BBB Neurobiology exercise

BBB Tutorial 3: Neurobiology Revision Exercise

This revision exercise is based on material in Chapters 5-11 of Book 2.

What evidence is there that the immune system is capable of learning?
Why are tissue grafts between identical twins less likely to be rejected than grafts between 'ordinary' siblings? (Hint: think about genotypes)
It was suggested that the virus responsible for AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) specifically attacked T-helper cells. How might this affect the immune response?
Could lymphokines be classified as neurotransmitters?

How does information pass between neurons in a 'nerve net'?
Describe the basic features of the nervous system of segmented invertebrates.
Why have some invertebrates (e.g. cephalopods) evolved 'giant axons'? Why don't mammals possess 'giant axons'?
What is habituation and what purpose does it serve?

What are the main components linking the stimulus and the response in a simple behavioural (reflex) pathway?
In respect of muscle contraction, explain the difference between a twitch and a tetanus.
Give two ways in which the force produced by a muscle can be increased.
Is sensory input necessary for rhythmical activity of insect flight muscles?
What is a central pattern generator? Can you think of any examples of rhythmic activities in mammals that might be controlled by a central pattern generator?

What is the sagittal plane, and why do you think it is thus named? (Hint: the Latin word sagitta = arrow.)
Draw a diagram of a cross-section of the spinal cord showing: grey matter, white matter, dorsal horn, ventral horn; ventral root, dorsal root and dorsal root ganglion. Would numbness or paralysis occur if several dorsal nerve roots were damaged?
Why is the spinal cord not of uniform thickness along its entire length?
How do the cranial nerves differ from spinal nerves?
For the following brain areas, state whether they belong to the forebrain, midbrain or hindbrain: tectum, cerebellum, cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, medulla oblongata, thalamus.
What is the function of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), and what are the main differences between the parasympathetic and sympathetic divisions of the ANS?
Distinguish between motor cortex, sensory cortex and association cortex.
What is meant by 'topographical representation' with respect to the sensory cortex?
What is binocular vision, and what purpose does it serve?
In movies, when someone uses binoculars,

Why is spinal cord white matter white?
What is the difference between a dermatome and a neuronal receptive field?
Draw a diagram of the components of a monosynaptic reflex, such as the stretch reflex.
Explain how stretch reflexes are involved in maintaining a standing posture.
Outline the roles of the cerebral motor cortex, the basal ganglia and cerebellum in motor control.
Why is the area of representation of different parts of the body in the human sensory cortex (sensory homunculus) so out of proportion to the anatomical sizes of these parts?
How can we be reasonably sure that the receptive field shown in red in Figure 9.23(a) is not that of a peripheral sensory neuron with its cell body in a dorsal root ganglion?

Does oestrogen cause the lordosis reflex in rats?
The experiments described on p275 indicate that electrical stimulation of the medial and lateral hypothalamus produced quite different effects. What are the problems with electrical stimulation methods?
In the self stimulation experiments described in Section 10.5, it is stated (p280) that the electric shock provides reinforcement. What type of reinforcement is this likely to be?
How might hippocampal 'place' cells be related to cognitive (or spatial) maps?
Assuming that the ability to form cognitive maps depends on normal function of the hippocampus, how would a rat with lesioned hippocampi perform in the experiment shown in Figure 10.8?

What do the deficits found in Broca's dysphasia and Wernicke's dysphasia tell us about the organisation of language function in the brain? (Book 2 uses the word 'aphasia'; but I prefer the older - and more accurate - term: dysphasia.)
Give examples of differences in the localisation of functions, (a) within each cerebral hemisphere, and (b) between the right and left cerebral hemispheres. (Note: the answer to this question is not confined to Chapter 11.)
What is meant by the dominant hemisphere? Is it really dominant over the other one?
Distinguish between retrograde amnesia and anterograde amnesia.
At least eight forms of memory have been mentioned so far in the Course. Are they all different? Can you sort them out into some kind of rational classification?