Critical Periods In Sensory Systems Test Bank Ch.28 6e - From Neuron to Brain 6e | Test Bank Martin by A. Robert Martin. DOCX document preview.
Chapter 28: Critical Periods in Sensory Systems
Test Bank
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 01
1. Which of these is the best example of a critical period?
Feedback: Subhead: Intro
Learning Objective: Not aligned
Bloom’s Level: 3. Application
a. A young hawk that does not acquire hunting skills rapidly enough will likely starve to death by the end of its first year.
b. A juvenile songbird will learn to produce an abnormal song unless it is exposed to adult songs between 6 and 12 weeks of age.
c. Deprivation of social contact for at least 2 weeks, at any point in the life of a rodent, will lead to subsequent aggression and inappropriate attachment after the isolation period ends.
d. In a rodent, exposure to calcium and vitamin D during development are needed for optimal cognitive function.
e. During prenatal development, or juvenile development prior to adolescence, treatment of a female bird with androgen hormones will tend to produce male-like courtship behaviors as an adult.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 02
2. When kittens who have been reared in darkness are exposed to light, they _______, while adult cats who are exposed to light after spending a long time in darkness _______.
Feedback: Subhead: Intro
Learning Objective: Not aligned
Bloom’s Level: 1. Remembering
a. can see normally; experience blurred vision
b. experience blurred vision; experience clear vision
c. cannot see; can see normally
d. experience blurred vision; can only see diffuse illumination
e. cannot see; also cannot see
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 03
3. The visual capabilities of a newborn monkey are such that
Feedback: Subhead: The Visual System in Newborn Monkeys and Kittens
Learning Objective: Discuss how the responses of cortical neurons in newborn animals compare with those in adult animals.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. cortical neurons respond to specific stimuli, such as bars of light with a particular orientation, but the locations of these neurons are not yet organized in any systematic way.
b. most cortical neurons respond only to input from one eye, unlike those in adult monkeys.
c. the retina is not yet able to send visual signals to the cortex.
d. simple cells in the cortex, such as those responding to bars of light with a particular orientation, already respond similarly to those in adult animals.
e. the retina functions much like that of adults, but cortical cells respond only to diffuse light and not yet to specific stimuli.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 04
4. In young kittens reared without visual input, the “pinwheel” pattern of orientation columns
Feedback: Subhead: The Visual System in Newborn Monkeys and Kittens
Learning Objective: Discuss how the responses of cortical neurons in newborn animals compare with those in adult animals.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. cannot be detected.
b. can be observed in the retina but not in the cortex.
c. can be observed in both the retina and the cortex.
d. is more pronounced than that of adults.
e. looks roughly similar to that of adults.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 05
5. Compared to adult monkeys, ocular dominance in newborn monkeys is
Feedback: Subhead: The Visual System in Newborn Monkeys and Kittens
Learning Objective: Discuss how the responses of cortical neurons in newborn animals compare with those in adult animals.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. similar but less pronounced (weaker).
b. similar but more pronounced (stronger).
c. unlike adults, baby monkeys show no indication of ocular dominance.
d. ocular dominance is observed only in baby monkeys, and is eliminated by adulthood.
e. neither baby nor adult monkeys show ocular dominance.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 06
6. In newborn monkeys, the structure of ocular dominance columns
Feedback: Subhead: The Visual System in Newborn Monkeys and Kittens
Learning Objective: Discuss how the responses of cortical neurons in newborn animals compare with those in adult animals.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. is virtually identical to that of adults, in all cortical layers.
b. cannot be detected in any layers (response patterns appear random).
c. is less clearly established in layer 4 than that of adults.
d. is similar to adults in layer 4, but less established in layers 1 and 7.
e. do not yet exist because all neurons respond to input from both eyes in newborns.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 07
7. This change in lateral geniculate neurons helps to produce distinct ocular dominance columns.
Feedback: Subhead: The Visual System in Newborn Monkeys and Kittens
Learning Objective: Describe the structural and functional changes that occur in axons of geniculate cells in layer 4 of the monkey cortex between birth and 6 weeks of life.
Bloom’s Level: 3. Application
a. The dendrites begin to respond selectively to the most active presynaptic inputs.
b. They begin to fire action potentials only in response to input from the contralateral eye.
c. They begin to synchronize firing with the other neurons nearby.
d. The terminals branch out further to connect with a wider variety postsynaptic neurons.
e. The terminals retract or “prune” to overlap less with each other.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 08
8. The initial establishment of ocular dominance columns occurs
Feedback: Subhead: The Visual System in Newborn Monkeys and Kittens
Learning Objective: Discuss the experimental evidence for the consensus that the initial establishment of ocular dominance columns takes place before the onset of visual experience.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. during a critical period shortly after birth and relies on visual input during that period.
b. during a critical period shortly after birth but does not need visual input during that period.
c. before birth and does not rely on visual experience.
d. shortly after birth but not during a specific critical period, relying on visual experience.
e. gradually throughout development into adulthood, relying on visual experience.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 09
9. Scientists’ understanding of how segregated ocular dominance columns develop in young animals relied on the development of this experimental method.
