BRAIN STORY PRACTICE PAPER 2026
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
◉ Early childhood, late childhood, adolescence, adulthood. Answer:
Order these stages of development from greatest plasticity to least
◉ 3. Answer: The age at which a human brain has the most
connections between neurons is:
◉ They influence which neural connections are strengthened and
which are pruned away. Answer: How do experiences shape the
developing brain?
◉ Sensory abilities, motor skills, emotional skills, executive function
skills. Answer: Different abilities, and their underlying neural
circuits, develop in a bottom-up sequence during sensitive periods.
Put the following abilities in the correct sequence of development.
◉ At any stage of development. Answer: At what stage of
development do negative experiences influence the architecture of
the developing brain?
◉ The interaction between genes and environmental influences.
Answer: Most traits and diseases in humans are derived from:
,◉ An environmental factor modifies the area surrounding a gene
such that its expression decreases. Answer: Which of the following is
an example of an epigenetic effect?
◉ The glucocorticoid receptor gene. Answer: Which gene has been
shown to be epigenetically modified by the quality of maternal care
in rat offspring?
◉ The stress response increases. Answer: What happens to the
stress response system when the glucocorticoid receptor gene is
epigenetically modified such that it is less active and produces fewer
receptors?
◉ Childhood maltreatment. Answer: What pre-exisiting condition(s)
are associated with epigenetic modification of the glucocorticoid
receptor gene in victims of suicide?
◉ Manual dexterity. Answer: Which of the following outcomes is
NOT related to the quality of parental care a child receives?
◉ Cortisol and adrenalin. Answer: Which two hormones are
involved in initiating our response to stress?
, ◉ Tolerable stress is buffered by supportive adult relationships but
toxic stress is not. Answer: Which of the following answers best
describes the difference between tolerable and toxic stress in a
child?
◉ Silencing of the glucocorticoid receptor gene and glucocorticoid
resistance. Answer: Allostatic changes due to activation of the stress
response can produce allostatic load on the body and brain. Which
of the following pairs does NOT correctly identify an allostatic
change and its corresponding allostatic load?
◉ All of the above. Answer: Early life stress is associated with what
physiological change in adulthood?
◉ Pre-frontal cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus,
pituitary gland. Answer: Which of these answers below correctly
identifies the brain structures involved in mediating our responses
to stress?
◉ Neglect. Answer: Which is the most common source of childhood
toxic stress in western countries?
◉ Shuts down cortisol release. Answer: Which of the following is a
function of cortisol's activity during stress?
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
◉ Early childhood, late childhood, adolescence, adulthood. Answer:
Order these stages of development from greatest plasticity to least
◉ 3. Answer: The age at which a human brain has the most
connections between neurons is:
◉ They influence which neural connections are strengthened and
which are pruned away. Answer: How do experiences shape the
developing brain?
◉ Sensory abilities, motor skills, emotional skills, executive function
skills. Answer: Different abilities, and their underlying neural
circuits, develop in a bottom-up sequence during sensitive periods.
Put the following abilities in the correct sequence of development.
◉ At any stage of development. Answer: At what stage of
development do negative experiences influence the architecture of
the developing brain?
◉ The interaction between genes and environmental influences.
Answer: Most traits and diseases in humans are derived from:
,◉ An environmental factor modifies the area surrounding a gene
such that its expression decreases. Answer: Which of the following is
an example of an epigenetic effect?
◉ The glucocorticoid receptor gene. Answer: Which gene has been
shown to be epigenetically modified by the quality of maternal care
in rat offspring?
◉ The stress response increases. Answer: What happens to the
stress response system when the glucocorticoid receptor gene is
epigenetically modified such that it is less active and produces fewer
receptors?
◉ Childhood maltreatment. Answer: What pre-exisiting condition(s)
are associated with epigenetic modification of the glucocorticoid
receptor gene in victims of suicide?
◉ Manual dexterity. Answer: Which of the following outcomes is
NOT related to the quality of parental care a child receives?
◉ Cortisol and adrenalin. Answer: Which two hormones are
involved in initiating our response to stress?
, ◉ Tolerable stress is buffered by supportive adult relationships but
toxic stress is not. Answer: Which of the following answers best
describes the difference between tolerable and toxic stress in a
child?
◉ Silencing of the glucocorticoid receptor gene and glucocorticoid
resistance. Answer: Allostatic changes due to activation of the stress
response can produce allostatic load on the body and brain. Which
of the following pairs does NOT correctly identify an allostatic
change and its corresponding allostatic load?
◉ All of the above. Answer: Early life stress is associated with what
physiological change in adulthood?
◉ Pre-frontal cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus,
pituitary gland. Answer: Which of these answers below correctly
identifies the brain structures involved in mediating our responses
to stress?
◉ Neglect. Answer: Which is the most common source of childhood
toxic stress in western countries?
◉ Shuts down cortisol release. Answer: Which of the following is a
function of cortisol's activity during stress?
