Psychology 3700 - Midterm Exam

Psychology 3700: Movement Midterm examination

October 9, 2020

“The mass of knowledge in every department of medicine is grown so huge as to overwhelm both professors and students. The only refuge lies in the thorough mastery of the scientific method. The student must acquire power rather than information. Only thus will he be able to hold a steady course through the baffling winds and cross-currents of the veritable sea of knowledge.”

- William Townsend Porter (1898) The teaching of physiology in medical school. Boston Medical and Surgical Journal 139:652.

This test is designed to examine the knowledge you have gained and your ability to apply that knowledge. You can earn a total of 100 points by answering 70 multiple-choice questions worth 1 point each and 6 short answer questions worth 5 points each (partial credit will be given on these). You will have 50 minutes in which to complete it. Printed name _____________________________________ I, _____________________________________, pledge on my honor that (a) I have neither given aid to nor received aid from another student in completing this test and (b) I have completed this test in no more than 50 minutes without consulting notes or books.

Your electronic journal should be turned in by now. T F T F T F T F

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The following questions require short answers. They are worth 5 points each, and partial credit will be given. Use the back of the page as needed. 1) What’s the difference between an action potential and a readiness potential?

Action potential is ~1 ms duration ionic event that naturally propagates from cell body to tip of axon Readiness potential is ~1,000 ms duration EEG event recorded before self-generated movements

2) What evidence supports the hypothesis that muscles inflate when they contract?

None. 3) In the lower plot on page 4, the bottom two traces show that the twitch resulting from a single action

potential lasts longer than the duration of the post-synaptic potential. Why would this be so?

Action potential and post-synaptic potential are brief events that trigger processes to make muscle twitch that require longer to begin and end, e.g., calcium ion release and re-uptake, etc.

4) Can a patient exhibit both paralysis and apraxia?

Yes, but in different limbs. 5) The image of the dam is portraying the basal ganglia. Why?

The basal ganglia can be regarded as a funnel preventing all but the desired movement.

6) What is one other specific thing you have learned not covered by any of the questions on this test?

Anything substantive will earn points.

 

 

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This set of questions gives you a chance to remember things. Each question will be worth 1 point with no partial credit. Please circle the one best, most correct answer. 1) A course like “Movement” is not taught in most psychology departments because the faculty think ____.

a) serious psychologists should be concerned with the fate of the input b) moving is easy, even animals do it c) understanding how we move will not teach us how we speak d) all of the above *

2) Perceptual motor integration entails

a) How the consequences of a movement are perceived b) How perception guides movements c) How movements limit or impair perception d) All of the above *

3) The serial order problem considers a) How we learn new skills b) How we decide what cereal to eat c) How we overcome the problem of coarticulation d) How we produce rapid, organized sequences of movements *

4) Which is NOT a major problem of motor control:

a) Degrees of freedom b) Coarticulation * c) Serial order d) Skill acquisition

5) The resting membrane potential is established by equilibrium in ion flow across a membrane selectively permeable to ___. a) DA b) Na+ c) Ca2+ d) K+ *

6) The equation on the right describes how the equilibrium of the previous

question is established between what two influences on ion motion? a) gravity gradient and electrical gradient b) concentration gradient and electrical gradient * c) concentration gradient and coriolis gradient d) intentional gradient and humor gradient

7) Depolarization and hyperpolarization in a nerve cell membrane spreads ____.

a) To neighboring parts of the membrane * c) To glia surrounding the neuron b) To other neurons d) Nowhere, this only happens at single channels.