Feedback: Subhead: The Visual System in Newborn Monkeys and Kittens
Learning Objective: Discuss the experimental evidence for the consensus that the initial establishment of ocular dominance columns takes place before the onset of visual experience.
Bloom’s Level: 3. Applying
a. Neurons in the visual system are injected with a tracer that can then be imaged in a brain slice.
b. Electrical recordings are made in the retina while a light is projected onto the photoreceptors.
c. Electrical recordings are made in the visual cortex while a second electrode stimulates the retina.
d. The visual capabilities of animals are tested using a behavioral visual discrimination task.
e. Single neurons are extracted from the visual pathway and subjected to patch-clamp recordings.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 10
10. Blockade of neural input from the retina by tetrodotoxin (TTX) has this developmental effect.
Feedback: Subhead: The Visual System in Newborn Monkeys and Kittens
Learning Objective: Discuss the experimental evidence for the consensus that the initial establishment of ocular dominance columns takes place before the onset of visual experience.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. It prevents the formation of the pinwheel patterning in orientation columns.
b. It releases inhibition of neurons that terminate in layer 4 of the visual cortex.
c. It leads to excessive “pruning” or dearborization of LGN neurons.
d. It prevents appropriate structuring and segregation of LGN layers.
e. It has no effect on visual development.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 11
11. Cells that recognize specific types of visual stimuli such as a bar of light with a specific orientation are located in the
Feedback: Subhead: The Visual System in Newborn Monkeys and Kittens
Learning Objective: Not aligned
Bloom’s Level: 1. Remembering
a. retina.
b. visual cortex.
c. optic chiasm.
d. bipolar cell layer.
e. ganglion cell layer.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 12
12. The “reverse suture” technique used to study visual development refers to
Feedback: Subhead: Effects of Abnormal Visual Experience in Early Life
Learning Objective: Summarize the results from three types of experiments used to study the physiological responses and structure of the visual system in early life.
Bloom’s Level: 1. Remembering
a. suturing an eyelid open so that it cannot be shut.
b. after sealing one eye shut, that deprived eye is allowed to open while the other eye is sealed shut.
c. using a temporary adhesive to seal the eye shut, which will wear off over time and allow the eye to open on its own.
d. sealing or sewing an eyelid shut.
e. administering eyedrops that dilate the pupils constantly in order to allow more light into the retina for a period of time.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 13
13. Most of the experiments reported in your textbook regarding the critical period for plasticity in visual development studied the development of
Feedback: Subhead: Effects of Abnormal Visual Experience in Early Life
Learning Objective: Summarize the results from three types of experiments used to study the physiological responses and structure of the visual system in early life.
Bloom’s Level: 1. Remembering
a. orientation columns in the visual cortex.
b. ocular dominance columns in the visual cortex.
c. connections between bipolar and ganglion cells in the retina.
d. receptive fields of ganglion cells in the retina.
e. motion detection.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 14
14. Eyelid closure in the first few weeks of life is an experimental technique used primarily to study the
Feedback: Subhead: Effects of Abnormal Visual Experience in Early Life
Learning Objective: Summarize the results from three types of experiments used to study the physiological responses and structure of the visual system in early life.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. critical period for plasticity of ocular dominance columns.
b. initial establishment of ocular dominance columns.
c. critical period for plasticity of orientation columns.
d. initial establishment of receptive fields of ganglion cells in the retina.
e. initial establishment of layers in the lateral geniculate nucleus.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 15
15. Which of the following techniques was not used by Hubel and Wiesel to study the role of visual experience in the development of the visual system?
Feedback: Subhead: Effects of Abnormal Visual Experience in Early Life
Learning Objective: Summarize the results from three types of experiments used to study the physiological responses and structure of the visual system in early life.
Bloom’s Level: 1. Remembering
a. Suturing closed the lids of one or both eyes during infancy
b. Allowing light to enter the eye, but blurring vision (e.g. by a translucent lens) during infancy
c. Producing an artificial squint
d. Rearing kittens in the presence of a single wavelength of light
e. All of the above were used by Hubel and Wiesel.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 16
16. When one eye of a newborn monkey or kitten is sutured closed for a few months, the result is that
Feedback: Subhead: Effects of Abnormal Visual Experience in Early Life
Learning Objective: Summarize the results from three types of experiments used to study the physiological responses and structure of the visual system in early life.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. pupillary reflexes are normal, but retinal ganglion cells fail to respond to light.
b. pupillary reflexes are eliminated.
c. the structure of the eye is affected, but it still produces a response to light.
d. behavior appears normal, but retinal ganglion cells do not respond to light.
