Chapter 1
Multiple Choice/True False
1. True or false: The most important contribution of Franz Josef Gall’s theory of
Phrenology was that it pioneered the use of the scientific method in the study of the
brain.
[false]
2. True or false: Topographic representation is evidence in favor of the principle of
localization of function.
[true]
3. Which of the following findings from the work of Flourens was interpreted as
evidence for equipotentiality of brain function:
a. Damage to many different brain areas seemed to produce impairment of
judging, remembering, and perceiving. [True]
b. Different mental traits, such as cautiousness and benevolence, were supported
by discrete brain areas.
c. The motor cortex has a topographical representation, such that the areas of the
brain that represent the fingers, then the palm, then the wrist, then the elbow
are adjacent to one another.
d. Damage to occipital cortex produces more profound and enduring impairment
of visual perception than does damage to parietal cortex.
4. Fritsch and Hitzig (1870) demonstrated that electrical stimulation of the frontal
lobe produces movements of the body, but that electrical stimulation of the
parietal lobe does not. This is a demonstration of
a. Anatomical specificity [true]
b. Mass action
c. Equipotentiality
d. Contruct validity
Short Answer / Fill-in-the-blank
1. With regard to neuroanatomy, _____ refers to the front of the brain of a standing
human, and _____ to the portions near or along the midline.
a. Frontal, medial
2. Paul Broca discovered that damage to what part of the brain impairs speech?
, a. Left inferior frontal
3. Lesions of the occipital impair which sensory function in primates?
a. Vision
4. Nineteenth-century studies of what three functions provided important evidence for
the principle of localization of function in the brain?
a. Motor control (Fritsch and Hitzig), vision (Munk and Ferrier), speech
(Broca)
Essay / Longer Answer
1. Describe phrenology. What principle(s) from phrenology still have some validity
today? What aspects of phrenology are no longer considered to be scientifically
valid?
2. Contrast localization-of-function with mass-action theories of brain function.
3. What does the term Jacksonian march refer to, and what property of the brain was
inferred from it?
4. What is construct validity?
5. What does it mean for a property of cognition to be “emergent”?
6. What is the distinction between neuropsychology and systems neuroscience?
Multiple Choice
1. True or false: Binding of the neurotransmitter GABA with postsynaptic receptors
would make the postsynaptic neuron more likely to depolarize.
A True
B False [correct]
2. True or false: The cell bodies of all neurons in the brain are located in the cerebral
cortex.
A True
B False [correct]
3. A neuron that is in which state is less likely to fire an action potential?
A Depolarized
, B Hyperpolarized [correct]
4. The disequilibria that neurons seek to maintain are characterized by:
A A negative electrical potential and a higher concentration of Na + ions inside
the cell [True]
B A negative electrical potential and a higher concentration of K+ ions inside
the cell
C A positive electrical potential and a higher concentration of Na + ions inside
the cell
D A positive electrical potential and a higher concentration of K+ ions inside
the cell
5. Oscillations in the local field potential (LFP) are most likely due to:
A The summation of fluctuating membrane potential in the dendritic arbors of
many neurons [True]
B The fluctuation of the membrane potential of the synapse nearest to the
recording electrode
C The summation of action potentials being fired by many neurons
D The action potentials being fired by the neuron nearest to the recording
electrode
Short Answer / Fill-in-the-blank
1. What are the four parts of the central nervous system?
a. Cerebrum, spinal cord, brainstem, cerebellum
2. What are the five lobes of the cerebrum?
a. Frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal, limbic
3. What makes grey matter grey and white matter white?
a. Grey: unmyelinated cell bodies; white: myelinated axons
4. The bumps in the brain are known as _____ and the grooves as _____.
a. Gyri; sulci
5. What disease is associated with demyelination?
a. Multiple sclerosis
6. Reuptake of neurotransmitters occurs on which side of the synaptic cleft?
a. Presynaptic
7. Which part of the neuron is responsible for sending signals to other neurons? Which
part for receiving signals?
a. Axon; dendrites
, 8. The hollow chambers of the brain are known as _____ and are filled with _____.
a. Ventricles; cerebrospinal fluid
9. _____ is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain and _____ the primary
inhibitory neurotransmitter
a. Glutamate; GABA
10. What is the name of the major white-matter bundle that connects the two cerebral
hemispheres?
a. Corpus callosum
Essay / Longer Answer
1. What is myelin? Why is it important to neuronal communication?
2. Describe the sequence of events that lead up to and follow a neuron firing an action
potential.
3. What is a local field potential? Name two ways in which it can be measured.
4. Describe how phase synchrony impacts the effectiveness of neuronal
communication.
Multiple Choice
1. True or false: Electroencephalography (EEG) offers superior temporal resolution
relative to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
A True [correct]
B False
2. Let’s say that a cognitive neuroscientist has “discovered” that repetitive transcranial
magnetic stimulation (rTMS) targeting the posterior region of the left inferior
frontal gyrus produces a deficit in speech production. Which of the following
additional experiments would NOT help to assess the specificity of this finding?
