Deck 10: Extension: A - Principles of Neurocortical Function

Question 1

Bard found that in order to see sham rage it was necessary to leave intact the posterior portion of the _____.

A) superior colliculus
B) hypothalamus
C) spinal cord
D) neocortex

Answer 1

hypothalamus

Question 2

In monkeys, the multimodal or polymodal cortex is found in:

A) all cortical lobes.
B) frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes only.
C) frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes only.
D) parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes only.

Answer 2

all cortical lobes.

Question 3

The simplest functional unit of the cortex is hypothesized to be the:

A) circuit.
B) layer.
C) column.
D) blob.

Answer 3

column.

Question 4

The coordination of automatic and voluntary movements occurs at the level of the:

A) cerebral cortex.
B) basal ganglia.
C) diencephalon.
D) hindbrain.

Question 5

The ability of our brains to be changed by experience and to recover from damage is due to the quality known as:

A) plasticity.
B) mutability.
C) malleability.
D) resilience.

Question 6

The principal output neurons of the cerebral cortex are _____ cells.

A) stellate
B) Purkinje
C) pyramidal
D) Schwann

Question 7

All aspiny neurons are thought to release _____ as one of their neurotransmitters.

A) glutamate
B) GABA
C) histamine
D) dopamine

Question 8

Maintenance of cortical arousal is one of the putative functions of:

A) nonspecific afferents.
B) nonspecific efferents.
C) specific afferents.
D) specific efferents.

Question 9

An animal in which only the hindbrain and spinal cord remain is said to be:

A) decorticate.
B) low decerebrate.
C) high decerebrate.
D) diencephalic.

Question 10

Stepping behavior is coordinated by circuits at the level of the:

A) prefrontal cortex.
B) basal ganglia.
C) cerebellum.
D) spinal cord.

Question 11

Which of the following conditions is best associated with hyperactivity, sham rage, and intact thermoregulatory ability?

A) diencephalic
B) high decerebrate
C) low decerebrate
D) the spinal cord disconnected from the medulla

Question 12

Based upon his studies of myelin development in the cortex, Paul Flechsig suggested that myelin forms earliest in _____ cortical zones and latest in _____ cortical zones.

A) secondary; primary
B) tertiary; secondary
C) tertiary; primary
D) primary; tertiary

Question 13

Which of the following behaviors or physiological abilities is not observed in low - decerebrate animals?

A) tail lashing
B) swallowing
C) thermoregulation
D) active sleep

Question 14

A person in a persistent vegetative state most resembles an animal with experimental lesions to the:

A) premotor cortex.
B) spinal cord.
C) hindbrain.
D) basal ganglia.

Question 15

Neurons that have dendritic spines are typically:

A) excitatory.
B) inhibitory.
C) modulatory.
D) excitatory, inhibitory, and modulatory.

Question 16

Excessive tone in the antigravity muscles is characteristic of:

A) decerebrate rigidity.
B) decorticate rigidity.
C) narcolepsy.
D) a homeostasis.

Question 17

Uncontrolled rage or laughter would signal a possible lesion in the area of the:

A) amygdala.
B) cerebellum.
C) hypothalamus.
D) medulla.

Question 18

The lowest level at which voluntary movements can be coordinated is the:

A) diencephalon.
B) spinal cord.
C) neocortex.
D) midbrain.

Question 19

Which of the following is beyond the capacity of a decorticate rat?

A) regulating temperature
B) finding food and water in simple environments
C) showing normal sleep-wake cycles
D) hoarding food

Question 20

Specific thalamic afferents in the mammalian brain terminate primarily in layer _____ of the neocortex.

A) III
B) II
C) IV
D) V

Question 21

As information moves from primary to secondary to association cortex in the sensory unit, it becomes:

A) increasingly elaborated and integrated.
B) decreasingly complex and segregated.
C) decreasingly accessible to conscious awareness.
D) increasingly elemental and reflexive.

Question 22

The _____ is located immediately above the corpus callosum.

A) prefrontal cortex
B) cingulate cortex
C) amygdala
D) hippocampus

Question 23

In contemporary models of cortical function, complex cognitive operations involve:

A) only hierarchical processing from primary to secondary to tertiary cortex.
B) just junctions of adjacent independent cortical processors of specific information.
C) cortical areas acting conjointly through large-scale neural networks.
D) discrete specialized functional units in the prefrontal cortex.

Question 24

According to Luria's theory of cortical function, the motor unit corresponds to the:

A) temporal lobe.
B) parietal lobe.
C) frontal lobe.
D) occipital lobe.

Question 25

The development of von Economo neurons in humans and great apes has been suggested to be associated with the emergence of:

A) working memory.
B) fine motor control.
C) autism.
D) theory of mind.
Answer Key

Question 26

On the basis of patterns of neural connectivity, Felleman and van Essen have proposed that brain function is:

A) vertically integrated.
B) hierarchical and reflexive.
C) distributed and hierarchical.
D) reflexive and distributed.

Question 27

The ability of one cortical area to influence another from which it receives input is referred to as _____.

A) binding
B) hierarchical communication
C) multiple representations
D) reentry

Question 28

Cortical areas influence the activity of the regions from which they receive input through:

A) disinhibition.
B) reentrant loops.
C) parallel processing.
D) hierarchical processing.

Question 29

Jerison has suggested that there exists a positive correlation between the number of cortical maps and:

A) an organism's ability to navigate new spatial environments.
B) an animal's capacity for voluntary movements.
C) the complexity of emotional perception.
D) the complexity of sensorimotor perception.