e. eye structure and retinal responses appear normal, but animals behave as though that eye is blind.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 17
17. Electrical recordings in the visual cortex indicate that years after monocular deprivation in monkeys,
Feedback: Subhead: Effects of Abnormal Visual Experience in Early Life
Learning Objective: Summarize the results from three types of experiments used to study the physiological responses and structure of the visual system in early life.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. no ocular dominance columns were established; most cortical neurons responded equally to both eyes.
b. most cortical neurons responded to stimulation of the non-deprived eye, with very few responding exclusively to the previously closed eye.
c. a normal number of cortical neurons responded to stimulation of the previously-closed eye, but the response patterns were disorganized.
d. the structure and response patterns of cortical neurons were similar to those of un-deprived animals.
e. the retina of the deprived eye was still unable to respond to stimulation by light.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 18
18. Overall, when an infant’s eye is sutured shut for several months during infancy, the most pronounced effects are observed in the
Feedback: Subhead: Effects of Abnormal Visual Experience in Early Life
Learning Objective: Describe the morphological changes that occur in the lateral geniculate nucleus and cortex after visual deprivation.
Bloom’s Level: 1. Remembering
a. structure of the eye.
b. retina.
c. lateral geniculate nucleus.
d. primary visual cortex.
e. secondary visual cortex.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 19
19. When the eye of an infant is kept closed during infancy, the resulting change in layer 4 of the visual cortex is
Feedback: Subhead: Effects of Abnormal Visual Experience in Early Life
Learning Objective: Describe the morphological changes that occur in the lateral geniculate nucleus and cortex after visual deprivation.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. no observable change.
b. ocular dominance columns linked to the functional eye are wider, while those linked to the closed eye are more narrow.
c. neurons corresponding to the deprived eye are more diffusely interconnected than those corresponding to the open eye.
d. cell bodies of neurons with input from the closed eye are smaller.
e. neurons corresponding to the deprived eye fire in a tonic rather than phasic pattern.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 20
20. When one eye of a kitten was sutured shut during infancy, neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN)
Feedback: Subhead: Effects of Abnormal Visual Experience in Early Life
Learning Objective: Describe the morphological changes that occur in the lateral geniculate nucleus and cortex after visual deprivation.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. appeared basically normal, but those with input from the deprived eye were smaller in size.
b. appeared basically normal, but those with input from the deprived eye showed much more arborization.
c. appeared virtually identical to those of animals that were not vision deprived.
d. were interspersed randomly without the usual layered structure.
e. almost all responded to input from both eyes, without the usual ocular dominance.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 21
21. An ocular dominance histogram is used to illustrate the number of
Feedback: Subhead: Effects of Abnormal Visual Experience in Early Life
Learning Objective: Describe the morphological changes that occur in the lateral geniculate nucleus and cortex after visual deprivation.
Bloom’s Level: 3. Applying
a. neurons in a brain region that respond to stimulation of each of the two eyes.
b. action potentials fired by neurons in response to stimulation of each of the two eyes.
c. neurons that are activated by different types of stimulation (e.g. an edge, a corner, a moving dot).
d. action potential fired by neurons to different levels of light.
e. neurons that are labeled by a tracer injected into the retinas of each of the two eyes.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 22
22. During normal development of the visual system in the first few weeks of life, this process appears to be responsible for the correct structuring and segregation of ocular dominance columns.
Feedback: Subhead: Effects of Abnormal Visual Experience in Early Life
Learning Objective: Describe the morphological changes that occur in the lateral geniculate nucleus and cortex after visual deprivation.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. Cell bodies migrate from the lateral geniculate nucleus to the correct location in the visual cortex.
b. Arborization of axon terminals is reduced so that neurons innervate more specific regions of the visual cortex.
c. Arborization of axon terminals is increased so that neurons innervate larger sections of the visual cortex.
d. Lateral inhibition is established between neurons in the cortex that receive input from each eye.
e. Neurons begin to synchronize firing patterns with that of their neighbors, so that cells self-organize into groups with similar activation patterns.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 23
23. The initial establishment of ocular dominance columns _______, while ocular dominance column plasticity during the critical period _______.
Feedback: Subhead: Effects of Abnormal Visual Experience in Early Life
Learning Objective: Describe how the consequences of lid closure differ in an immature and an adult animal.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. relies heavily on visual experience; does not rely much on visual experience
b. does not rely much on visual experience; relies heavily on visual experience
c. relies heavily on visual experience; relies to a lesser degree on visual experience
d. proceeds normally without any visual experience; proceeds normally if at least one eye is open
e. proceeds normally if at least one eye is open; proceeds normally if the animal is reared in light conditions, even if both eyes are closed
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 24
24. In adult monkeys, this degree of intervention is required in order to produce significant abnormalities in function of the visual cortex.
Feedback: Subhead: Effects of Abnormal Visual Experience in Early Life
Learning Objective: Describe how the consequences of lid closure differ in an immature and an adult animal.