8) An action potential happens when _____.

a) Sodium ions flow into a neuron b) The membrane potential of a neuron reaches a threshold c) Voltage-gated sodium channels open d) All of the above. *

9) Sir John Eccles won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1963 with Alan Hodgkin and Andrew

Huxley "for their discoveries concerning the ionic mechanisms involved in excitation and inhibition in the peripheral and central portions of the nerve cell membrane… By measuring small variations in electrical charges at contact surfaces between nerve cells, or synapses, in the early 1950s Eccles showed how nerve impulses are conveyed from one cell to another.” The contact surfaces today are known as _____. a) Axon b) Dendrite c) Neurotransmitter receptor d) Synapse *

 

 

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10) An inhibitory neurotransmitter like GABA will ____. a) Hyperpolarize the postsynaptic neuron b) Decrease the chance that the post-synaptic neuron will discharge an action potential c) Open channels in the membrane of the post-synaptic neuron d) All of the above *

11) If a presynaptic neuron releases less neurotransmitter than the postsynaptic neuron typically detects, then

the postsynaptic neuron can respond by ______. a) Increasing the number of neurotransmitter receptors * b) Increasing the valence of neurotransmitter receptors c) Increasing the luminosity of neurotransmitter receptors d) None of the above

12) A network with lateral inhibition _____.

a) Cannot work in motor control c) Will make your cell phone work better b) Is often confused with release of inhibition d) Allows “winner take all” processing *

13) Which of the following brain systems includes recurrent loop connectivity?

a) Basal ganglia b) Proprioception c) Cerebellum d) All of the above *

14) Which of the following brain systems includes topographic maps? a) Basal ganglia c) Cerebral cortex b) Cerebellum d) All of the above *

15) In the upper right plot, near what length is the greatest active force

generated? a) 5 mm b) 10 mm c) 15 mm * d) 20 mm

16) The muscle represented in the upper right plot can generate force most

effectively at this particular length because a) The myosin can form the most cross-bridges with actin filaments * b) The sarcomere is stretched to its maximum c) Each myosin can form a stronger cross-bridge with the actin

filaments d) All of the above

17) In the upper right plot, which curve represents the contraction of

muscles due to active stimulation? a) A b) B * c) C

18) In the upper right plot what does curve C represent?

a) None of the below c) Passive tension * b) Active tension d) Total tension

19) In the lower right plot fiber #1 is ____ twitch and fiber #2 is ____

twitch. a) Fast, slow c) Slow, fast * b) Slow, interfusal d) Gamma, alpha

20) The lower right plot shows evidence for ________ as a principle

of motor control. a) Coarticulation b) Effector synergies c) Path planning d) Size recruitment *

ne w to ns A

B

C

10 1550 20

 

 

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21) A motor unit is

a) That thing in a DVD player that makes the disk spin. b) One motor neuron and all the muscle fibers it innervates * c) One muscle and all the motor neurons innervating it d) The lowest level of an action schema

22) Entry of calcium into the cytoplasm of a muscle fiber results in

a) A contraction c) Myosin and actin via cross-bridges b) Extraction of energy from ATP d) All of the above **

23) The upper right cartoon portrays an actual observation made about which

part of the brain? a) Rostral to the central sulcus * b) Rostral end of the frontal lobe c) Ventral occipital lobe d) Nowhere

24) In humans a disproportionate amount of cortical tissue is devoted to moving the a) Ears b) Fingers * c) Legs d) Trunk

25) Who inferred the existence of a map of the body in the brain from his

wife’s epileptic seizures? a) Nancy Hitzig c) Hughlings Jackson * b) Penfield Wexler d) Phil Wundt

26) The neurons that project from the cerebral cortex to the spinal cord are

always ______ while those that project to the striatum are ______. a) Modulatory, excitatory c) Excitatory, excitatory * b) Inhibitory, excitatory d) Excitatory, inhibitory

27) The pyramidal tract is comprised of axons running from ____ to ____.

a) Striatum to cerebellum c) Cerebral cortex to spinal cord * b) Cerebral cortex to striatum d) Cairo to Giza

28) Dissociating ___ and ___ provided evidence that neurons in primary

motor cortex signal force. a) position, tension * c) position, time b) threshold, tension d) threshold, time

29) The lower right figure illustrates a solution to the problem of neurons in

motor cortex ____. a) … signaling the force of a limb movement b) … being broadly tuned for reach direction * c) … being modulated by dopamine d) … solving the degrees of freedom problem

 

 

 

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30) Neurons in the premotor cortex have been described as mainly contributing to ____. a) Preparing specific movements in response to stimuli based on arbitrary rules * b) Preparing all movements c) Preparing sensory responses to arbitrary movements d) Preparing fasciculations during coarticulation

31) According to Benjamin Libet, the readiness potential begins ____ the sense of will is experienced.

a) before * b) while c) after d) None of the above. Professor Libet never did such an experiment.

