity
c) Neurogenesis
d) Plasticity of Intrinsic Excitability
d) Plasticity of Intrinsic Excitability
In the Papez circuit, which structure directly follows the hippocampus?
a) Anterior thalamic nuclei
b) Mammillary bodies
c) Cingulate cortex
d) Entorhinal cortex
b) Mammillary bodies
Damage to which structure has been associated with semantic memory deficits?
a) Hippocampus
b) Amygdala
c) Anterior thalamic nuclei
d) Cerebellum
c) Anterior thalamic nuclei
According to Bannerman’s (2003) lesion studies, what effect does ventral hippocampus lesioning have in rats?
a) Impairs spatial learning
b) Reduces anxiety
c) Enhances memory formation
d) Increases aggression
b) Reduces anxiety
What is the primary neurotransmitter involved in reward prediction and motivation?
a) Serotonin
b) Dopamine
c) Noradrenaline
d) Acetylcholine
b) Dopamine
In Schulz et al.’s (1993) experiment with monkeys, what change occurred in dopamine neuron activity as the monkeys learned?
a) It decreased overall
b) It shifted from firing at reward delivery to firing at cue presentation
c) It increased continuously throughout learning
d) It remained constant throughout the experiment
b) It shifted from firing at reward delivery to firing at cue presentation
Which pathway is NOT primarily associated with the dopamine system?
a) Mesolimbic pathway
b) Mesocortical pathway
c) Nigrostriatal pathway
d) Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal pathway
d) Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal pathway
What neurotransmitter is primarily associated with the locus coeruleus?
a) Dopamine
b) Serotonin
c) Noradrenaline
d) Histamine
c) Noradrenaline
Which of the following is NOT typically considered a “hedonic hotspot”?
a) Nucleus accumbens
b) Ventral pallidum
c) Hippocampus
d) Orbitofrontal cortex
c) Hippocampus
How does dopamine facilitate learning in the hippocampus?
a) By inhibiting LTP
b) By enhancing LTP
c) By blocking NMDA receptors
d) By reducing neuronal excitability
b) By enhancing LTP
Which neurotransmitter is associated with the tuberomammillary nucleus in arousal circuits?
a) Serotonin
b) Noradrenaline
c) Histamine
d) Hypocretin (orexin)
c) Histamine
What type of memory is most closely associated with hippocampal function?
a) Procedural memory
b) Semantic memory
c) Episodic memory
d) Working memory
c) Episodic memory
Which of Lashley’s conclusions states that the amount of tissue lesioned, rather than its specific location, affects learning and memory?
a) Equipotentiality
b) Mass action
c) Engram theory
d) Localization of function
b) Mass action
In Hebb’s theory, what is the term for networks of reciprocally connected neurons?
a) Synaptic assemblies
b) Neural clusters
c) Cell assemblies
d) Hebbian networks
c) Cell assemblies
What controversial finding emerged after Henry Molaison’s death?
a) He had pre-existing orbitofrontal cortex damage
b) His hippocampus was completely intact
c) He had developed Alzheimer’s disease
d) His memory deficits were psychosomatic
a) He had pre-existing orbitofrontal cortex damage
In field electrophysiological recordings, what does the EPSP (or field EPSP) reflect?
a) Presynaptic action potential firing
b) Postsynaptic action potential firing
c) Synaptic activity
d) Neurotransmitter release
c) Synaptic activity
What is the typical frequency used in Low Frequency Stimulation (LFS)?
a) 0.1 Hz
b) 1 Hz
c) 10 Hz
d) 100 Hz
b) 1 Hz
Which behavioral paradigm for inducing LTP has been criticized on ethical grounds?
a) Morris water maze
b) Inhibitory avoidance task
c) Forced swim test
d) Novel object recognition test
c) Forced swim test
What is the main function of AMPA receptors in the glutamatergic synapse?
a) Calcium influx
b) Sodium influx
c) Potassium efflux
d) Chloride influx
b) Sodium influx
Which form of plasticity involves changes in the thickness of myelin sheaths?
a) Long-Term Potentiation
b) White matter plasticity
c) Neurogenesis
d) Plasticity of Intrinsic Excitability
b) White matter plasticity
In the Papez circuit, which structure directly precedes the hippocampus?
a) Anterior thalamic nuclei
b) Mammillary bodies
c) Cingulate cortex
d) Entorhinal cortex
d) Entorhinal cortex
Damage to which structure has been associated with episodic memory deficits?
a) Mammillary bodies
b) Cerebellum
c) Cingulate gyrus
d) Basal ganglia
c) Cingulate gyrus
What is the term for the biological trace of a memory in the brain, which Lashley attempted to locate?
a) Memory imprint
b) Neural trace
c) Engram
d) Mnemonic marker
c) Engram
In dopamine-deficient mice, what behavior is impaired even when the animals are hungry?
a) Sleeping
b) Grooming
c) Seeking food or water
d) Excretion
c) Seeking food or water
Which part of the dopamine system is primarily associated with decision-making and salience processing?
a) Ventral tegmental area
b) Nucleus accumbens
c) Prefrontal cortex
d) Substantia nigra
c) Prefrontal cortex
What neurotransmitter is primarily associated with the raphe nuclei in arousal circuits?
a) Dopamine
b) Serotonin
c) Noradrenaline
d) Acetylcholine
b) Serotonin
Which neurotransmitters are commonly associated with “hedonic hotspots”?
a) Dopamine and serotonin
b) Glutamate and GABA
c) Opioids and cannabinoids
d) Noradrenaline and histamine
c) Opioids and cannabinoids
What effect does prolonged wakefulness have on LTP and memory?
a) Enhances LTP and improves memory
b) Attenuates LTP and impairs memory
c) Has no effect on LTP or memory
d) Enhances LTP but impairs memory
b) Attenuates LTP and impairs memory
Which part of the hippocampus is primarily associated with neurogenesis in adults?
a) CA1 region
b) CA3 region
c) Dentate gyrus
d) Subiculum
c) Dentate gyrus
What is the term for the process by which biological systems maintain stability while adjusting to changing external conditions?
a) Homeostasis
b) Allostasis
c) Equilibrium
d) Adaptation
a) Homeostasis
In the context of memory, what does the term “anterograde amnesia” refer to?
a) Inability to form new memories
b) Loss of old memories
c) Inability to recognize familiar objects
d) Loss of procedural memories
a) Inability to form new memories
Which of the following is NOT a major function attributed to the hippocampus?
a) Spatial memory
b) Episodic memory
c) Emotional processing
d) Motor skill learning
Which of the following is NOT a major function attributed to the hippocampus?
a) Spatial memory
b) Episodic memory
c) Emotional processing
d) Motor skill learning