Bloom’s Level: 1. Remembering
a. Closure of the eye for a few days
b. Closure of the eye for 2-3 months
c. Closure of the eye for a year
d. Removal of an eye
e. None of the above
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 25
25. If one eye is sutured shut during the critical period for plasticity, under which of the below conditions will the structure and function of the visual cortex recover?
Feedback: Subhead: Effects of Abnormal Visual Experience in Early Life
Learning Objective: Describe how the consequences of lid closure differ in an immature and an adult animal.
Bloom’s Level: 3. Applying
a. After the deprived eye has been open for at least twice as long as it was shut
b. After a few weeks have passed since the deprived eye was opened
c. After a few months have passed since the deprived eye was opened
d. After a least a year has passed since the deprived eye was opened
e. None of the above
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 26
26. If one eye is closed during the critical period for plasticity, which of the below conditions will lead to recovery of cortical function for that eye?
Feedback: Subhead: Effects of Abnormal Visual Experience in Early Life
Learning Objective: Describe how the consequences of lid closure differ in an immature and an adult animal.
Bloom’s Level: 3. Applying
a. If the deprived eye is opened, and the normal eye is then sutured shut within the critical period.
b. If the deprived eye is opened, and the normal eye is then sutured shut for the same duration that the deprived eye had been shut (at any point in the lifespan).
c. If the deprived eye is opened again before the critical period has ended.
d. All of the above conditions will lead to recovery of cortical function.
e. None of the above conditions will lead to recovery of cortical function.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 27
27. When both eyes of a baby monkey are sealed shut shortly after birth, the resulting effects on ocular dominance are
Feedback: Subhead: Requirements for Maintenance of Functioning Connections in the Visual System
Learning Objective: Discuss what the results of binocular lid closure or induction of squint during the critical period reveal about the maintenance of normal binocularity.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. indistinguishable from the visual system of a normally developing monkey.
b. much more severe than the effects of sealing a single eye shut for the same duration.
c. basically the same as the effects of sealing a single eye shut for the same duration.
d. somewhat less severe than the effects of sealing a single eye shut for the same duration.
e. due primarily to changes in retinal function rather than changes at the cortical level.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 28
28. When both eyes of a newborn monkey are sutured shut for several weeks, these neurons become atrophied (the size is significantly reduced).
Feedback: Subhead: Requirements for Maintenance of Functioning Connections in the Visual System
Learning Objective: Discuss what the results of binocular lid closure or induction of squint during the critical period reveal about the maintenance of normal binocularity.
Bloom’s Level: 1. Remembering
a. Those of the lateral geniculate nucleus
b. Those of layer 4 of the visual cortex
c. Photoreceptors in the retina
d. Ganglion cells in the retina
e. None of the above
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 29
29. To produce strabismus means to
Feedback: Subhead: Requirements for Maintenance of Functioning Connections in the Visual System
Learning Objective: Discuss what the results of binocular lid closure or induction of squint during the critical period reveal about the maintenance of normal binocularity.
Bloom’s Level: 1. Remembering
a. make a squint.
b. prevent eye movements.
c. seal the eye shut.
d. blur the vision.
e. force the eye to remain open.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 30
30. Producing an artificial squint in kittens has the same effect on the visual cortex as
Feedback: Subhead: Requirements for Maintenance of Functioning Connections in the Visual System
Learning Objective: Discuss what the results of binocular lid closure or induction of squint during the critical period reveal about the maintenance of normal binocularity.
Bloom’s Level: 3. Applying
a. suturing one eye shut during early development.
b. suturing both eyes shut during early development.
c. suturing both eyes open during early development.
d. covering one eye, then the other, in turns so that they are never open at the same time.
e. covering both eyes with a translucent lens that blurs images but allows light in.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 31
31. Producing an artificial squint in kittens has this result on cortical structure and/or function.
Feedback: Subhead: Requirements for Maintenance of Functioning Connections in the Visual System
Learning Objective: Discuss what the results of binocular lid closure or induction of squint during the critical period reveal about the maintenance of normal binocularity.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. It reduces the number of neurons in the visual cortex that respond to only one eye.
b. It reduces the number of neurons in the visual cortex that respond to both eyes.
c. It reduces the degree of segregation of ocular dominance columns.
d. It produces atrophy of cells located in the lateral geniculate nucleus.
e. It eliminates the pinwheel structure of orientation columns.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 32
32. When monkeys were reared such that one eye was kept closed, and the other was only able to see vertical bars, this response was observed in cortical neurons.
