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NSC 4330 Exam 2 Terms (for final)
Questions and Correct Answers
experimental ablation Ans: the removal or destruction of a
portion of the brain of a laboratory animal; presumably, the
functions that can no longer be performed are the ones the region
previously controlled
lesion study Ans: a synonym for experimental ablation
excitotoxic lesion Ans: a brain lesion produced by intracerebral
injection of an excitatory amino acid, such as kainic acid
sham lesion Ans: a placebo procedure that duplicates all of the
step of producing a brain lesion except for the one that actually
causes the brain damage
stereotaxic surgery Ans: brain surgery using a stereotaxic
apparatus to position an electrode or cannula in a specified
position of the brain
stereotaxic atlas Ans: a collection of drawings of sections of the
brain of a particular animal with measurements that provide
coordinates for stereotaxic surgery
bregma Ans: the junction of the sagittal and coronal sutures of the
skull; often used as a reference point for stereotaxic brain surgery
stereotaxic apparatus Ans: a device that permits a surgeon to
position an electrode or cannula into a specific part of the brain
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 2 | Page
deep brain stimulation Ans: a technique using stereotaxic surgery
to implant a permanent electrode in the brain; used to treat
chronic pain, movement disorders, epilepsy, depression, and
obsessive-compulsive disorder
fixative Ans: a chemical such as formalin; used to prepare and
preserve body tissue
formalin Ans: the aqueous solution of formaldehyde gas; the most
commonly used tissue fixative
microtome Ans: an instrument that produces very thin slices of
body tissues
cyrostat Ans: an instrument that produces very thin slices of body
tissue inside a freezer chamber
immunocytochemical method Ans: a histological method that uses
radioactive antibodies or antibodies bound with a dye molecule to
indicate the presence of particular proteins of peptides
transmission electron microscope Ans: a microscope that passes a
focused beam of electrons through thin slices of tissue to reveal
extremely small details
scanning electron microscope Ans: a microscope that provides
three-dimensional information about the shape of the surface of a
small object by scanning the object with a thin beam of electrons
confocal laser scanning microscope Ans: a microscope that
provides high-resolution images of various depths of thick tissue
that contains fluorescent molecules by scanning the tissue with
light from a laser beam
© 2025 All rights reserved
NSC 4330 Exam 2 Terms (for final)
Questions and Correct Answers
experimental ablation Ans: the removal or destruction of a
portion of the brain of a laboratory animal; presumably, the
functions that can no longer be performed are the ones the region
previously controlled
lesion study Ans: a synonym for experimental ablation
excitotoxic lesion Ans: a brain lesion produced by intracerebral
injection of an excitatory amino acid, such as kainic acid
sham lesion Ans: a placebo procedure that duplicates all of the
step of producing a brain lesion except for the one that actually
causes the brain damage
stereotaxic surgery Ans: brain surgery using a stereotaxic
apparatus to position an electrode or cannula in a specified
position of the brain
stereotaxic atlas Ans: a collection of drawings of sections of the
brain of a particular animal with measurements that provide
coordinates for stereotaxic surgery
bregma Ans: the junction of the sagittal and coronal sutures of the
skull; often used as a reference point for stereotaxic brain surgery
stereotaxic apparatus Ans: a device that permits a surgeon to
position an electrode or cannula into a specific part of the brain
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 2 | Page
deep brain stimulation Ans: a technique using stereotaxic surgery
to implant a permanent electrode in the brain; used to treat
chronic pain, movement disorders, epilepsy, depression, and
obsessive-compulsive disorder
fixative Ans: a chemical such as formalin; used to prepare and
preserve body tissue
formalin Ans: the aqueous solution of formaldehyde gas; the most
commonly used tissue fixative
microtome Ans: an instrument that produces very thin slices of
body tissues
cyrostat Ans: an instrument that produces very thin slices of body
tissue inside a freezer chamber
immunocytochemical method Ans: a histological method that uses
radioactive antibodies or antibodies bound with a dye molecule to
indicate the presence of particular proteins of peptides
transmission electron microscope Ans: a microscope that passes a
focused beam of electrons through thin slices of tissue to reveal
extremely small details
scanning electron microscope Ans: a microscope that provides
three-dimensional information about the shape of the surface of a
small object by scanning the object with a thin beam of electrons
confocal laser scanning microscope Ans: a microscope that
provides high-resolution images of various depths of thick tissue
that contains fluorescent molecules by scanning the tissue with
light from a laser beam
© 2025 All rights reserved
