Sensory Systems and Pathways, Exams of Biology

A series of multiple-choice questions and answers related to sensory systems and pathways. The questions cover topics such as receptor potentials, sensory units, adaptation in sensory receptors, ascending pathways in the sensory system, lateral inhibition in the somatic sensory system, pain pathways, and vision. likely to be useful as study notes or exam preparation for courses related to neuroscience, physiology, or anatomy.

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2022/2023

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Vander's prediction Ch 7
1. Which of the following statements regarding sensory systems is
correct?
A. All sensory information that reaches the brain can be
experienced as a conscious sensation.
B. Sensory information that leads to conscious awareness of the
stimulus is called transduction.
C. The term, "sensory unit," refers to a group of receptors that
receive a particular stimulus and the afferent neuron associated
with those receptors.
D. The term "adequate stimulus" means that a stimulus is strong
enough to be detected.
E. Some sensory receptors are modifications of the peripheral
endings of efferent neurons. - Correct answer c
2. Which is TRUE about receptor potentials?
A. They are action potentials.
B. They always trigger action potentials.
C. They vary in magnitude with stimulus strength.
D. They propagate without decrement.
E. They generally occur at the axon hillock of afferent neurons. -
Correct answer c
3. A sensory unit is defined as
A. all of the sensory receptors in a given area of the body that
respond to the same stimulus.
B. a single receptor ending and its afferent nerve fiber.
C. a single afferent neuron and all its receptor endings.
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Vander's prediction Ch 7

  1. Which of the following statements regarding sensory systems is correct? A. All sensory information that reaches the brain can be experienced as a conscious sensation. B. Sensory information that leads to conscious awareness of the stimulus is called transduction. C. The term, "sensory unit," refers to a group of receptors that receive a particular stimulus and the afferent neuron associated with those receptors. D. The term "adequate stimulus" means that a stimulus is strong enough to be detected. E. Some sensory receptors are modifications of the peripheral endings of efferent neurons. - Correct answer c
  2. Which is TRUE about receptor potentials? A. They are action potentials. B. They always trigger action potentials. C. They vary in magnitude with stimulus strength. D. They propagate without decrement. E. They generally occur at the axon hillock of afferent neurons. - Correct answer c
  3. A sensory unit is defined as A. all of the sensory receptors in a given area of the body that respond to the same stimulus. B. a single receptor ending and its afferent nerve fiber. C. a single afferent neuron and all its receptor endings.

D. an afferent neuron and its postsynaptic interneurons. E. a reflex composed of an afferent neuron, an interneuron, and an efferent neuron. - Correct answer c

  1. What is the best definition of the "receptive field" of an afferent neuron? A. The number of interneurons with which the central process of the afferent neuron makes synaptic contact via divergence. B. The type of stimulus energy to which the afferent neuron is most sensitive. C. All of the interneuron cell bodies and dendrites onto which the afferent neuron synapses. D. The area of the cerebral cortex in which information from that afferent neuron is initially received. E. The area of the body that, when stimulated, leads to activity in that particular afferent neuron. - Correct answer e
  2. Which best describes the process of "adaptation" in sensory receptors? A. Information from sensory receptors reaches the cerebral cortex and the person becomes aware of it. B. Conversion of the energy of a stimulus into a pattern of electrical activity. C. Persistence of the sensation of a limb even after it has been severed from the body. D. A decrease in receptor sensitivity despite continuation of a stimulus. E. A depolarization of receptive membrane that increase in magnitude as the stimulus intensity increases. - Correct answer d
  3. Which is TRUE regarding the ascending pathways in the sensory system? A. Specific pathways for auditory stimuli project primarily to the frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex.

D. the location on the body where a stimulus is applied E. propagation of a signal along a nonspecific ascending pathway

  • Correct answer a
  1. Which of these is one reason you can distinguish between a needle prick on the foot and an ice cube on the wrist? A. The ice cube stimulates a different class of receptors than the needle prick, even though both signals go to exactly the same location in the brain. B. The action potentials from the needle prick are inherently different from the impulse generated by the ice cube. C. The region of the brain to which one receptor pathway leads is different from the region to which the other pathway leads. D. The needle prick generates a stronger action potential in any one neuron than an ice cube does. E. The needle prick generates a higher frequency of action potentials than the ice cube does. - Correct answer c
  2. Which of the following statements regarding the determination of stimulus intensity is true? A. Stronger intensity stimuli cause rapid adaptation, while weaker stimuli cause slower adaptation. B. The amplitude of action potentials increases with increasing stimulus intensity. C. The duration of receptor potentials decreases with increasing stimulus intensity. D. The frequency of action potentials increases with increasing stimulus intensity. E. The only means of detecting intensity changes is through recruitment of greater numbers of sensory units. - Correct answer d
  3. Which of the following statements regarding the precision of locating a somatic stimulus is FALSE?

