BLUEPRINT 2026 FORMAL ASSESSMENT
PROBLEMS AND ACCURATE DATA ADVANCED
STUDY SET
How are neural circuits refined?
a) cell death
b) axon pruning
c) synapse elimination
d) all of the above Answer: d) all of the above
⫸ What are the 5 stages of axon targeting? Answer: 1) defasciculate
2) enter, branch, and do not leave
3) find topographic location using ephrins
4) find layer
5) connect with target cells
⫸ Which is NOT an attractive cue?
a) SemaIII
b) Netrin
c) FasII
d) NT-3 Answer: a) SemaIII
,⫸ Which protein is sufficient and necessary for sympathetic
innervation of the external ear?
a) NGF
b) NT-3
c) SemaIII
d) FasII Answer: b) NT-3
⫸ Which of the following factors are involved in target selection?
a) branching and defasciculation
b) repulsive cues form barriers to restrict axons to their specific
targets
c) adhesion molecules promote that axons stay in the appropriate
target
d) all of the above Answer: d) all of the above
⫸ What happened when the frog's eye was rotated 180º? Where
would the frog see a fly that is directly above it? Answer: - axons of
the retina still innervate the proper place because they follow cues
into the brain via ephrin
- the frog would think the fly was below it
⫸ More anterior neurons in the retina innervate the anterior/posterior
superior colliculus/optic tectum while more posterior neurons in the
retina innervate the anterior/posterior superior colliculus/optic tectum.
Answer: anterior retina - posterior SC/tectum
posterior retina - anterior SC/tectum
, ⫸ Which end of the retina has the highest concentration of repulsive
cue receptors?
a) nasal/anterior
b) temporal/posterior
c) dorsal
d) ventral Answer: b) temporal/posterior
⫸ Which end of the superior colliculus/optic tectum has the highest
concentration of repulsive cues?
a) anterior
b) posterior
c) dorsal
d) ventral Answer: b) posterior
⫸ Which is true about Ephrin-Bs?
a) they organize dorsal-ventral patterning
b) they organize anterior-posterior patterning
c) they can act as both signals and receptors
d) a and c
e) b and c Answer: d) a and c
⫸ Dorsal RGCs are attracted to the dorsal/ventral tectum while
ventral RGCs are attracted to dorsal/ventral tectum Answer: dorsal
RGCs - ventral tectum