Brain Basics
What are the basic building blocks of the nervous system?
neurons
Which sense bypasses the thalamus and projects directly to the cortex?
Olfaction / Smell
What part of the brain is most associated with executive functions like planning and inhibition?
Prefrontal cortex
What neurotransmitter is deficient in Parkinsonâs disease?
Dopamine
Who is the director of undergraduate neuroscience studies?
Dr. Renee Miller
What glial cells make myelin in the central nervous system?
Oligodendrocytes
Whatâs the name of the photoreceptors specialized for color vision?
Cones
Which stage of sleep is most associated with vivid dreaming?
REM Sleep
Which class of drugs is commonly used to treat depression by preventing serotonin reuptake?
SSRI
What is the name of the annual weeklong celebration of neuroscience on campus?
Brain Awareness Week
Which lobe of the brain is primarily responsible for vision?
Occipital lobe
Which Gestalt principle says we group things that are close together?
Proximity
What is the âcocktail party effectâ?
Ability to focus on one conversation amid noise
Which 20th-century procedure for mental illness involved severing frontal lobe connections?
Lobotomy
Which building on River campus infamously has monkeys in the basement
Meliora
What is the difference between gray matter and white matter?
(Gray = cell bodies, White = myelinated axons)
What is the term for the brainâs ability to reorganize in response to sensory input or injury?
Neuroplasticity
What form of memory stores facts and events?
Declarative / explicit memory
Which brain disorder is associated with plaques and tangles?
Alzheimerâs Disease
In what year did the University of Rochester first offer an official Neuroscience major?
2000
Which brain structure is critical for forming new declarative memories?
Hippocampus
Whatâs the blind spot in your retina caused by?
Optic disc where the optic nerve exits
Which brain structure acts as a ârelay stationâ for most sensory signals?
Thalamus
Which therapy involves applying magnetic stimulation to the scalp to alter brain activity?
TMS-Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Who says the phrase: âyou will do it, and you will do it wellâ
Dr. Kevin Davis