A. The precision is greater in areas of the body that have small, overlapping receptive fields than in areas with large, nonoverlapping receptive fields. B. The precision is greater in the lips and fingers than on the back. C. The precision is greater for the skin than for the internal organs. D. Lateral inhibition of parallel afferent pathways increases the precision of locating a stimulus. E. Convergence of afferent neurons onto common ascending pathways increases acuity. - Correct answer e

  1. Which best describes lateral inhibition in the somatic sensory system? A. The frequency of action potentials along pathways from the site of a stimulus is increased by lateral inhibition. B. The precision of locating a stimulus is increased by inhibiting signaling along nearby, parallel pathways. C. The precision of locating a stimulus is enhanced by increasing the frequency of action potentials in nearby, parallel pathways. D. Stimuli of one particular modality in a region of the body block transmission of action potentials coding for other modalities generated in the same region of the body. E. Lateral inhibition reduces the contrast between the frequency of action potentials generated at the center of a stimulus and the frequency of action potentials in surrounding pathways. - Correct answer b
  2. A stimulus to which afferent neurons X, Y and Z are sensitive is applied in the middle of Y's receptive field. The same stimulus simultaneously activates receptors on the periphery of the receptive fields of X and Z. Which of the following is likely to be true? A. The receptor potential in neurons X and Z will be more depolarized than in neuron Y.

A. Substance P is an important neurotransmitter in specific pain pathways. B. Transmission of information in pain pathways may be inhibited by activation of neurons that synthesize opiate neurotransmitters. C. Synaptic activity in afferent neurons associated with pain receptors can be inhibited by axon-axon synapses with neurons from descending pathways. D. Afferents neurons that detect painful stimuli in the skin can converge onto common ascending pathways with neurons that detect painful stimuli in internal organs. E. Substance P is released by neurons descending from the brain, and it inhibits activation of ascending pain pathways. - Correct answer e

  1. Which of the following symptoms would a patient with a lesion (injury) that destroyed the right side of the spinal cord in the region of the neck be most likely to experience? A. loss of both pressure sense and pain in the right foot B. loss of both pressure sense and pain in the left foot C. loss of pressure sense in the right foot and pain in the left foot D. loss of pressure sense in the left foot and pain in the right foot - Correct answer c
  2. Accommodation for near vision requires: A. flattening of the lens. B. contraction of the ciliary muscles. C. activation of the sympathetic nervous system. D. increased rounding of the cornea. E. dilation of the pupil. - Correct answer b
  3. During normal viewing of a distant object, the: A. firing of parasympathetic nerves to ciliary muscles increases. B. zonular fibers are slackened. C. lens flattens. D. light rays striking the eyes are diverged by the cornea.

E. ciliary muscles are contracted. - Correct answer c

  1. A person whose lens focuses light from distant objects in front of (rather than on) the retina has a condition called: A. presbyopia. B. hyperopia. C. myopia. D. cataract. E. glaucoma. - Correct answer c
  2. Which of the following statements regarding vision is FALSE? A. The cornea refracts light rays more strongly than the lens. B. Presbyopia is a condition in which the lens cannot accommodate adequately for near vision. C. Myopia is a condition in which the lens focuses light from distant objects behind the retina. D. Cataract is an increase in opacity (clouding) of the lens. E. The image of an object that is focused on the retina is upside down relative to the object's actual position in space. - Correct answer c
  3. A person struggling with a stressful exam question might experience difficulty focusing her eyes because: A. she suddenly develops presbyopia. B. activation of her parasympathetic nerves causes sudden contraction of her ciliary muscles. C. activation of her sympathetic nerves causes sudden contraction of her ciliary muscles. D. activation of her parasympathetic nerves inhibits contraction of her ciliary muscles. E. activation of her sympathetic nerves inhibits contraction of her ciliary muscles. - Correct answer e
  4. Which of the following statements with regard to vision is FALSE?
  1. Each of the following statements regarding vision is true. Which statement best explains why we cannot see colors in dim light? A. The human eye has three kinds of cone photoreceptors. B. There are six types of opponent color cells in the lateral geniculate nucleus. C. The human eye has only one kind of rod photoreceptor. D. All photoreceptors contain the same chromophore. E. Cone photoreceptors are concentrated in the fovea. - Correct answer c
  2. In ______ cells, infoldings of the external plasma membrane and proteins found there allow us to detect different colors of light. A. bipolar B. rod C. ganglion D. cone E. pigment epithelial - Correct answer d
  3. Vitamin A plays a critical role in night vision because: A. it is required for the synthesis of the retinal portion of rhodopsin. B. it is transformed into the opsins found in cone cells. C. it acts as the coenzyme required to degrade scotopsin in brightly lit circumstances. D. it catalyzes the mitotic generation of light-reflecting epithelial cells which support widely dispersed rod receptors. E. it deactivates the photopigment-transducing chemical pathways within cone cells. - Correct answer a
  4. Which of these is most responsible for "light adaptation"--the process by which we only gradually become able to see objects in a brightly lit place after being in the dark?