Feedback: Subhead: Requirements for Maintenance of Functioning Connections in the Visual System
Learning Objective: Discuss what the results of binocular lid closure or induction of squint during the critical period reveal about the maintenance of normal binocularity.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. The only recorded response was to vertical bars presented to the previously-open eye. No neurons responded to horizontal bars, and no neurons responded to any stimulation of the previously-closed eye.
b. Responses were observed to presentations of both horizontal and vertical bars. Similar numbers of neurons responded to the presentations of these stimuli to each eye.
c. When horizontal bars were tested, similar numbers of neurons responded to input from each of the two eyes. When vertical bars were tested, most neurons responded only to stimulation of the previously-open eye.
d. No responses were recorded to presentations of horizontal bars. Similar numbers of neurons responded to presentations of vertical bars to each eye.
e. When horizontal bars were tested, most neurons responded to binocular input. When vertical bars were tested, the only recorded responses were to stimulation of the previously-open eye.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 33
33. When tetrodotoxin is injected into both eyes of newborn kittens, this is the result.
Feedback: Subhead: Requirements for Maintenance of Functioning Connections in the Visual System
Learning Objective: Give an example of how impulse activity shapes synaptic connections in the developing visual system, before the onset of sensory function.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. Neurons projecting to the lateral geniculate nucleus failed to form layers.
b. Neurons projecting to the primary visual cortex failed to form layers.
c. Individual neurons from the lateral geniculate neurons terminate in multiple layers of the visual cortex.
d. Neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus were significantly atrophied.
e. None of the above occurred
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 34
34. Impulse activity from the retina is required in order for
Feedback: Subhead: Requirements for Maintenance of Functioning Connections in the Visual System
Learning Objective: Give an example of how impulse activity shapes synaptic connections in the developing visual system, before the onset of sensory function.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus to form appropriate layers.
b. neurons in the primary visual cortex to form appropriate layers.
c. retinal ganglion cells to establish their receptive fields.
d. synaptic connections to form between the lateral geniculate nucleus and the visual cortex.
e. neurons projecting from the lateral geniculate nucleus to arborize widely.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 35
35. Two neurotrophins involved in regulating structure and plasticity in the visual cortex are
Feedback: Subhead: Requirements for Maintenance of Functioning Connections in the Visual System
Learning Objective: Name two neurotrophins that help regulate the critical period for ocular dominance plasticity.
Bloom’s Level: 1. Remembering
a. nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
b. neurotrophic factor (NTF) and nerve growth factor 3 (NGF-3).
c. glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and Substance P.
d. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and Sonic Hedgehog (SHH).
e. Neuropeptide Y and Nerve Growth Factor (NGF).
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 36
36. Transgenic over-expression of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) in mice results in
Feedback: Subhead: Requirements for Maintenance of Functioning Connections in the Visual System
Learning Objective: Name two neurotrophins that help regulate the critical period for ocular dominance plasticity.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. a delay and lengthening in the critical period for plasticity.
b. an earlier critical period for plasticity.
c. preventing the effects of lid closure during the critical period of plasticity.
d. preventing the initial establishment of ocular dominance columns.
e. preventing normal development of ocular dominance columns during the critical period.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 37
37. Activity of _______ appears to be responsible for opening the critical period for plasticity, and activity of _______ appears to be responsible for closing the critical period.
Feedback: Subhead: Requirements for Maintenance of Functioning Connections in the Visual System
Learning Objective: Describe the role of inhibitory interneurons in opening and closing the critical period for ocular dominance plasticity.
Bloom’s Level: 3. Applying
a. cholinergic neurons; dopaminergic neurons
b. GABAergic neurons; cholinergic neurons
c. noradrenergic neurons; dopaminergic neurons
d. GABAergic neurons; GABAergic neurons
e. cholinergic neurons; cholinergic neurons
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 38
38. A deficiency in GABA function early in life would be expected to have which effect on development of the visual system?
Feedback: Subhead: Requirements for Maintenance of Functioning Connections in the Visual System
Learning Objective: Describe the role of inhibitory interneurons in opening and closing the critical period for ocular dominance plasticity.
Bloom’s Level: 3. Applying
a. A reduction in ocular dominance plasticity
b. Prolonging the critical period for plasticity
c. Preventing the initial establishment of ocular dominance columns
d. Preventing the development of layers in the LGN
e. A stronger effect of monocular deprivation
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 39
39. One of the factors that may be responsible for reduced plasticity after closing the critical period is a(n)
Feedback: Subhead: Requirements for Maintenance of Functioning Connections in the Visual System
Learning Objective: Discuss how molecular “brakes” actively prevent plasticity in the adult brain.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. reduction in GABAergic activity.
b. increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
c. increase in the number of nicotinic ACh receptors in the LGN.
d. change in NMDA subunits that reduces the effectiveness of the receptor.
e. reduction in Otx2 in the retina.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 40
40. One of the “brakes” that results in closing the critical period for ocular dominance plasticity is
Feedback: Subhead: Requirements for Maintenance of Functioning Connections in the Visual System
Learning Objective: Discuss how molecular “brakes” actively prevent plasticity in the adult brain.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. maturation of GABAergic inhibition.
b. initiation of dopaminergic activity.
c. an increase in acetylcholine production.
d. cessation of BDNF expression.
e. reduction in photoreceptor sensitivity.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 41
41. Somatosensory development of whisker barrels in rodents is similar to visual development of ocular dominance in this way.
