GRE Subject Test: Psychology : Physiological & Behavioral Neuroscience

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Subject Test: Psychology

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Example Questions

Example Question #11 : Physiological & Behavioral Neuroscience

Which of the following best describes the relationship between neurotransmitters?

Possible Answers:

There is no real relationship between neurotransmitters and behavior

Multiple neurotransmitters are always needed for a single behavior

A single neurotransmitter is always associated with a single behavior

One or multiple neurotransmitters can result in one or multiple behaviors

Correct answer:

One or multiple neurotransmitters can result in one or multiple behaviors

Explanation:

The human brain is incredibly complex. “One or multiple neurotransmitters can result in one or multiple behaviors” is the best answer to this question. As an example, serotonin and dopamine both play an intimate role in the mood state and contingent behaviors associated with depression. While neurotransmitters can be difficult to balance, especially in people with a psychiatric disorder, there are real and predictable relationships at work between neurotransmitters and our behavior.

Example Question #12 : Physiological & Behavioral Neuroscience

Which of the following best identifies the theory of neuron development wherein if certain optimal frames early in life are missed or left unexposed, development will not occur?

Possible Answers:

Punctuated equilibrium

Saltation

Phyletic gradualism

Critical periods

Correct answer:

Critical periods

Explanation:

From studies of feral children seriously neglected in childhood who cannot speak or engage with others socially to investigations of kittens who have been permanently blinded by having their eyes covered for an extended period of time after birth, researchers have demonstrated that critical learning periods exist. In these critical periods, if the environment does not permit exposure, then some losses in social learning cannot be regained even if the environment provides those learning exposures later. Saltation refers to the process of actually regressing in small steps during normal development. While phyletic gradualism and punctuated equilibrium refer to theories about the rate of development.

Example Question #41 : Experimental

Which of the following terms can be best defined as the brief pause between the firing of an action potential and the time when the potential can become repolarized?

Possible Answers:

Firing potential

Refractory period

Action potential

Resting potential

Spike train

Correct answer:

Refractory period

Explanation:

The mechanism behind the refractory period—formally known as the after-hyperpolarization—for an action potential is not yet well understood, but is thought to be a built-in defense against sodium ion overload inside the voltage gate of a cell membrane. 

Example Question #12 : Neurons

Which of the following is not a true statement about neuronal structure and function?

Possible Answers:

An action potential is propagated along the axon due to opening of voltage-gated channels. 

Summation of synapses can be temporal or spatial. 

The dendrites are the sole receiver of stimulation 

Myelin increases the speed of the action potential by insulating segments of the axon

The level of depolarization of the initial segment of the axon is what determines if an action potential will be generated. 

Correct answer:

The dendrites are the sole receiver of stimulation 

Explanation:

The correct answer is that dendrites are the sole receiver of stimulation because the soma of the neuron can also receive input from other cells. The other answers were wrong because they are true characteristic of the nervous system. Summation can be temporal or spatial depending on the amount of cells communicating with the neuron. One pre-synaptic cell can send input to the neuron multiple times to result in temporal summation, and multiple cells can send input to the same cell resulting in spatial summation. The total amount of input received by the dendrites and soma will sum in the initial segment of the axon, if the axon reaches the depolarization threshold, voltage gated sodium channels will open and set off a chain reaction that propagates the action potential to the axon terminal. This process is faster in cells with myelin because less of the axon needs to be stimulated to send the action potential to the terminal due to the insulation of segments by the myelin. 

Example Question #14 : Physiological & Behavioral Neuroscience

Which ion channels are responsible for the depolarization phase of an action potential?

Possible Answers:

Sodium channels

Voltage-gated calcium channels

Voltage-gated potassium channels

Voltage-gated sodium channels

Potassium channels

Correct answer:

Voltage-gated sodium channels

Explanation:

The correct answer is voltage gated sodium channels. These cells are in the axon of the neuron and are only opened when the cell reach the depolarization threshold. Voltage-gated potassium channels are responsible for the re-polarization of the cell or the hyper-polarization. Voltage-gated calcium channels are apparent in the axon terminal of the neuron and play a role in the release of neurotransmitters. Sodium channels and potassium channels are in the dendrites and soma of the neuron. They interact to keep the cell at it's resting potential and inputs to the cell can affect the amount of sodium or potassium entering the cell. This can lead to the cell becoming depolarized or hyper-polarized, but do not themselves lead to the surge of activity that generates the action potential. 

Example Question #51 : Experimental

Which correctly describes the order of an action potential?

