PSIO 305 MAIN EXAM TEST 2025/2026 QUESTIONS WITH
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔What affect does reduced volume and activity from the hippocampus have? -
✔✔alters stress response and extinction
✔✔What affect does increased activity from the Amygdala have? - ✔✔promotes hyper
vigilance and impairs discrimination of threat
✔✔What affect does reduced prefrontal volume in the cortex have? - ✔✔disregulates
executive functions
✔✔What affect does sustained, increased levels of CRH from the HPA axis have? -
✔✔-Blunts ACTH response on CRH stimulation
-Promotes hippocampal atrophy
✔✔What does affect reduced anterior cingulate volume from the cortex have? -
✔✔Impairs the extinction of fear responses
✔✔What autoimmune disease in associated with PTSD? - ✔✔Rheumatoid arthritis
diabetes
✔✔Why is hypocortisolism a potential risk factor for PTSD? - ✔✔Altered HPA
responses associated with PTSD --> represent pre-exisitng condition increase
vulnerability to PTSD following exposure
✔✔What can low levels of cortisol predict? - ✔✔before or shortly after traumatic event
can predict PTSD
✔✔What are high cortisol levels associated with? - ✔✔low incidence of PTSD
✔✔What do high-dose corticosterones reduce? - ✔✔subsequent PTSD in ANIMAL
MODELS
✔✔What are genetic influences of PTSD? - ✔✔1. Monozygotic twins have a higher
concordance for PTSD than dizygotic
2. Genes associated with HPA axis are associated with PTSD
✔✔What are Epigenetic Influences? - ✔✔1. Changes in the genome but not DNA
sequence
2. Methylation decreases gene expression; Acetylation increases gene expression
3. Early experience may alter genome epigenetically
✔✔What is the Central Nervous System? - ✔✔Spinal cord and brain
, ✔✔What is the Peripheral Nervous System? - ✔✔nerves and peripheral (sensory and
autonomic) ganglions
✔✔How are nerves classified? - ✔✔1. Sensory (afferent/to CNS) vs. Motor
(efferent/from CNS)
2. General (whole body) vs. Special (special organs/eyes, ears, nose, mouth)
3. Somatic (body surface organs) vs. Visceral (internal organs)
✔✔Where are the general somatic nerve found? - ✔✔skin, skeleton muscles, tendons
and joints
✔✔Where are general visceral nerves found? - ✔✔internal organ, blood vessels and
glands
✔✔Where are special somatic nerves found? - ✔✔eyes and ears
✔✔Where are special visceral nerves found? - ✔✔mouth and nose
✔✔What is the visceral motor system? - ✔✔sympathetic vs parasympathetic
✔✔How many nerves does the cervical segment have? - ✔✔8
✔✔How many nerves does the thoracic segment have? - ✔✔12
✔✔How many nerves does the Lumbar segment have? - ✔✔5
✔✔How many nerves does the sacral segment have? - ✔✔5
✔✔How many nerves does the coccygeal segment have? - ✔✔1
✔✔What is the job of dorsal root neurons? - ✔✔carry sensory information
✔✔What is located in the dorsal root ganglia? - ✔✔cell bodies of (somatic and visceral)
afferent neurons
✔✔What do ventral roots carry? - ✔✔information from the CNS to muscles and glands
✔✔What do autonomic ganglia contain? - ✔✔cell bodies of post-ganglionic autonomic
neurons
✔✔What are the two types of nerve tissue? - ✔✔Gray matter and white matter
✔✔What is in the grey matter of the brain? - ✔✔-unmyelinated nerve cell bodies
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔What affect does reduced volume and activity from the hippocampus have? -
✔✔alters stress response and extinction
✔✔What affect does increased activity from the Amygdala have? - ✔✔promotes hyper
vigilance and impairs discrimination of threat
✔✔What affect does reduced prefrontal volume in the cortex have? - ✔✔disregulates
executive functions
✔✔What affect does sustained, increased levels of CRH from the HPA axis have? -
✔✔-Blunts ACTH response on CRH stimulation
-Promotes hippocampal atrophy
✔✔What does affect reduced anterior cingulate volume from the cortex have? -
✔✔Impairs the extinction of fear responses
✔✔What autoimmune disease in associated with PTSD? - ✔✔Rheumatoid arthritis
diabetes
✔✔Why is hypocortisolism a potential risk factor for PTSD? - ✔✔Altered HPA
responses associated with PTSD --> represent pre-exisitng condition increase
vulnerability to PTSD following exposure
✔✔What can low levels of cortisol predict? - ✔✔before or shortly after traumatic event
can predict PTSD
✔✔What are high cortisol levels associated with? - ✔✔low incidence of PTSD
✔✔What do high-dose corticosterones reduce? - ✔✔subsequent PTSD in ANIMAL
MODELS
✔✔What are genetic influences of PTSD? - ✔✔1. Monozygotic twins have a higher
concordance for PTSD than dizygotic
2. Genes associated with HPA axis are associated with PTSD
✔✔What are Epigenetic Influences? - ✔✔1. Changes in the genome but not DNA
sequence
2. Methylation decreases gene expression; Acetylation increases gene expression
3. Early experience may alter genome epigenetically
✔✔What is the Central Nervous System? - ✔✔Spinal cord and brain
, ✔✔What is the Peripheral Nervous System? - ✔✔nerves and peripheral (sensory and
autonomic) ganglions
✔✔How are nerves classified? - ✔✔1. Sensory (afferent/to CNS) vs. Motor
(efferent/from CNS)
2. General (whole body) vs. Special (special organs/eyes, ears, nose, mouth)
3. Somatic (body surface organs) vs. Visceral (internal organs)
✔✔Where are the general somatic nerve found? - ✔✔skin, skeleton muscles, tendons
and joints
✔✔Where are general visceral nerves found? - ✔✔internal organ, blood vessels and
glands
✔✔Where are special somatic nerves found? - ✔✔eyes and ears
✔✔Where are special visceral nerves found? - ✔✔mouth and nose
✔✔What is the visceral motor system? - ✔✔sympathetic vs parasympathetic
✔✔How many nerves does the cervical segment have? - ✔✔8
✔✔How many nerves does the thoracic segment have? - ✔✔12
✔✔How many nerves does the Lumbar segment have? - ✔✔5
✔✔How many nerves does the sacral segment have? - ✔✔5
✔✔How many nerves does the coccygeal segment have? - ✔✔1
✔✔What is the job of dorsal root neurons? - ✔✔carry sensory information
✔✔What is located in the dorsal root ganglia? - ✔✔cell bodies of (somatic and visceral)
afferent neurons
✔✔What do ventral roots carry? - ✔✔information from the CNS to muscles and glands
✔✔What do autonomic ganglia contain? - ✔✔cell bodies of post-ganglionic autonomic
neurons
✔✔What are the two types of nerve tissue? - ✔✔Gray matter and white matter
✔✔What is in the grey matter of the brain? - ✔✔-unmyelinated nerve cell bodies
