Option A - Neurobiology and behaviour
Question 1
SLPaper 3Outline the function of the autonomic nervous system in the human body.
Evaluate the use of the pupil reflex to test for brain damage.
Question 2
SLPaper 3Explain the stages of development and differentiation of neurons.
Question 3
SLPaper 3Hearing loss can range from mild to severe. Cochlear implants have been used in those with profound hearing loss such as children who are born deaf. The image shows a cross section of the ear with a cochlear implant.
[Source: NIDCD (www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/cochlear-implants)\]
Identify the parts of the ear labelled X and Y.
X:
Y:
Describe the use of cochlear implants in deaf patients.
Question 4
SLPaper 3The performance of mice on a Barnes maze, shown in the photograph, was used to test the effect of cinnamon on learning.
Mice were trained for three days to find a compartment in the maze containing food. Their ability to find the compartment was tested by placing the mice at the centre and recording their movement. The mice were divided into two groups according to the route taken: good performers and poor performers. After this all the mice were fed a small amount of cinnamon in their diet for 30 days. They were then trained for three days and retested on the maze.
The diagrams show the movements of a typical good performer and a typical poor performer before and after cinnamon was included in their diet.
Describe how the use of cinnamon changes mouse performance on the Barnes maze.
Scientists demonstrated that cinnamon increased neural plasticity in some parts of mouse brains. Explain how neural plasticity could have affected learning in poor performer mice.
It has been suggested that cinnamon might be of benefit to patients who are recovering from a stroke. Suggest one advantage of adding cinnamon to the diet of a patient who has suffered a stroke.
Question 5
HLPaper 3The figures below show a human and a sheep brain.
The human brain is larger than the brain of many animals. Identify one other difference between the human brain and the brain of a sheep.
Outline the main feature of neural pruning.
State the name of the part of the brain that controls breathing rate.
Explain the need for the adult human brain to be supplied continuously with a relatively large supply of blood.
Question 6
HLPaper 3A patient was asked to trace a line between two guidelines of a star shape, starting at point S (see star image) while viewing the star in a mirror. The graph shows the number of times the patient strayed outside the boundaries while drawing the star in each trial for both hands.
[Reprinted from Neuron, 20(3), Brenda Milner, Larry R. Squire and Eric R. Kande, 'Cognitive neuroscience and the study of memory',
pp. 445–468, Copyright (1998), with permission from Elsevier.https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/neuron\]
Outline how this experiment shows learned behaviour.
Deduce, with a reason, whether the patient is left-handed or right-handed.
Define, with an example, operant conditioning.
Define, with an example, imprinting.
Outline the effects of slow-acting neurotransmitters.
Question 7
SLPaper 3The image shows a human eye.
Identify the structures labelled I and II
Explain how the pupil of the eye can be used to assess brain damage.
Question 8
HLPaper 3Explain how the eye detects stimuli and sends information to the brain.
Question 9
HLPaper 3The image on the left shows a developing neuron on the first day of culture (day 1). The image on the right shows the same neuron after one day (day 2).
Describe the changes occurring in this neuron from day 1 to day 2.
Suggest other processes that may occur during neural development.
Suggest what can happen to neurons that are unused in the nervous system.
Question 10
HLPaper 3Approximately 350 000 people worldwide have received cochlear implants. Outline the use of cochlear implants in patients with hearing problems.
State the part of the ear that is responsible for detecting movement of the head.
Describe the role of bipolar cells in the eye.