Possible Answers:

Axon, terminal button, synaptic cleft, dendrite

Terminal button, dendrite, synaptic cleft, axon

Synaptic cleft, axon, dendrite, terminal button

Axon, dendrite, terminal button, synaptic cleft

Dendrite, synaptic cleft, axon, terminal button

Correct answer:

Axon, terminal button, synaptic cleft, dendrite

Explanation:

The action potential begins at the axon hillock, a specialized region connecting the dendrite and the axon. Before the action potential may occur, an energy threshold must be surpassed. The axon hillock acts like a gateway, permitting the action potential to begin only once this minimum has been reached. From there, the action potential propagates down the axon of the neuron. This is the long, tail-like extension of the cell which connects to the dendrites of other neurons. At the end of the axon are the terminal buttons. It is here that neurotransmitters are released from the neuron, which travel across the synaptic cleft to bind to neighboring dendrites of other neurons. If these dendrites receive sufficient excitation, then they will release their own action potentials, and repeat the process; thus, the action potential sends information between nerve cells.

Example Question #52 : Experimental

The cell body of a neuron is also known as which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Myelin

Soma

Dendrite

Nerve

Axon

Correct answer:

Soma

Explanation:

The "soma" is the name for the cell body of a neuron. This refers to the part of the neuron that houses the cell nucleus, and other organelles necessary for the life of the cell. This region is distinct from the dendrites, which are the branch-like structures that protrude from the soma. It is also distinct from the axon, the long tail-like structure which extends away from the cell body. "Myelin" is the name of a fatty substance which coats the axons of some nerve cells in order to insulate them. "Nerve" is a word that may be used interchangeably with 'neuron', particularly when referring to those in the peripheral nervous system. However it is not an alternate name for the cell body.

Example Question #53 : Experimental

The primary function of myelin is to perform which of the following functions?

Possible Answers:

Protect the cell from viral attack

Nourish the cell, and provide other life sustaining functions

Insulate the neuron with a protective coating

Increase the number of receptor sites available at affected neurons, thereby increasing cell receptivity to neurotransmitters

Accelerate the speed of action potentials in affected neurons

Correct answer:

Insulate the neuron with a protective coating

Explanation:

Myelin is a fatty coating that develops around the axons of some nerve cells in order to insulate them. This insulation serves to aid in the completion of action potentials. Glial cells exist in the brain, and aid in nourishing the neurons. Myelin does not serve this purpose. Myelin also does not protect against viral attack, nor that of other pathogens. Although myelin insulates the cells, it is not capable of speeding their rate of firing. Finally, myelin has no interaction with neurotransmitters, and does not increase the receptivity of a nerve cell to stimulation.

Example Question #54 : Experimental

Which best describes the nature of a nerve impulse, and communication between nerve cells, respectively?

Possible Answers:

Chemical and electrical

Electrical and chemical

Dendrite and axon

Axon and dendrite

Neurotransmitter and action potential

Correct answer:

Electrical and chemical

Explanation:

The nerve impulse within a neuron is primarily an electrical event. This is due to the fact that the cell becomes polarized and then proceeds through rapid depolarization and repolarization during and following the action potential. All of this is achieved through electrical gradients, which are maintained across the cell membrane in order to create potential energy. Communication between neurons, on the other hand, is achieved through the transmission of chemical information. Neurotransmitters released from the terminal button of one neuron cross the syaptic cleft to bind to receptor sites on neighboring dendrites of other nerve cells. The transmission of these chemicals delivers information, leading to excitation or inhibition of the receiving cells. "Axon and dendrite" does not correctly describe this relationship. "Neurotransmitter and action potential" seems more appropriate, but these two items are in the incorrect order to describe nerve impulse and interneuronal communication, respectively.

Example Question #11 : Neurons

The electrical gradient that exists across the membrane of a neuron is present due to which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Contributions made by neighboring glial cells

None of these

The actions of specific neurotransmitters on either side of the cell membrane

The role of myelin sheathing the axons of the nerve cells

Proportions of ions on both sides of the cell membrane

Correct answer:

Proportions of ions on both sides of the cell membrane

Explanation:

The electrical gradient of a nerve cell is maintained across its membrane through the the balancing of concentrations of ions on either side of the membrane. Ions are positively or negatively charged particles. Through the use of ion channels and pumps, an artificial electrical gradient is produced, with a greater concentration of positive ions outside the cell than in. During an action potential, these channels open and close at key moments to allow the propagation of an electrical signal down the axon, terminating with the release of neurotransmitters at the terminal buttons. Neurotransmitters do not play a role in maintaining the electrical gradient of the cell. They may transmit excitatory or inhibitory signals to other neurons, leading to changes in the resting potential of these cells, but they are not responsible for maintaining or creating the electrical gradients of the membrane potentials. Glial cells and myelin do not play roles in this. Glial cells support neurons by nourishing them and contributing towards other cell functions, while myelin is a fatty substance that sheathes some axons to insulate them. These do not contribute to the electrical gradient of the membrane.

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