CBNS Practice Problems Exam UPDATED
ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
What best defines a neuron's receptive field?
A) The stimulus that causes the strongest firing
B) The region where a stimulus changes the neuron's activity
C) The physical location of the neuron in teh brain
D) The size of the neuron's dendritic tree - CORRECT ANSWER B) The region where
a stimulus changes the neuron's activity
Which retinal cell type is directly affected by light?
A) Bipolar cells
B) Retinal ganglion cells
C) Photoreceptor cells
D) Amacrine cells - CORRECT ANSWER C) Photoreceptor cells
In the dark, photoreceptor cells are
A) Hyperpolarized and silent
B) Depolarized and releasing glutamate
C) Firing action potentials rapidly
D) Completely inactive - CORRECT ANSWER B) Depolarized and releasing
glutamate
Increasing light intensity causes photoreceptors to
A) Depolarize more
B) Release more glutamate
C) Fire more action potentials
D) Hyperpolarize more - CORRECT ANSWER D) Hyperpolarize more
,Which retinal cell type sends visual information to the brain?
A) Retinal ganglion cells
B) Amacrine cells
C) Bipolar cells
D) Horizontal cells - CORRECT ANSWER A) Retinal ganglion cells
ON-center retinal ganglion cells respond best to
A) Uniform illumination of center and surround
B) Darkness in the receptive field center
C) Light in the receptive field center
D) Light in the receptive field surround - CORRECT ANSWER C) Light in the
receptive field center
ON and OFF responses originate primarily because bipolar cells
A) Use different glutamate receptors
B) Release different neurotransmitters
C) Are activated by different photoreceptors
D) Fire action potentials - CORRECT ANSWER A) Use different glutamate receptors
Why does the fovea provide the highest visual acuity?
A) It contains only rods
B) It has large receptive fields
C) It has minimal convergence
D) It lacks bipolar cells - CORRECT ANSWER C) It has minimal convergence
Population coding refers to:
A) One neuron encoding one stimulus
B) Random firing across neurons
, C) Neural activity only in the cortex
D) Groups of neurons encoding information together - CORRECT ANSWER D)
Groups of neurons encoding information together
Spike synchrony codes information primarily through
A) Average firing rate
B) Precise timing of spikes
C) Spatial location of neurons
D) Neurotransmitter type - CORRECT ANSWER B) Precise timing of spikes
True or False: Receptive fields of retinal ganglion cells are larger in the periphery than in the
fovea.
A) True
B) False - CORRECT ANSWER A) True
True or False: Photoreceptors respond to light by depolarizing
A) True
B) False - CORRECT ANSWER B) False
True or False: Retinal ganglion cells encode visual information using action potentials
A) True
B) False - CORRECT ANSWER A) True
True or False: On-center and off-center help detect contrast rather than absolute brightness
A) True
B) False - CORRECT ANSWER A) True
True or False: Cones are more sensitive to light than rods
A) True
ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
What best defines a neuron's receptive field?
A) The stimulus that causes the strongest firing
B) The region where a stimulus changes the neuron's activity
C) The physical location of the neuron in teh brain
D) The size of the neuron's dendritic tree - CORRECT ANSWER B) The region where
a stimulus changes the neuron's activity
Which retinal cell type is directly affected by light?
A) Bipolar cells
B) Retinal ganglion cells
C) Photoreceptor cells
D) Amacrine cells - CORRECT ANSWER C) Photoreceptor cells
In the dark, photoreceptor cells are
A) Hyperpolarized and silent
B) Depolarized and releasing glutamate
C) Firing action potentials rapidly
D) Completely inactive - CORRECT ANSWER B) Depolarized and releasing
glutamate
Increasing light intensity causes photoreceptors to
A) Depolarize more
B) Release more glutamate
C) Fire more action potentials
D) Hyperpolarize more - CORRECT ANSWER D) Hyperpolarize more
,Which retinal cell type sends visual information to the brain?
A) Retinal ganglion cells
B) Amacrine cells
C) Bipolar cells
D) Horizontal cells - CORRECT ANSWER A) Retinal ganglion cells
ON-center retinal ganglion cells respond best to
A) Uniform illumination of center and surround
B) Darkness in the receptive field center
C) Light in the receptive field center
D) Light in the receptive field surround - CORRECT ANSWER C) Light in the
receptive field center
ON and OFF responses originate primarily because bipolar cells
A) Use different glutamate receptors
B) Release different neurotransmitters
C) Are activated by different photoreceptors
D) Fire action potentials - CORRECT ANSWER A) Use different glutamate receptors
Why does the fovea provide the highest visual acuity?
A) It contains only rods
B) It has large receptive fields
C) It has minimal convergence
D) It lacks bipolar cells - CORRECT ANSWER C) It has minimal convergence
Population coding refers to:
A) One neuron encoding one stimulus
B) Random firing across neurons
, C) Neural activity only in the cortex
D) Groups of neurons encoding information together - CORRECT ANSWER D)
Groups of neurons encoding information together
Spike synchrony codes information primarily through
A) Average firing rate
B) Precise timing of spikes
C) Spatial location of neurons
D) Neurotransmitter type - CORRECT ANSWER B) Precise timing of spikes
True or False: Receptive fields of retinal ganglion cells are larger in the periphery than in the
fovea.
A) True
B) False - CORRECT ANSWER A) True
True or False: Photoreceptors respond to light by depolarizing
A) True
B) False - CORRECT ANSWER B) False
True or False: Retinal ganglion cells encode visual information using action potentials
A) True
B) False - CORRECT ANSWER A) True
True or False: On-center and off-center help detect contrast rather than absolute brightness
A) True
B) False - CORRECT ANSWER A) True
True or False: Cones are more sensitive to light than rods
A) True
