NBB 302 EXAM QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
right ganglion cell - Answer RGC
Functional MRI studies show that the critical component of theory of mind - Answer the
attribution of beliefs to another person—is localized to the temporal-parietal junction in
the right hemisphere.
hierarchal brain - Answer
Brains evolved via - Answer natural and sexual selection
Natural selection and sexual selection are two key forces that shape evolution,including
evolution of nervous system
animals are simply - Answer a bulb in the phylogenic tree. therefore, we need too look at
other branches to truly understand the tree
Do all animals have nervous systems? - Answer no, sponges have no nervous system
Situation appropriate action - Answer likely a key advantage of first nervous systems
gaining fitness, starting first with encouraging motor movement where energy
consumption was best.
Still utilized in identifying social norms and basic patterns (cognitive control) within the
prefrontal cortex
cognitive control - Answer The ability to control and moderate one's own behavior
Executive functions allow a person to organize and regulate their own behavior.
ex - answering the home phone at your home when you're home
diffuse nerve net in hydra - Answer Contains ganglion (motor) neurons towards the
middle that project and sensory neurons on the outside. Ring muscles tighten to ensure
upward movement, longitudinal muscles tighten to ensure side movements, creating a
tumbling effect.
diffuse nerve net - Answer in Cnidarians. One of the earliest and simplest nervous
systems that enables simple locomotion. Operates with outwards sensory neuron
connected to inner ganglion neuron
(local network, no gangla)
basil ganglia - Answer subcortical structures that direct intentional movement; one
structure is the striatum which is involved in the control of posture and movement
,Most nervous systems compared to a diffuse network - Answer Most nervous systems
are more organized than a diffuse network
The nervous system of the planarian, a flatworm, shows features common to most
animal nervous systems: - Answer Neurons aggregated in ganglia (AKA, nuclei)
Axons bundled into nerve cords
Centralization
Cephalization
ganglia - Answer clusters of cell bodies in the PNS
Cephalization - Answer the concentration of nerve tissue and sensory organs at the
anterior end of an organism
centralization - Answer the process by which pain and symptoms move from the
periphery of the body to the central area, such as the low back.
Simplest hypothetical nervous system - Answer most likely only had a few sensorimotor
neurons that's connected to a couple effectors/muscles
effectors - Answer -produces a response e.g.muscle contracts to move hand away from
stimulus or gland squeezes and releases hormone into blood.
advantages of sensorimotor neurons: - Answer -Increased stimulus sensitivity
-Faster effector cell responses
-Stronger behavioral responses because multiple effector cells are influenced
-Sensory neurons responding to different stimulus modalities can be distributed
strategically in different body regions
Separate sensory and motor neurons enable - Answer more coordination
ex-hydra
how sensory and motor neurons interact - Answer sensory neurons are at the surface,
and when they face a stimulus, they send the signal to the motor neurons which sends it
to the effector to initiate action
All nervous systems are a [] to some extent - Answer sensorimotor loop
Action -> Perception ->
Interneurons - Answer neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate
internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs
Make up the majority of the CNS (in comparison to the PNS which is mostly sensory and
,motor neurons)
Interneurons open up a world of computation (and cognition)
Different types of components allow for - Answer more types of circuits, but aren't
necessary
Central Brain's evolution - Answer came in many points, in particular between
Arthropods, Annelids, Molluscs, and Chordates (including vertebrates)
Much of current neuroscience research revolves around - Answer humans, monkeys,
and rodents.
What is the key criterion in evolutionary success in nervous systems - Answer
Evolutionary fitness, rather than brain complexity, is the key
The same basic recipe involving eggs can neurologically - Answer replicate an mammal
brain
Embryological Development between mammalian nervous system shows - Answer a
common structure of a hindbrain, midbrain, front brain, and spinal cord
cortical field - Answer associated with the cerebal cortex
Cortical fields in mammals show adaptations to the basic recipe
Adaptations/Variation reflect - Answer genes, developmental experience, and body
morphology
topographic - Answer relating to the arrangement of the physical features of an area.
How certain mammals gain unique aspects. - Answer Through sexual and natural
selection, reflecting on environmental pressure.
Broca's area can only be in humans, as we have the set brain anatomy and muscle
morphology for it to be useful in communication. Same can be said in other larger
sensory areas in other mammals (ex-somatosensory cortex, where broca's area is at).
They aren't universally applicable.
Modularity is helpful as - Answer certain areas can be refined where they need to be.
somatosensory cortex - Answer area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and
processes body touch and movement sensations
Proportional connectivity - Answer fully interconnected brain; number of axonal
connections increases rapidly
no specialization?
Absolute connectivity - Answer interconnecting only neighboring cells (every neuron is
connected to a set number of neurons)
, tends to result in clusters that are sparsely connected with each other
Connectivity in large brains - Answer Proportional connectivity is not feasible with large
brains, but absolute connectivity is not great either
the compromise is Small world network
Small world network - Answer A social network characterized by high local clustering
and short global separation (short average path lengths)
Dense local connectivity
A few long-range connection
Results in distributed parts modularity
e wiring plan that evolved, which has a high degree of local efficiency, yet fast
communication with the global network,
the importantance of small world connections - Answer characterized by many short
connections between components, and only a few long-distance connections betw ee n
"hubs" that serve as shortcuts betw ee n distant sites. Th is ty pe of wiring results in
faster signaling and lower energy requirements, and it gives the overall system greater
tolerance in the event of failure of individual components or connections.
modularity - Answer The separation of a program into independent modules that are
each responsible for one aspect of the program's functionality.
Even the "simple" nervous system of the hydra is modular
Modules are specialized and frequently localized networks of neurons that serve a
specific function. A modular system is adaptable.
brain organization is often organized by - Answer hierarchal -> modular -> distributed
the framework between brain and behavior is - Answer evolution
How do we understand, e.g., the role of Broca's area in language? - Answer network of
neurons (Broca area, motor cortex, nucleus) -> nervous system (includes spinal cord) ->
behavior
Neurons were, and still are, - Answer the basic building blocks of nervous systems
Constraints on evolving brains include [] and can lead to [] - Answer size and wiring
constraints
increased modularity and thus perhaps functional specialization
comparative cognition - Answer the study of the development of cognitive abilities
across species and the continuity of abilities from nonhuman to human animals