A Apply rTMS to the right inferior frontal gyrus while subjects perform a
verbal working memory task [correct]
B Apply rTMS to the right inferior frontal gyrus while subjects perform the
same speech production task
Multiple Choice/True False
1. True or false: The most important contribution of Franz Josef Gall’s theory of
Phrenology was that it pioneered the use of the scientific method in the study of the
brain.
[false]
2. True or false: Topographic representation is evidence in favor of the principle of
localization of function.
[true]
3. Which of the following findings from the work of Flourens was interpreted as
evidence for equipotentiality of brain function:
a. Damage to many different brain areas seemed to produce impairment of
judging, remembering, and perceiving. [True]
b. Different mental traits, such as cautiousness and benevolence, were supported
by discrete brain areas.
c. The motor cortex has a topographical representation, such that the areas of the
brain that represent the fingers, then the palm, then the wrist, then the elbow
are adjacent to one another.
d. Damage to occipital cortex produces more profound and enduring impairment
of visual perception than does damage to parietal cortex.
4. Fritsch and Hitzig (1870) demonstrated that electrical stimulation of the frontal
lobe produces movements of the body, but that electrical stimulation of the
parietal lobe does not. This is a demonstration of
a. Anatomical specificity [true]
b. Mass action
c. Equipotentiality
d. Contruct validity
Short Answer / Fill-in-the-blank
1. With regard to neuroanatomy, _____ refers to the front of the brain of a standing
human, and _____ to the portions near or along the midline.
a. Frontal, medial
2. Paul Broca discovered that damage to what part of the brain impairs speech?
, a. Left inferior frontal
3. Lesions of the occipital impair which sensory function in primates?
a. Vision
4. Nineteenth-century studies of what three functions provided important evidence for
the principle of localization of function in the brain?
a. Motor control (Fritsch and Hitzig), vision (Munk and Ferrier), speech
(Broca)
Essay / Longer Answer
1. Describe phrenology. What principle(s) from phrenology still have some validity
today? What aspects of phrenology are no longer considered to be scientifically
valid?
2. Contrast localization-of-function with mass-action theories of brain function.
3. What does the term Jacksonian march refer to, and what property of the brain was
inferred from it?
4. What is construct validity?
5. What does it mean for a property of cognition to be “emergent”?
6. What is the distinction between neuropsychology and systems neuroscience?
Multiple Choice
1. True or false: Binding of the neurotransmitter GABA with postsynaptic receptors
would make the postsynaptic neuron more likely to depolarize.
A True
B False [correct]
2. True or false: The cell bodies of all neurons in the brain are located in the cerebral
cortex.
A True
B False [correct]
3. A neuron that is in which state is less likely to fire an action potential?
A Depolarized
, B Hyperpolarized [correct]
4. The disequilibria that neurons seek to maintain are characterized by:
A A negative electrical potential and a higher concentration of Na + ions inside
the cell [True]
B A negative electrical potential and a higher concentration of K+ ions inside
the cell
C A positive electrical potential and a higher concentration of Na + ions inside
the cell
D A positive electrical potential and a higher concentration of K+ ions inside
the cell
5. Oscillations in the local field potential (LFP) are most likely due to:
A The summation of fluctuating membrane potential in the dendritic arbors of
many neurons [True]
B The fluctuation of the membrane potential of the synapse nearest to the
recording electrode
C The summation of action potentials being fired by many neurons
D The action potentials being fired by the neuron nearest to the recording
electrode
Short Answer / Fill-in-the-blank
1. What are the four parts of the central nervous system?
a. Cerebrum, spinal cord, brainstem, cerebellum
2. What are the five lobes of the cerebrum?
a. Frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal, limbic
3. What makes grey matter grey and white matter white?
a. Grey: unmyelinated cell bodies; white: myelinated axons
4. The bumps in the brain are known as _____ and the grooves as _____.
a. Gyri; sulci
5. What disease is associated with demyelination?
a. Multiple sclerosis
6. Reuptake of neurotransmitters occurs on which side of the synaptic cleft?
a. Presynaptic
7. Which part of the neuron is responsible for sending signals to other neurons? Which
part for receiving signals?
a. Axon; dendrites
, 8. The hollow chambers of the brain are known as _____ and are filled with _____.
a. Ventricles; cerebrospinal fluid
9. _____ is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain and _____ the primary
inhibitory neurotransmitter
a. Glutamate; GABA
10. What is the name of the major white-matter bundle that connects the two cerebral
hemispheres?
a. Corpus callosum
Essay / Longer Answer
1. What is myelin? Why is it important to neuronal communication?
2. Describe the sequence of events that lead up to and follow a neuron firing an action
potential.
3. What is a local field potential? Name two ways in which it can be measured.
4. Describe how phase synchrony impacts the effectiveness of neuronal
communication.
Multiple Choice
1. True or false: Electroencephalography (EEG) offers superior temporal resolution
relative to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
A True [correct]
B False
2. Let’s say that a cognitive neuroscientist has “discovered” that repetitive transcranial
magnetic stimulation (rTMS) targeting the posterior region of the left inferior
frontal gyrus produces a deficit in speech production. Which of the following
additional experiments would NOT help to assess the specificity of this finding?
A Apply rTMS to the right inferior frontal gyrus while subjects perform a
verbal working memory task [correct]
B Apply rTMS to the right inferior frontal gyrus while subjects perform the
same speech production task