Feedback: Subhead: Critical Periods in Somatosensory and Olfactory Systems
Learning Objective: Identify two mechanistic aspects of the critical period for the rodent whisker-barrel pathway that are shared with the critical period for ocular dominance plasticity.
Bloom’s Level: 3. Applying
a. Both have a critical period for plasticity that is experience dependent and relies on GABAergic inhibition.
b. Both have a critical period for plasticity that relies on NMDA receptor activity and is unaffected by TTX.
c. Both develop normally with partial sensory input (e.g. some whiskers are trimmed, one eye is closed), but do not develop normally in the complete absence of sensory input.
d. Both are established prior to birth and rely on spontaneous activity prior to any sensory experience.
e. Both are established prior to birth and can develop normally without sensory experience or spontaneous neural activity.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 42
42. The experimental disruption of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) as they organize onto specific glomeruli results in
Feedback: Subhead: Critical Periods in Somatosensory and Olfactory Systems
Learning Objective: Describe the evidence for a critical period in the formation of the sensory map in the olfactory bulb.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. impairments only if the disruption completely blocks neural activity, not if it involves sensory deprivation.
b. recovery no matter when the disruption occurs, due to the continued plasticity of the olfactory system.
c. no impairments because the organization of glomeruli does not depend on the OSNs.
d. long-term impairments in organization, independently of when the disruption occurs.
e. recovery if the disruption ends during a critical period, but no recovery if the disruption is after the critical period ends.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 43
43. When prisms were placed over the eyes of baby owls, so that the visual field was shifted to one side
Feedback: Subhead: Critical Periods in the Auditory System of Barn Owls
Learning Objective: Explain how altered visual input influences the representation of the auditory system in the brain of barn owls.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. the auditory map did not change and remained out of alignment with the displaced visual input.
b. the auditory map did not change, but the displaced visual map shifted back into alignment with the auditory map.
c. both the auditory map and the visual map shifted to re-align with the displaced retinal image.
d. the auditory map shifted to re-align with the displaced visual map.
e. the retina adjusted to compensate for the shift.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 44
44. Some baby owls are reared in an enriched environment (Group A), and others are reared in a standard individual cage (Group B). Then, owls from both groups are fitted with goggles that used prisms to displace their vision. How would the response to the goggles in Group A be expected to differ from that of Group B?
Feedback: Subhead: Critical Periods in the Auditory System of Barn Owls
Learning Objective: Discuss how an enriched environment in early life or behavioral motivation can enhance the plasticity of visual–auditory integration in barn owls.
Bloom’s Level: 3. Applying
a. Group A and Group B would not be expected to differ.
b. The auditory map in Group A will adjust to realign with the visual input, while that of Group B will not.
c. The realignment between auditory and visual input will take longer (be slower) in Group B than in Group A.
d. The realignment between auditory and visual input can occur for a longer period of time (later in life) in Group A compared to Group B.
e. The visual map in group A will adjust to the new retinal image, while the map in Group B will not.
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 45
45. Cochlear implants and cataract surgery procedures represent
Feedback: Subhead: Critical Periods in Humans, and Clinical Consequences
Learning Objective: Give three examples of how an understanding of critical periods in humans has led to new or updated therapeutic treatments.
Bloom’s Level: 3. Applying
a. two ways in which research on developmental plasticity can be applied to human welfare
b. two experimental procedures that are commonly used to study plasticity in animal models
c. two experimental procedures that are commonly used in humans to study developmental plasticity
d. two interventions that prolong neural plasticity during development
e. two interventions that induce plasticity outside of the critical periods
Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 46
46. Cochlear implants are effective at allowing speech comprehension if they are implanted
Feedback: Subhead: Critical Periods in Humans, and Clinical Consequences
Learning Objective: Not aligned
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
a. in adults who had learned spoken language prior to deafness, or congenitally deaf children by age 3.
b. in adults, regardless of the onset of deafness.
c. in children by age 5, regardless of the onset of deafness.
d. in congenitally deaf children by age 5, or children to age 12 with milder hearing impairments.
e. prior to age 12.
Type: essay/short answer question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 47
47. Briefly explain the concept of a critical period.
Feedback: A critical period is a time window in development when a skill or function is established more easily than at other times. In the case of sensory systems, it is a window during which the system experiences a greater degree of neural plasticity than at other times in the animal’s life.
Subhead: Intro
Learning Objective: Not aligned
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
Type: essay/short answer question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 48
48. Describe the changes that occur in the pathway from the retina to layer 4 of the visual cortex during the first few weeks after birth in a normally developing monkey.
Feedback: Shortly after birth, axon terminals extending from the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) to layer 4 of the visual cortex overlap with each other considerably. In the first few weeks of life, these terminals retract so that cells receiving input from one eye overlap less with cells receiving input from the other eye. This allows for clearer segregation of ocular dominance columns.