A. Cone receptors are very hyperpolarized in the dark, and they must be exposed to bright light for awhile before they will depolarize. B. Rhodopsin is quickly inactivated so rods become unresponsive, and the higher-acuity cones then become the main detectors of vision. C. Because rods are more sensitive to light than cones, they gradually become extremely activated in bright light. D. Cones and rods are stimulated equally, leading to difficulties in interpreting the sensory inputs to the brain E. Rhodopsin is not activated by colored light, and the lack of stimulation causes rods to gradually depolarize when we are exposed to bright light. - Correct answer b

  1. In the visual pathway providing sensory action potentials to the brain, the first cells which are capable of initiating action potentials are: A. cone cells. B. rod cells. C. lateral geniculate cells. D. ganglion cells. E. bipolar cells. - Correct answer d
  2. Which of the following statements related to the "ON pathway" of the visual system is correct? A. Bipolar cells fire action potentials only when bright light strikes the photoreceptors linked to them B. Bipolar cells spontaneously depolarize in the absence of input from photoreceptor cells. C. Bipolar cells hyperpolarize in the absence of input from photoreceptor cells. D. Glutamate receptors on bipolar cells are excitatory. E. Only cones are associated with bipolar cells of the ON pathway, rods are not. - Correct answer b

D. oval window. E. scala vestibuli. - Correct answer b

  1. Distinguishing the pitch of sounds is possible because: A. different frequencies of sounds make the eardrum vibrate with different amplitudes. B. different frequencies of sounds stimulate different regions of the basilar membrane in the cochlear duct. C. different frequencies of sounds cause different kinds of action potentials in neurons in the auditory nerve. D. different frequencies of sounds cause different frequencies of action potentials in neurons in the auditory nerve. E. there are many different types of receptors for sound, each of which responds to a single frequency. - Correct answer b
  2. As the pitch of a sound gets higher, displacements of the basilar membrane: A. occur closer to the oval window. B. occur closer to the helicotrema. C. occur uniformly throughout the membrane. D. become greater in amplitude. E. become smaller in amplitude. - Correct answer a
  3. Which of the following is not a function of the tensor tympani and stapedius muscles? A. maintaining the proper amount of "stretch" or tension in the membranes of the middle and inner ear associated with proper auditory acuity B. protection of the delicate inner ear from sudden intermittent loud sounds C. reflexive contraction when vocalizing to reduce the loudness of your own voice D. optimization of the state of the inner ear for hearing over certain frequency ranges - Correct answer b
  1. Which of the following statements regarding the vestibular system is TRUE? A. Hair cells in the cochlea are involved in the detection of movement and position of the head. B. The utricle and saccule are mainly responsible for detecting angular rotation of the head. C. The vestibular apparatus is principally involved in our ability to detect and interpret sound. D. Deflection of the basilar membrane by fluid moving within the semicircular canals allows us to detect rotational movement of the head. E. Receptors in the utricle and saccule detect changes in the position of the head with respect to gravity. - Correct answer e
  2. Shaking your head "no" mainly activates hair cells in the: A. cochlea. B. utricle. C. semicircular canals. D. olfactory mucosa. E. tectorial membrane. - Correct answer c
  3. Which of the following are classified as "mechanoreceptors?" A. cone cells in the eye B. taste buds on the tongue C. hair cells in the olfactory mucosa D. hair cells in the cochlea - Correct answer d
  4. Where are receptors for the chemical senses located? A. in the organ of Corti and saccule B. in the cochlea and lateral geniculate nucleus C. in the skin and tendons D. in the tongue and nose E. in the fovea and semicircular canals - Correct answer d
  5. Which is TRUE about olfactory receptors?

