NEUROSCIENCE EXAM QUESTIONS
WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS LATEST
UPDATE
Who was Renee Descartes and what did he contribute to the history of neuroscience
and physiology as a whole? - Answer-- Descartes was a predecessor of Vesalius, as
well as a mathematician and philosopher
- he was a chief advocate for the fluid-mechanical theory of brain function, but did
not believe it accounted for the full range of human behavior as he believed the
"mind" was a separate entity that received sensations and commands through the
PINEAL GLAND
- he deemed the pineal gland important due to the central location and believed that
a shift in its location showed possible disease or inter cranial pressure
Grey Matter vs. White Matter - Answer-Grey matter: contains somas of neurons,
receives information and regulates outgoing information
white matter: contains fibers that bring information to and from gray matter, largely
composed of axons
PNS vs CNS - Answer-PNS- consisting of network of nerves that course throughout
the body
CNS- brain and spinal cord
gyri vs. sulci - Answer-gyri: pattern of bumps on brain
sulci: grooves on brain
identified on surface of brain in all individuals, which led to speculation that different
bumps on the brain hold specific functions
Who were Luigi Galvani and Alessandro Volta? What did their rivalry entail? -
Answer-- Luigi Galvani: developed frog galvanoscope (a sensitive electrical
instrument) that was used to detect voltage by connecting to skinned frog legs. he
concluded from his experiments that animals use electricity even in the absence of
metal but actually through direct contact of nerves
- Alessandro Volta: doubted the existence of electricity that was intrinsic to the
animal and proposed that the electricity was derived from the metals used in the
experiment. He demonstrated that the contact of 2 metals produced an electric affect
rivalry based on "animal electricity"
Before the nerves attach to the spinal cord, fibers divide into what two branches?
Where do they attach? - Answer-1. dorsal root: enters toward the back (sensory info)
2. ventral root: enters toward the front (motor info)
, What technique was pioneered by Bell and Magendie in the early 1800's? What
knowledge was gained by their classical experiments? - Answer-- Bell and Magendie
developed experimental ablation techniques, in which the destruction of specific
brain parts determined specific functions
- Bell: tested the idea that central and dorsal roots carry information in different
directions by cutting each root separately and observing the effects in experimental
animals, he noticed that cutting the VENTRAL roots only lead to MUSCLE
PARALYSIS
(also proposed that the origin of motor functions lie in the cerebellum, and cerebrum
holds the sensory fibers.)
- Magendie: showed DORSAL roots carry SENSORY information into spinal cord
- together they concluded that nerves have a mixture of wires, some that bring
information into the brain (dorsal) and others that send information to the muscles
(ventral)
Who was (Marie) Jean-Pierre Flourens? What did he contribute to neuroscience? -
Answer-- Flourens used the experimental ablation method in a variety of animals to
show that the cerebellum does play a role in the coordination of movement, and
concluded that the cerebrum is involved in sensation and perception
- Unlike Bell, Flourens actually had experimental evidence to support his conclusion
What did Paul Broca do? - Answer-Paul Broca observed brain lesions in the frontal
lobe of his deceased patients that had lost the ability to speak (2 patients: Leborgne,
Lelong)
Broca's area = L frontal Lobe
Carl Wernicke - Answer-identified another area/region regulating speech
Which two scientists are credited with discovering the action potential - Answer-1.
Bernstein
2. Bois-Reymond
What two major events set the stage for modern advancements in neuroscience,
where nervous tissue began to be understood on the cellular level? - Answer-1.
Genesis of Histology: study of tissues
- development of tissue fixation (preservation from decomposition using
formaldehyde)
- development of tissue staining (allowed for microscopic observation after fixation)
(ex= nissl staining, silver chromate staining)
2. Cell Theory Founded (cells are the basic unit of life)
- Schleiden: applied cell theory to plants
- Schwann: applied cell theory to animals
WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS LATEST
UPDATE
Who was Renee Descartes and what did he contribute to the history of neuroscience
and physiology as a whole? - Answer-- Descartes was a predecessor of Vesalius, as
well as a mathematician and philosopher
- he was a chief advocate for the fluid-mechanical theory of brain function, but did
not believe it accounted for the full range of human behavior as he believed the
"mind" was a separate entity that received sensations and commands through the
PINEAL GLAND
- he deemed the pineal gland important due to the central location and believed that
a shift in its location showed possible disease or inter cranial pressure
Grey Matter vs. White Matter - Answer-Grey matter: contains somas of neurons,
receives information and regulates outgoing information
white matter: contains fibers that bring information to and from gray matter, largely
composed of axons
PNS vs CNS - Answer-PNS- consisting of network of nerves that course throughout
the body
CNS- brain and spinal cord
gyri vs. sulci - Answer-gyri: pattern of bumps on brain
sulci: grooves on brain
identified on surface of brain in all individuals, which led to speculation that different
bumps on the brain hold specific functions
Who were Luigi Galvani and Alessandro Volta? What did their rivalry entail? -
Answer-- Luigi Galvani: developed frog galvanoscope (a sensitive electrical
instrument) that was used to detect voltage by connecting to skinned frog legs. he
concluded from his experiments that animals use electricity even in the absence of
metal but actually through direct contact of nerves
- Alessandro Volta: doubted the existence of electricity that was intrinsic to the
animal and proposed that the electricity was derived from the metals used in the
experiment. He demonstrated that the contact of 2 metals produced an electric affect
rivalry based on "animal electricity"
Before the nerves attach to the spinal cord, fibers divide into what two branches?
Where do they attach? - Answer-1. dorsal root: enters toward the back (sensory info)
2. ventral root: enters toward the front (motor info)
, What technique was pioneered by Bell and Magendie in the early 1800's? What
knowledge was gained by their classical experiments? - Answer-- Bell and Magendie
developed experimental ablation techniques, in which the destruction of specific
brain parts determined specific functions
- Bell: tested the idea that central and dorsal roots carry information in different
directions by cutting each root separately and observing the effects in experimental
animals, he noticed that cutting the VENTRAL roots only lead to MUSCLE
PARALYSIS
(also proposed that the origin of motor functions lie in the cerebellum, and cerebrum
holds the sensory fibers.)
- Magendie: showed DORSAL roots carry SENSORY information into spinal cord
- together they concluded that nerves have a mixture of wires, some that bring
information into the brain (dorsal) and others that send information to the muscles
(ventral)
Who was (Marie) Jean-Pierre Flourens? What did he contribute to neuroscience? -
Answer-- Flourens used the experimental ablation method in a variety of animals to
show that the cerebellum does play a role in the coordination of movement, and
concluded that the cerebrum is involved in sensation and perception
- Unlike Bell, Flourens actually had experimental evidence to support his conclusion
What did Paul Broca do? - Answer-Paul Broca observed brain lesions in the frontal
lobe of his deceased patients that had lost the ability to speak (2 patients: Leborgne,
Lelong)
Broca's area = L frontal Lobe
Carl Wernicke - Answer-identified another area/region regulating speech
Which two scientists are credited with discovering the action potential - Answer-1.
Bernstein
2. Bois-Reymond
What two major events set the stage for modern advancements in neuroscience,
where nervous tissue began to be understood on the cellular level? - Answer-1.
Genesis of Histology: study of tissues
- development of tissue fixation (preservation from decomposition using
formaldehyde)
- development of tissue staining (allowed for microscopic observation after fixation)
(ex= nissl staining, silver chromate staining)
2. Cell Theory Founded (cells are the basic unit of life)
- Schleiden: applied cell theory to plants
- Schwann: applied cell theory to animals
