NEUROSCIENCE ASSESSMENT -
QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE
ANSWERS
Detection of sweet, umami, and bitter tastes uses a transduction mechanism
involving, as the initial step
A. Ionotropic opening of sodium channels
B. pH-sensitive cation channels
C. Metabotropic receptors
D. Release of glutamate - Answer-C. Metabotropic receptors
Flavor is perceived after
A. Convergence in the orbital cortex of information from multiple sources
B. Convergence of gustatory and olfactory information in the amygdala
C. Convergence of information from multiple sources in the superior colliculus
D. Convergence of gustatory information in the gustatory cortex - Answer-A.
Convergence in the orbital cortex of information from multiple sources
Which of the following receptors is especially important in the visually impaired
patient when reading Braille?
A. Merckel cell complex
B. Meissner corpuscle
C. Naked nerve ending
D. Paciniqn corpuscle
E. Ruffini ending - Answer-A. Merckel cell complex
The receptive fields on the fingertips and around the oral cavity, especially on the
lips, are small. Which of the following is characteristic of these receptive fields?
A. A high receptor density and corresponding small area of representation in the
somatosensory cortex
B. A high receptor density and corresponding small area of representation in the
posterior postcentral cortex
C. A high receptor density and corresponding large area of representation in the
somatosensory cortex
D. A low receptor density and corresponding small area of representation in the
somatosensory cortex
E. A low receptor density and corresponding large area of representation in the
somatosensory cortex - Answer-C. A high receptor density and corresponding large
area of representation in the somatosensory cortex
Which of the following is both rapidly adapting and slowly adapting?
A. Free (naked) nerve ending
,B. Hair follicle receptor
C. Meissner corpuscle
D. Merckel cell receptor
E. Pacinian corpuscle - Answer-B. Hair follicle receptor
A 40-year-old patient has developed new migraines over the course of the previous
5 years. In the last 2 months, he has noticed significant difficulty with his hearing and
has had confirmed bilateral auditory dysfunction. Today, he presents with right face
and arm weakness and is found to have a stroke in his left parietal lobe. On history,
he reports stroke younger than age 50 years in 3 other family members, two of which
also had hearing loss. This patient likely has a genetic abnormality affecting which of
the following?
A. Mitochondria
B. Vascular smooth muscle
C. Coagulation cascade
D. Microtubulues
E. Golgi apparatus - Answer-A. Mitochondria
A 70-year-old woman with a recent upper respiratory infection and sinusitis presents
with headache, right eye proptosis, diplopia on right lateral gaze, diminished right
facial sensation to pinprick, and right eye ptosis and miosis. Where is the most likely
lesion?
A. Pons
B. Medulla
C. Midbrain
D. Cavernous sinus
E. Hypothalamus - Answer-D. Cavernous sinus
An 8-year-old boy presents to clinic after having several months of fatigue and cold
intolerance. He is found to have a TSH level of 10 mIU/mL (normal is 1), and is
diagnosed with hypothyroidism. An MRI shows a moss in the suprasellar region that
is likely a craniopharyngioma. Visual field examination reveals a bitemporal
hemianopia. Where along the visual pathway is the most likely location for
compression by the mass?
A. Both optic nerves
B. Thalamus
C. Midbrain
D. Hypothalamus
E. Optic chiasm - Answer-E. Optic chiasm
Within skeletal muscle, the contractile machinery is stimulated by
A. An increase in extracellular Ca++
B. An increase in sodium conductance
C. An increase in potassium conductance
D. A decrease in potassium conductance
E. An increase in intracellular cAMP
,F. An increase in intracellular Ca++
G. An increase in extracellular K+ - Answer-F. An increase in intracellular Ca++
Choose the correct sequence of events
A. ACh release. Increased intracellular Ca++, binding to nicotinic receptor, LMN
action potential, muscle fiber action potential, muscle twitch
B. LMN action potential, ACh release, binding to nicotinic receptor, Increased
intracellular Ca++, Muscle fiber action potential, muscle twitch
C. LMN action potential, ACh release, binding to nicotinic receptor, Muscle fiber
action potential, Increased intracellular Ca++, muscle twitch
D. ACh release, binding to nicotinic receptor, LMN action potential, Increased
intracellular Ca++, Muscle fiber action potential, muscle twitch
E. Increased intracellular Ca++, LMN action potential, ACh release, binding to
nicotinic receptor,, Muscle fiber action potential, muscle twitch - Answer-C. LMN
action potential, ACh release, binding to nicotinic receptor, Muscle fiber action
potential, Increased intracellular
The level of contraction of a muscle fiber is determined by
A. The sum total of all the excitatory and inhibitory input to its lower motor neuron
B. Corticospinal excitation
C. Summation of excitatory influences on the LMN
D. Basal Ganglia modification of corticospinal projections
E. Summation of excitatory and inhibitory input to the muscle fiber - Answer-A. The
sum total of all the excitatory and inhibitory input to its lower motor neuron
Permanent hearing loss or loss of vestibular function can be caused by which of the
