Neuroscience Exam Study Guide
– Practice Questions with
Verified Answers. GRADED A+.
Latest 2026/2027 Update
why has neuroscience been such a technology driven field? - - Answer✔✔ -
advances on neuroscience depend on the ability of technology to see/measure
what's happening in the nervous system
Who was Paul Broca and what did he do? - - Answer✔✔ - -He was a French
neurologist (1824-1880) that mapped a part of the brain named "Broca's Area"
- connected location to specific function
Who was Karl Wernicke and what did he do? - - Answer✔✔ - -German
neurologist that identified "Wernicke's area"
- connected location to a specific function
,who was Wilder Penfield? - - Answer✔✔ - -At one time, "the greatest living
Canadian" (1950s)
- neurosurgeon
- connect specific locations to function
What was John Hughlings Jackson's contribution? - - Answer✔✔ - -identified that
multiple brain areas are essential for complex function (not just one area)
- perception, action, language, etc.
Who was Santiago Ramon y Cajal, and what did he do? - - Answer✔✔ - -
Spanish neurologist (1852-1934)
- used Golgi stain to show that brain is composed of individual neurons, not
a continuous network
Who was Charles Sherrington, and what did he do? - - Answer✔✔ - -English
physiologist
- Nerve cells are linked by synapses
What were advances in technology in the 1950s used to study neuroscience?
- - Answer✔✔ - -electron microscope
- examine components of individual cells, like synapses microelectrodes
,- examine electrical activity of individual neurons
why were lobster & squid first used in experiments looking at neurons? -
- Answer✔✔ - -they don't have myelin, so they have very large axons which
are easier to study
What is computerized axial tomography (CAT)? - - Answer✔✔ - -x-ray of brain
that makes image based on density of tissue
- denser (bone) are white
- less dense (fluid) are black
- high protein (brain) light gray
when are situations when you would use a CAT scan? what are the risks? -
- Answer✔✔ - -1st choice in emergencies!
- faster, cheaper, available
- detect fractures and acute intracranial hemorrhage
risk
- radiation exposure
what is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and how does it work? - correct
aNswer-uses radio waves to see effect of magnetic field
, - basically, looking at water molecules
- produces 3-D image of brain
pros & cons of MRI - - Answer✔✔ - -pros
- much clearer image, better to get an idea of what's going on in some cases
cons
- more expensive, takes longer
- not as good for fx or acute hemorrhage
- contraindicated if pt has any metal in body
T1 vs T2 MRI - - Answer✔✔ - -T1: fat (bone marrow) is brighter T2:
fluid is brighter, fat is suppressed (better for joints)
Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR) MRI - - Answer✔✔ - -T2 image with
some signals from CSF & vitreous fluid suppressed
2 types of diffusion imaging MRIs - - Answer✔✔ - -Diffusion-weighted
imaging diffusion-tensor imaging
diffusion weighted imaging detects: - - Answer✔✔ - -cell swelling
– Practice Questions with
Verified Answers. GRADED A+.
Latest 2026/2027 Update
why has neuroscience been such a technology driven field? - - Answer✔✔ -
advances on neuroscience depend on the ability of technology to see/measure
what's happening in the nervous system
Who was Paul Broca and what did he do? - - Answer✔✔ - -He was a French
neurologist (1824-1880) that mapped a part of the brain named "Broca's Area"
- connected location to specific function
Who was Karl Wernicke and what did he do? - - Answer✔✔ - -German
neurologist that identified "Wernicke's area"
- connected location to a specific function
,who was Wilder Penfield? - - Answer✔✔ - -At one time, "the greatest living
Canadian" (1950s)
- neurosurgeon
- connect specific locations to function
What was John Hughlings Jackson's contribution? - - Answer✔✔ - -identified that
multiple brain areas are essential for complex function (not just one area)
- perception, action, language, etc.
Who was Santiago Ramon y Cajal, and what did he do? - - Answer✔✔ - -
Spanish neurologist (1852-1934)
- used Golgi stain to show that brain is composed of individual neurons, not
a continuous network
Who was Charles Sherrington, and what did he do? - - Answer✔✔ - -English
physiologist
- Nerve cells are linked by synapses
What were advances in technology in the 1950s used to study neuroscience?
- - Answer✔✔ - -electron microscope
- examine components of individual cells, like synapses microelectrodes
,- examine electrical activity of individual neurons
why were lobster & squid first used in experiments looking at neurons? -
- Answer✔✔ - -they don't have myelin, so they have very large axons which
are easier to study
What is computerized axial tomography (CAT)? - - Answer✔✔ - -x-ray of brain
that makes image based on density of tissue
- denser (bone) are white
- less dense (fluid) are black
- high protein (brain) light gray
when are situations when you would use a CAT scan? what are the risks? -
- Answer✔✔ - -1st choice in emergencies!
- faster, cheaper, available
- detect fractures and acute intracranial hemorrhage
risk
- radiation exposure
what is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and how does it work? - correct
aNswer-uses radio waves to see effect of magnetic field
, - basically, looking at water molecules
- produces 3-D image of brain
pros & cons of MRI - - Answer✔✔ - -pros
- much clearer image, better to get an idea of what's going on in some cases
cons
- more expensive, takes longer
- not as good for fx or acute hemorrhage
- contraindicated if pt has any metal in body
T1 vs T2 MRI - - Answer✔✔ - -T1: fat (bone marrow) is brighter T2:
fluid is brighter, fat is suppressed (better for joints)
Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR) MRI - - Answer✔✔ - -T2 image with
some signals from CSF & vitreous fluid suppressed
2 types of diffusion imaging MRIs - - Answer✔✔ - -Diffusion-weighted
imaging diffusion-tensor imaging
diffusion weighted imaging detects: - - Answer✔✔ - -cell swelling