32) Sir John Eccles, the 1963 Nobel laureate, developed an explicitly dualist position, distinguishing the

physical (brain) and the mental. In 1982 he proposed the hypothesis that the mental act of intention, which is a mental process, connects to the brain through SMA. Why would he propose this? a) It is consistent with Descartes view of dualism. b) He knew about the readiness potential and the answer to the previous Midterm question. * c) SMA is on the top of the brain, and being lighter than air, the mind will rise to the top of the brain. d) None of the above

33) The upper right image shows a woman who has been totally

paralyzed for 15 years. She is drinking from a bottle that the blue robot arm has moved to her mouth. The robot arm was controlled by signals obtained from electrodes implanted in her brain. In what cortical area do you think the electrodes are implanted? a) Frontal eye field b) Primary motor cortex * c) Supplementary motor area d) Posterior parietal cortex

34) A _______ of force is needed to initiate a saccade, and a _______ of force is needed to keep the eyes at

an eccentric location. a) step, pulse c. pulse, step * b) peak, slide d. slide, peak

35) Which connection is incorrect in the lower right figure?

a) α * b) β c) γ d) δ

36) Which connection in the figure is the output of the neural integrator? a) α b) β c) γ d) δ *

37) Omnipause neurons function as a ____. a) Break c) Integrator b) Gate * d) Pulse

38) In the mapping between the visual field and the superior colliculus equidistant points closer to the fovea will be ______ together in the superior colliculus than equidistant points further from the fovea. a) Closer together c) Further apart * b) Equidistant d) Collinear

 

100 msec

a

b

c

d

αγ β

δ

 

 

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39) Eye-movements are not guided by ____. a) Visual properties of objects c) Knowledge of where objects are typically found b) Proprioception from extraocular muscles * d) None of the above

40) The upper right figure shows the discharge rate of a neuron in the frontal eye field when presented with an

array of ___. a) … visual objects among which one is a target * c) … tactile objects among which one is a target b) … visual objects among which all are targets d) … tactile objects among which one is salient

41) The pattern of activity of a neuron like that portrayed in the upper right figure can be explained most clearly by ____. a) Lateral inhibition * c) Feedforward processing b) Neural integration d) Coarticulation

42) Based on the upper right figure, a vector average would resolve

the endpoint of a saccade after ___ ms. a) 0 c) 100 * b) 200 d) none of the above

43) Neural signals related to saccade target selection begin to signal

target location ____ when non-target items are easily confused with the target. a) earlier c) later * b) at the same time regardless of identifiability d) no one has ever measured this

44) Why might someone not look where they intended?

a) All of the below * c) The wrong part of the superior colliculus became most active b) Inappropriate muscles contracted d) Frontal eye field neurons mistook a nontarget for the target

45) Saccades are initiated when the activity of neurons in the frontal eye field and superior colliculus ____.

a) select a target c) begin to accumulate activity b) reach a specific interval d) reach a specific threshold *

46) Stop signal reaction time measures

a) None of the below b) The time needed to cancel a planned movement * c) The time needed to initiate a movement in response to a stop signal d) The time needed to prevent coarticulation

47) Which statement is not correct in reference to stop signal reaction time

a) Is the interval required to interrupt preparation of a movement b) Is equal to the latencies of responses on no stop signal trials * c) can be calculated from a race model d) provides useful leverage in analysis of neural activity

48) The lower right figure diagrams the architecture of the ___ race model?

a) Independent b) Coarticulation c) Corrective d) Interactive *

0 100 200 Time from array (msec)

Ac tiv

at io

n (s

p/ se

c)

0

100

 

 

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49) Interacting neurons can produce countermanding behavior that can be described as the outcome of a race between independent processes because a) STOP and GO are independent c) Neurons are modulated at SSRT b) STOP only interacts with GO late but potently * d) None of the above.