following
A. Moderate alcohol consumption
B. Severe upper respiratory infection
C. Aminoglycoside or sulfur antibiotics
D. Lesions of the caudal portion of the nucleus of the solitary tract
E. Curare, an antagonist of ACh action on nicoticic receptor - Answer-C.
Aminoglycoside or sulfur antibiotics
The cornea is an extension of
A. The dura mater
B. The arachnoid
C. The pia mater
D. The optic nerve
E. Neural crest - Answer-A. The dura mater
The only neurons that are in direct contact with the external environment are
A. Touch receptors in the skin
B. Photoreceptors
C. Vestibular hair cells
, D. Olfactory receptors
E. Taste cells - Answer-D. Olfactory receptors
One of the few neuronal cell types that appear long after birth are the
A. Olfactory receptors
B. Photoreceptors
C. Taste cells
D. Peripheral nerves
E. Vestibular hair cells - Answer-A. Olfactory receptors
The largest known family of G-Protein-Coupled-Receptors are those involved in
A. Taste
B. Smell
C. Vision
D. Audition - Answer-A. Taste
Inhibition of phosphodiesterase will interfere with transduction in which systems?
A. Vestibular and Visual
B. Auditory and Visual
C. Visual and Gustatory
D. Olfactory and Auditory - Answer-B. Auditory and Visual
Primary sensory neurons from which of the following systems has the smallest axon
(which is alos unmyelinated)?
A. Olfactory
B. Vestibular
C. Gustatory
D. Visual
E. Auditory - Answer-A. Olfactory
Horizontal cells contribute to horizontal integration in the retina. The analagous cell
contributing to horizontal integration in the olfactory bulb is the
A. Amacrine cell
B. Bipolar cell
C. Ganglion cell
D. Pyramidal cell
E. Periglomerular cell
F. Mitral cell - Answer-E. Periglomerular cell
The pupillary reflex is initiated in
A. Rod photoreceptors
B. Cone photoreceptors
C. Suprachiasmatic Nucleus
D. Photosensitive ganglion cells in peripheral retina
QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE
ANSWERS
Detection of sweet, umami, and bitter tastes uses a transduction mechanism
involving, as the initial step
A. Ionotropic opening of sodium channels
B. pH-sensitive cation channels
C. Metabotropic receptors
D. Release of glutamate - Answer-C. Metabotropic receptors
Flavor is perceived after
A. Convergence in the orbital cortex of information from multiple sources
B. Convergence of gustatory and olfactory information in the amygdala
C. Convergence of information from multiple sources in the superior colliculus
D. Convergence of gustatory information in the gustatory cortex - Answer-A.
Convergence in the orbital cortex of information from multiple sources
Which of the following receptors is especially important in the visually impaired
patient when reading Braille?
A. Merckel cell complex
B. Meissner corpuscle
C. Naked nerve ending
D. Paciniqn corpuscle
E. Ruffini ending - Answer-A. Merckel cell complex
The receptive fields on the fingertips and around the oral cavity, especially on the
lips, are small. Which of the following is characteristic of these receptive fields?
A. A high receptor density and corresponding small area of representation in the
somatosensory cortex
B. A high receptor density and corresponding small area of representation in the
posterior postcentral cortex
C. A high receptor density and corresponding large area of representation in the
somatosensory cortex
D. A low receptor density and corresponding small area of representation in the
somatosensory cortex
E. A low receptor density and corresponding large area of representation in the
somatosensory cortex - Answer-C. A high receptor density and corresponding large
area of representation in the somatosensory cortex
Which of the following is both rapidly adapting and slowly adapting?
A. Free (naked) nerve ending
,B. Hair follicle receptor
C. Meissner corpuscle
D. Merckel cell receptor
E. Pacinian corpuscle - Answer-B. Hair follicle receptor
A 40-year-old patient has developed new migraines over the course of the previous
5 years. In the last 2 months, he has noticed significant difficulty with his hearing and
has had confirmed bilateral auditory dysfunction. Today, he presents with right face
and arm weakness and is found to have a stroke in his left parietal lobe. On history,
he reports stroke younger than age 50 years in 3 other family members, two of which
also had hearing loss. This patient likely has a genetic abnormality affecting which of
the following?
