PSY 357 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS NEURAL PATHWAYS, SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY, BRAIN LESIONS, COGNITIVE DISORDERS, ERPS, AND NEUROTRANSMITTER SYSTEMS – WITH CORRECT ANSWERS AND IN-DEPTH EXPLANATIONS

PSY 357 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS NEURAL PATHWAYS, SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY, BRAIN LESIONS, COGNITIVE DISORDERS, ERPS, AND NEUROTRANSMITTER SYSTEMS – WITH CORRECT ANSWERS AND IN-DEPTH EXPLANATIONS 1. Which brain structure is most critical for forming new explicit long-term memories? A) Basal ganglia B) Cerebellum C) Hippocampus D) Amygdala Explanation: The hippocampus consolidates short-term explicit (declarative) memories into long-term storage. Basal ganglia support procedural memory; cerebellum supports motor learning; amygdala enhances emotional memory consolidation but is not primary for new explicit memories. ________________________________________ 2. Damage to Broca’s area primarily impairs which function? A) Understanding spoken language B) Speech production C) Recognizing faces D) Reading comprehension Explanation: Broca’s area (left frontal lobe) is responsible for speech production; lesions cause non-fluent aphasia with intact comprehension. Wernicke’s area damage impairs language comprehension. ________________________________________ 3. Which neurotransmitter is most directly involved in the reward pathway and is targeted by addictive drugs? A) Serotonin B) GABA C) Dopamine D) Acetylcholine Explanation: Mesolimbic dopamine pathway (VTA → nucleus accumbens) mediates reward; drugs like cocaine and amphetamines increase dopamine activity. Serotonin affects mood; GABA is inhibitory; ACh involved in attention/muscle control. ________________________________________ 4. A patient shows severe apraxia and difficulty imitating gestures but has normal strength. Most likely lesion location? A) Primary motor cortex B) Premotor cortex C) Left inferior parietal lobule D) Spinal cord Explanation: Left inferior parietal lobule (particularly supramarginal gyrus) houses visuomotor integration for learned gestures; damage causes ideomotor apraxia. Primary motor lesions cause weakness; premotor lesions cause more complex movement sequencing deficits but apraxia often involves parietal areas. ________________________________________ 5. The “dual-stream” hypothesis of visual processing proposes that the dorsal stream computes: A) Object recognition B) Color perception C) Spatial location and action guidance D) Face perception Explanation: Dorsal (“where/how”) stream (occipital→parietal) processes spatial location and guides actions. Ventral (“what”) stream (occipital→temporal) handles object/face recognition and color. ________________________________________ 6. Long-term potentiation (LTP) at hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses depends primarily on which receptor? A) GABA-A B) AMPA receptor only C) NMDA receptor D) Dopamine D1 *Explanation: NMDA receptors are calcium-permeable and require both glutamate binding and depolarization (to expel Mg2+). This coincidence detection triggers Ca2+ influx, initiating LTP. AMPA receptors mediate baseline transmission.* ________________________________________ 7. Which effect is most consistent with norepinephrine’s role in the brain? A) Sleep initiation B) Arousal and vigilance C) Pain inhibition only D) Motor coordination Explanation: Locus coeruleus norepinephrine release enhances wakefulness, attention, and arousal. Acetylcholine also in arousal; GABA promotes sleep; motor coordination involves cerebellum/basal ganglia. ________________________________________ 8. A split-brain patient sees a word “KEY” in the left visual field. Which response is possible? A) Verbally say “key” B) Write “key” with left hand C) Point to a key with left hand D) Point to a key with right hand Explanation: Left visual field projects to right hemisphere (no speech). Right hemisphere can guide left hand motor responses to match object, but cannot verbalize. Left hand is controlled by right hemisphere. ________________________________________ 9. Which task is most sensitive to frontal lobe dysfunction? A) Tone discrimination B) Wisconsin Card Sorting Task C) Finger tapping speed D) Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure copy Explanation: Wisconsin Card Sorting Task measures set-shifting and cognitive flexibility—dependent on dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Tone discrimination is temporal; finger tapping speed is motor; complex figure copy