50) When particular neurons in the FEF or SC reach the threshold discharge rate immediately before

saccades, which other neural event occurs? a) Omnipause neurons are inhibited * c) Medium lead burst neurons are inhibited b) Tonic neurons are inhibited d) Target selection neurons are inhibited

51) The upper right figure shows ...

a) ... the variation of discharge rate of a single neuron in the superior colliculus (SC) associated with saccades produced with different directions and amplitudes.

b) ... that presaccadic movement-related neurons have extensive movement fields.

c) ... the discharge rate of an SC neuron that contributed most to short (<5?) saccades in the lower right quadrant.

d) All of above *

52) The tuning of the neuron shown in the figure only for saccade direction and amplitude is consistent with ... a) ... Fitt’s law c) ... Listing’s law b) ... Newton’s law * d) ... Murphy’s Law

53) The middle right figure shows 3 possible saccade endpoints derived

from activity pattern in the SC. For which saccade would medial frontal error neurons most likely be active? a) 1 b) 2 * c) 3 d) None

54) You were told that FEF is part of a(n) _____, and SEF is part of a(n)

_____. a) motor, critic b) actor, critic c) actor, schema d) articulator, critic

55) Which cortical areas contains neurons signaling when performance is correct or in error?

a) FEF & SEF b) SEF & ACC c) FEF & ACC d) only ACC 56) The lower right figure is an incomplete and not entirely correct

diagram of the basal ganglia circuitry. Solid lines represent excitatory connections, and dashed lines represent inhibitory connections. What is the structure labeled A? a) SNpc * c) GPe b) SNpr d) GPi

57) In the lower right figure the structure labeled B is ______ and C is

______? a) Thalamus, STN * c) Thalamus, GPe b) SNpr, Thalamus d) GPe, Thalamus

58) In the lower right figure which connection is incorrect?

a) None of the below c) #1 b) #2 d) #3 *

1

2

3

Cortex Spinal cord

Striatum

STN

 

 

 

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59) In that figure connection #4 uses the neurotransmitter _______ and has an ________ effect.

a) Dopamine, inhibitory c) Dopamine, excitatory b) ACh, excitatory d) GABA, inhibitory *

60) Which of the following is NOT a lower motor neuron sign?

a) Fasciculation c) Atrophy b) Decreased muscle tone d) Spasticity *

61) Which of the following is NOT an upper motor neuron sign?

a) Groups of muscles affected c) Atrophy * b) Increased muscle tone d) Spasticity

62) Experimental treatments for paralysis of the limbs include

a) L-DOPA c) MPTP b) Advil d) Brain-machine interface with electrodes implanted in motor cortex *

63) Parkinson’s patients show all of these symptoms except

a) Fasciculation * c) Resting tremor b) Impaired posture d) Rigidity

64) Which treatment is NOT effective for Parkinson’s disease?

a) Drinking DA * b) Implanting stem cells that produce DA into the basal ganglia c) Drinking L-DOPA d) Electrically stimulating certain parts of the basal ganglia

65) The right figure shows an MR image of a human brain. The yellow

circle marks the location of an electrode implanted to treat a patient with Parkinson’s disease. In what structure would be the tip of the electrode? a) STN * b) GPe c) SNpr d) PPN

66) The triplet-repeat genetic defect in a Huntington’s patient causes

neurons to die in the a) Striatum * b) SNpc c) Both d) Neither

67) L-DOPA therapy for Parkinson’s disease is ultimately futile because

___. a) DA receptors become supersensitive c) DA receptors in the SNpc continue to die b) SNpc neurons continue to die * d) The liver metabolizes the drug more efficiently over time

68) The upper image on page 6 shows a woman who has been paralyzed for 15 years. Based on what you

see, which disorder does she suffer? a) Lower motor neuron b) Parkinson’s c) Upper motor neuron * d) Apraxia

69) Which symptom is not associated with a lower motor neuron disorder

a) Fasciculation b) Increase tone * c) Atrophy d) Absent reflexes

70) The cause of Parkinson’s disease is ____, while that of Huntington’s is ____. a) genetic, unknown b) unknown, genetic * c) genetic, genetic d) unknown, unknown