C. is the projected perception of pain as a sensation being experienced at a site other than that of the actual injured or diseased tissue. D. involves a descending pathway that blocks the release of substance P in the spinal cord. E. is synonymous with the persistence of perceptions of painful stimuli long after the activity responsible for triggering them has ceased. - Correct answer c

  1. A "sensation" is any sensory information that reaches the brain. True False - Correct answer f
  2. Perceptions are derived from higher-order processing of sensory information. True False - Correct answer t
  3. The transmission of information in a sensory system is analogous to the transmission of sound in a telephone system except that, unlike the telephone system, the sensory system does not retranslate the electrical signaling code back to the specific energy of the stimulus. True False - Correct answer t
  4. The process by which sensory receptors change various forms of energy into electrical energy is called translation. True False - Correct answer f
  5. The greater the magnitude of the receptor potential generated by a stimulus, the greater the amplitude of the action potentials the receptor potential induces. True False - Correct answer f
  6. The rate of change of a stimulus may be important in determining receptor response.

True False - Correct answer t

  1. "Somatosensory" refers to the part of the cerebral cortex that receives synaptic input from specific ascending pathways originating only with receptors for touch. True False - Correct answer f
  2. Highly processed sensory information is invested with emotional significance by neurons in the association cortex of the temporal lobes. True False - Correct answer t
  3. Information about the location of a given stimulus on or in the body is conveyed by the same mechanisms that convey information about stimulus intensity. True False - Correct answer f
  4. The density of receptors in a receptive field is usually greatest in the periphery of the field. True False - Correct answer f
  5. In the somatosensory cortex, neuronal representation of body parts is proportional to the size of the body part. True False - Correct answer f
  6. The precision of locating a somatosensory stimulus is greater in areas of the body that have small, overlapping receptive fields than in areas with large, nonoverlapping fields. True False - Correct answer t
  7. The afferent pathways for pain differ from those for other somatic sensations in that they are highly influenced by with repeated exposure, and are significantly modulated by descending neuronal pathways. True False - Correct answer t
  1. The conscious sensation of sight is a result of integration of information that is processed by cortical areas of the occipital, temporal, parietal, and frontal lobes of the brain. True False - Correct answer t
  2. The greatest concentration of cones is in the fovea centralis of the retina. True False - Correct answer t
  3. The photoreceptor cell (rods and cones) is different from other sensory receptors in that it is the only type that is actually depolarized at rest. True False - Correct answer t
  4. In both ON and OFF visual pathways, light stimulates the release of glutamate onto bipolar cells. True False - Correct answer t
  5. The response of a bipolar cell, i.e., whether it acts to bring about an "ON pathway" or an "OFF pathway" is directly dependent upon the amount of glutamate released within a very brief span of time. True False - Correct answer f
  6. One function of saccades is to prevent adaptation of photoreceptors to a visual image. True False - Correct answer t
  7. A sound with a frequency of 4000 Hz has a lower pitch than a sound with a frequency of 1000 Hz. True False - Correct answer f
  8. The tympanic membrane separates an air-filled chamber from a fluid-filled chamber.

True False - Correct answer f

  1. The vibration of the tympanic membrane varies in frequency according to the pitch of the sound it receives. True False - Correct answer t
  2. The function of the tympanic membrane is to amplify sound waves on their way to the inner ear. True False - Correct answer f
  3. A tone caused by striking one of the lowest notes on a piano keyboard will cause vibration of the basilar membrane at a point closer to the helicotrema than to the oval window. True False - Correct answer t
  4. Unlike information from the eyes, information from the ears bypasses the thalamus on its way to the cerebral cortex. True False - Correct answer f
  5. Hair cells in the semicircular canals detect changes in the rate of angular motion of the head, while the same kinds of cells in the utricle and saccule detect changes in the head's rate of linear motion. True False - Correct answer t
  6. When you turn your head to the left to look over your left shoulder, the hairs in the cupula of the horizontal semicircular canals will be bent to the left. True False - Correct answer f
  7. Olfactory receptors are neurons. True False - Correct answer t