A. Mitochondria
B. Vascular smooth muscle
C. Coagulation cascade
D. Microtubulues
E. Golgi apparatus - Answer-A. Mitochondria
A 70-year-old woman with a recent upper respiratory infection and sinusitis presents
with headache, right eye proptosis, diplopia on right lateral gaze, diminished right
facial sensation to pinprick, and right eye ptosis and miosis. Where is the most likely
lesion?
A. Pons
B. Medulla
C. Midbrain
D. Cavernous sinus
E. Hypothalamus - Answer-D. Cavernous sinus
An 8-year-old boy presents to clinic after having several months of fatigue and cold
intolerance. He is found to have a TSH level of 10 mIU/mL (normal is 1), and is
diagnosed with hypothyroidism. An MRI shows a moss in the suprasellar region that
is likely a craniopharyngioma. Visual field examination reveals a bitemporal
hemianopia. Where along the visual pathway is the most likely location for
compression by the mass?
A. Both optic nerves
B. Thalamus
C. Midbrain
D. Hypothalamus
E. Optic chiasm - Answer-E. Optic chiasm
Within skeletal muscle, the contractile machinery is stimulated by
A. An increase in extracellular Ca++
B. An increase in sodium conductance
C. An increase in potassium conductance
D. A decrease in potassium conductance
E. An increase in intracellular cAMP
,F. An increase in intracellular Ca++
G. An increase in extracellular K+ - Answer-F. An increase in intracellular Ca++
Choose the correct sequence of events
A. ACh release. Increased intracellular Ca++, binding to nicotinic receptor, LMN
action potential, muscle fiber action potential, muscle twitch
B. LMN action potential, ACh release, binding to nicotinic receptor, Increased
intracellular Ca++, Muscle fiber action potential, muscle twitch
C. LMN action potential, ACh release, binding to nicotinic receptor, Muscle fiber
action potential, Increased intracellular Ca++, muscle twitch
D. ACh release, binding to nicotinic receptor, LMN action potential, Increased
intracellular Ca++, Muscle fiber action potential, muscle twitch
E. Increased intracellular Ca++, LMN action potential, ACh release, binding to
nicotinic receptor,, Muscle fiber action potential, muscle twitch - Answer-C. LMN
action potential, ACh release, binding to nicotinic receptor, Muscle fiber action
potential, Increased intracellular
The level of contraction of a muscle fiber is determined by
A. The sum total of all the excitatory and inhibitory input to its lower motor neuron
B. Corticospinal excitation
C. Summation of excitatory influences on the LMN
D. Basal Ganglia modification of corticospinal projections
E. Summation of excitatory and inhibitory input to the muscle fiber - Answer-A. The
sum total of all the excitatory and inhibitory input to its lower motor neuron
Permanent hearing loss or loss of vestibular function can be caused by which of the
following
A. Moderate alcohol consumption
B. Severe upper respiratory infection
C. Aminoglycoside or sulfur antibiotics
D. Lesions of the caudal portion of the nucleus of the solitary tract
E. Curare, an antagonist of ACh action on nicoticic receptor - Answer-C.
Aminoglycoside or sulfur antibiotics
The cornea is an extension of
A. The dura mater
B. The arachnoid
C. The pia mater
D. The optic nerve
E. Neural crest - Answer-A. The dura mater
The only neurons that are in direct contact with the external environment are
A. Touch receptors in the skin
B. Photoreceptors
C. Vestibular hair cells
, D. Olfactory receptors
E. Taste cells - Answer-D. Olfactory receptors
One of the few neuronal cell types that appear long after birth are the
A. Olfactory receptors
B. Photoreceptors
C. Taste cells
D. Peripheral nerves
E. Vestibular hair cells - Answer-A. Olfactory receptors
The largest known family of G-Protein-Coupled-Receptors are those involved in
A. Taste
B. Smell
C. Vision
D. Audition - Answer-A. Taste
Inhibition of phosphodiesterase will interfere with transduction in which systems?
A. Vestibular and Visual
B. Auditory and Visual
C. Visual and Gustatory
D. Olfactory and Auditory - Answer-B. Auditory and Visual
Primary sensory neurons from which of the following systems has the smallest axon
(which is alos unmyelinated)?
A. Olfactory
B. Vestibular
C. Gustatory
D. Visual
E. Auditory - Answer-A. Olfactory
Horizontal cells contribute to horizontal integration in the retina. The analagous cell
contributing to horizontal integration in the olfactory bulb is the
A. Amacrine cell
B. Bipolar cell
C. Ganglion cell
D. Pyramidal cell
E. Periglomerular cell
F. Mitral cell - Answer-E. Periglomerular cell
The pupillary reflex is initiated in
A. Rod photoreceptors
B. Cone photoreceptors
C. Suprachiasmatic Nucleus
D. Photosensitive ganglion cells in peripheral retina