Subhead: Effects of Abnormal Visual Experience in Early Life
Learning Objective: Describe the morphological changes that occur in the lateral geniculate nucleus and cortex after visual deprivation.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
Type: essay/short answer question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 49
49. If an infant monkey, at 2 weeks old, and an adult monkey each have one eyelid sutured shut for 3 weeks, what differences would you expect to observe in the two individuals?
Feedback: In the infant, I would expect that recordings of cortical neurons would detect primarily responses to the non-deprived eye. Very few cells would respond to the eye that had been closed. In contrast, I would expect that the adult cortical neurons would respond normally, showing no change as a result of eyelid closure.
Subhead: Effects of Abnormal Visual Experience in Early Life
Learning Objective: Describe how the consequences of lid closure differ in an immature and an adult animal.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
Type: essay/short answer question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 50
50. If one eyelid of an infant monkey is sutured shut for 3 weeks during the first 6 weeks of life, under what conditions will the monkey recover normal (or nearly normal) cortical function?
Feedback: The best way to facilitate recovery is to use a reverse suture technique. If the deprived eye is allowed to open before the critical period ends, and the normal eye is sutured shut, this allows the deprived eye to recover cortical function.
Subhead: Effects of Abnormal Visual Experience in Early Life
Learning Objective: Describe how the consequences of lid closure differ in an immature and an adult animal.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
Type: essay/short answer question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 51
51. Define ocular dominance plasticity, and state two factors on which it depends.
Feedback: Dominance plasticity refers to the time-window in early life in which cortical neural circuitry can be restructured in response to visual experience. IT depends on patterned visual activity and competition between two eyes.
Subhead: Effects of Abnormal Visual Experience in Early Life
Learning Objective: Define ocular dominance plasticity and state two factors on which it depends.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
Type: essay/short answer question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 52
52. Describe two experimental procedures used to manipulate visual experience in young monkeys for the study of developmental plasticity. What differences were observed as a result of the two manipulations?
Feedback: One common technique is monocular deprivation, which typically involves suturing one eyelid shut for several days to weeks, shortly after birth. This leads to a failure to establish cortical neurons that respond to the deprived eye, and over-representation of neurons responding to the open eye. A second technique is to induce strabismus by cutting an eye muscle, which prevents alignment of the visual fields of the two eyes. In this case, the effect was that virtually no neurons in the visual cortex responded to binocular input – instead, all neurons responded to only one of the eyes.
Subhead: Requirements for Maintenance of Functioning Connections in the Visual System
Learning Objective: Discuss what the results of binocular lid closure or induction of squint during the critical period reveal about the maintenance of normal binocularity.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
Type: essay/short answer question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 53
53. Compare the relative contributions to visual system development of (1) spontaneous impulse activity in retinal neurons, and (2) activity resulting from visual experience.
Feedback: During prenatal development, the retina produces waves of spontaneous firing. This activity in retinal neurons appears to be essential for the initial establishment of LGN layers and the formation of ocular dominance columns. Application of TTX blocks spontaneous activity, and leads to a failure to segregate LGN layers and ocular dominance columns. Visual experience is required to further refine clear boundaries between ocular dominance columns and to balance input from the two eyes.
Subhead: Requirements for Maintenance of Functioning Connections in the Visual System
Learning Objective: Give an example of how impulse activity shapes synaptic connections in the developing visual system, before the onset of sensory function.
Bloom’s Level: 4. Analyzing
Type: essay/short answer question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 54
54. What are two neurotrophins discussed in the textbook that are involved in the critical period for ocular dominance plasticity?
Feedback: One relevant neurotrophin is nerve growth factor (NGF). If NGF is blocked, this interferes with development of ocular dominance during the critical period, and delays the closure of the critical window. A second neurotrophin is brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Blockade of BDNF also inhibits the formation of ocular dominance columns, whereas extra BDNF speeds up both the opening and the closure of the critical period.
Subhead: Requirements for Maintenance of Functioning Connections in the Visual System
Learning Objective: Name two neurotrophins that help regulate the critical period for ocular dominance plasticity.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
Type: essay/short answer question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 55
55. Explain the role of BDNF and GABA signaling in critical periods for ocular dominance plasticity.
Feedback: BDNF regulates the activity of GABAergic inhibition in the cortex. Treatment with diazepam (which increases GABA function) increases plasticity of ocular dominance columns, and blocking or reducing GABA function decreases it. Increases in GABAergic activity appear to be responsible for opening the critical period of plasticity, while maturation of GABAergic neurons is responsible for closing the critical period.
Subhead: Requirements for Maintenance of Functioning Connections in the Visual System
Learning Objective: Describe the role of inhibitory interneurons in opening and closing the critical period for ocular dominance plasticity
Bloom’s Level: 4. Analyzing
Type: essay/short answer question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 56
56. Explain the idea of molecular “brakes” on plasticity, and give one example of a “brake” on plasticity in the visual system.
Feedback: Molecular “brakes” on plasticity are the mechanisms by which the critical window for plasticity closes, and/or a reduced level of plasticity is maintained in later development. One example of a molecular “brake” is the transcription factor Otx2, which is transported to the visual cortex from the retina based on retinal activity. This, in turn, controls the maturation of GABAergic neurons that close and maintain closure of the critical period for plasticity.
Subhead: Requirements for Maintenance of Functioning Connections in the Visual System
Learning Objective: Discuss how molecular “brakes” actively prevent plasticity in the adult brain.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
Type: essay/short answer question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 57
57. Describe one similarity between the development of ocular dominance in the visual system of monkeys, and whisker-barrel development in rodents.
Feedback: Both of these sensory systems have a critical period for plasticity early in life, where sensory deprivation (trimming whiskers, or covering an eye) leads to changes in the synaptic structure of cortical neurons and impaired sensory abilities later in life. Plasticity in both systems appears to be related to GABAergic inhibition.
Subhead: Critical Periods in Somatosensory and Olfactory Systems
Learning Objective: Identify two mechanistic aspects of the critical period for the rodent whisker-barrel pathway that are shared with the critical period for ocular dominance plasticity.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
Type: essay/short answer question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 58
58. What are two ways in which research on developmental plasticity in sensory systems can be applied to human welfare?
Feedback: One of the applications is for cochlear implants. The study of plasticity in the auditory system has helped scientists understand when the best time is for surgical implantation of the device to ensure the best possible outcomes. Another application is for the treatment of amblyopia, a visual problem in children. Research on critical periods in the visual system has helped scientists determine when and how treatment will be most effective to prevent blurred vision.
Subhead: Sensory Deprivation and Critical Periods in the Auditory System
Learning Objective: Discuss why studying developmental plasticity in the auditory system has such profound relevance
Bloom’s Level: 3. Applying
Type: essay/short answer question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 59
59. Compare one experimental manipulation used to manipulate sensory experience in owls with one used in monkeys. Explain the different experimental questions that prompted the use of the two procedures.
Feedback: In research with monkeys, either one or both eyes are typically completely occluded, while owls are usually fitted with goggles that displace the visual image. These two techniques are designed to answer different types of questions. For monkeys, the questions are about the organization of the visual cortex and the coordination of input from one eye with the other. In contrast, research with owls has focused on the coordination between the visual and auditory systems. In order to study the convergence of these two maps, more subtle manipulations that shift the visual map without entirely blocking it are more useful.
Subhead: Critical Periods in the Auditory System of Barn Owls
Learning Objective: Explain how altered visual input influences the representation of the auditory system in the brain of barn owls.
Bloom’s Level: 4. Analyzing
Type: essay/short answer question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 60
60. Explain what early environmental enrichment is, and how it is thought to interact with developmental plasticity.
Feedback: Environmental enrichment refers to raising laboratory animals in a more natural environment with other individuals, more opportunities for activity (e.g. flying or a wheel to run on), and complex objects to interact with. Studies with owls have shown that environmental enrichment can produce a longer window of cortical plasticity than those occurring in animals reared under normal conditions.
Subhead: Critical Periods in the Auditory System of Barn Owls
Learning Objective: Discuss how an enriched environment in early life or behavioral motivation can enhance the plasticity of visual–auditory integration in barn owls.
Bloom’s Level: 2. Understanding
Type: essay/short answer question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 61
61. Imagine two congenitally deaf infants: One is raised in a loving home with social interaction, toys, and lots of activity, while the second is raised in an impoverished orphanage, with basic food/care but little additional social interaction or activity. Both are able to receive a cochlear implant at age 3. What differences, if any, would you expect to observe in the infants’ responses to the implants?
Feedback: Research with animal models suggests that cortical plasticity is improved by environmentally enriched conditions. In the example above, the first infant is raised in an enriched environment, while the second infant is born into a less enriched – more isolated – environment. I would therefore predict that the first infant will adjust more easily to the cochlear implant and ultimately be more successful with language discrimination, while the second infant will struggle more to adapt to the implant.
Subhead: Critical Periods in Humans, and Clinical Consequences
Learning Objective: Give three examples of how an understanding of critical periods in humans has led to new or updated therapeutic treatments.
Bloom’s Level: 3. Applying
Type: essay/short answer question
Title: Chapter 28 - Question 62
62. Explain what cochlear implants are, and how they are related to the study of neural plasticity in the auditory system.
Feedback: A cochlear implant is an array of electrodes that convert auditory input (from an external microphone) directly into electrical impulses administered to spiral ganglion neurons, mimicking the stimulation of these neurons by hair cells. The effectiveness of cochlear implants is highly dependent on the ability of the nervous system to adapt to these novel inputs and convert them into meaningful patterns of cortical activity. Research on neural plasticity in the auditory system is helpful to understand when a cochlear implant is likely to be successfully integrated, and what sorts of experiences are necessary to help with integration.
Subhead: Critical Periods in Humans, and Clinical Consequences
Learning Objective: Give three examples of how an understanding of critical periods in humans has led to new or updated therapeutic treatments.
Bloom’s Level: 3. Applying