Multiple Choice Questions for Advances in Preventing Cognitive Decline: Getting Old, Thinking Young

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Date of Completion: _____ / _____ / 2013

1) Which ability is spared in people who develop amnesia? a) ability to learn new facts or events b) skill acquisition c) skill learning d) IQ

2) Which brain structure is most likely to be impaired in people who develop amnesia? a) Prefrontal cortex b) Amygdala c) Hippocampus d) Thalamus

3) In patients with loss of short-term memory developing in adulthood, childhood memories are typically: a) Spared b) Moderately impaired c) Completely impaired. d) Better than average.

4) Patients with amnesia, for example H.M., typically forget information within 5 minutes of a delay: a) Because they get distracted b) Because they are indifferent or unmotivated to remember c) Because short-term memory has a limited span of less than 5 minutes d) Because long-term memory is impaired

5) Memory for information held for a short duration such as a telephone number is known as? a) Telephonic mnemonic euphonics b) Sensory Memory is impaired c) Working Memory is impaired d) Long-term memory is impaired

6) Memory of habits, for example, ability to perform mirror drawing is also called: a) Sensory memory b) Short-term memory c) Declarative memory d) Episodic memory

7) Which of the following statements is correct: a) We only use 10% of our brain. b) We cannot process all the information coming through our senses, so our brain makes decisions about where it will allocate its attention. c) We cannot remember all our experiences. But when we remember an experience, that memory is always 100% accurate. d) After childhood development the brain is static and unchangeable.

8) If you’re given a series of letters to hold in working / immediate memory for 30 seconds, which one of these factors would not (in part) determine your chances of remembering the letters? a) How long it would take you to say the letters out loud b) How many letters were in the list c) Whether the letters could be chunked into meaningful groups d) All of the above

9) How many different memory systems or kinds of memory are there? a) There is only one b) There are two c) There are three d) There are a bunch – certainly more than three and this is likely a pointless question / one that is impossible to answer right now.

10) What can be said about “sensory memory”? a) It decays rapidly (~2 seconds) b) It is constantly being overwritten with new information from the environment c) There are different types for different modalities (echoic, iconic, and haptic) d) All of the above

11) According to the data presented, why do native speakers of Chinese have larger digit spans than native speakers of English? a) It takes less time to say the digits out loud in Chinese than in English (shorter articulation length) b) They have greater working memory capacity c) They have more experience with numbers d) The pictorial nature of the language lets them exploit the phonological loop and the visuo-spatial sketchpad

12) Suppose I showed a set of participants 10 pictures and after a delay of a week, they were 80% correct at recognizing the studied pictures. What might I expect performance to be like if I instead showed them 1000 pictures (and also tested at a week). a) They’d most likely score ~50% correct b) They’d most likely score ~70% correct c) They’d most likely score ~80% correct d) They’d most likely score ~100% correct

13) Which of the following is not an aspect of Ramon y Cajal’s neuron doctrine: a) Neurons are made of the same 4 basic parts. b) Where neurons come together, they physically touch so that together they form a large, single, physically interconnected network c) Information enters through the body and dendrites, flows through the axon and out the presynaptic terminals. d) Communication happens at the synapse

14) Which is not a part of a neuron: a) Dendrites b) The axon c) The dorsal root d) Presynaptic terminals

15) What happens at the presynaptic terminal? a) An electrical signal (the action potential) becomes a chemical signal (neurotransmitter release) b) Vesicles are present that store neurotransmitters c) Neither “A” nor “B” d) Both “A” and “B”.

16) LTP refers to: a) Listen-Think-Process b) Long-term potentiation c) Longevity through probiotics d) Long term brain potential

17) What contribution to the field of neuroscience is attributed to Donald Hebb? a) He first discovered long-term potentiation b) He proposed that the firing history of two neurons could alter the strength of connection between the 2 neurons c) He performed detailed studies of brain neuroanatomy using the Golgi method d) He developed the first methods for recording large numbers of neurons in the brains of behaving animals

18) If we block NMDA receptors in the hippocampus and test an animal’s memory and LTP in the hippocampus, we would expect to see a) Reduced LTP but no effect on memory b) Reduced memory but no effect on LTP c) Increased memory and increased LTP d) Reduced LTP and reduced LTP

19) If we increase NMDA receptors in the hippocampus and test an animal’s memory and LTP in the hippocampus, we would expect to see a) Reduced LTP but no effect on memory b) Reduced memory but no effect on LTP c) Increased memory and increased LTP d) Reduced LTP and reduced LTP

20) By injecting various compounds into the brain, scientists have been able to a) Increase the strength of memory formation b) Decrease the strength of memory formation c) Erase existing memories d) All of the above

21) Moderate levels of stress hormones present at the time of or shortly after learning will a) Boost later memory b) Impair later memory c) Boost memory for the negative aspects and impair memory for the positive aspects d) Have no effect on later memory

22) In humans and in rats, the beta-blocker propranolol has been found to: a) Impair memory in general b) Reduce the boost that strong emotions or stress gives to memory c) Improve memory in general d) Improve the boost emotion or stress gives to memory

23) What does chronic or severe acute forms of stress do to the hippocampus? a) Retracts dendritic spines on the neurons b) Kills neurons c) Reduces LTP in the neurons d) All of the above

24) What condition(s) have not been tied to a volume loss in the hippocampus? a) Depression b) Aging c) Use of sleep medications d) All of the above have been tied to a volume loss in the hippocampus

25) Which of the following is not true? a) Older sleep medications had substantial effects on the amount of REM and NREM sleep b) Older sleep medications produced a sedative effect c) Newer sleep medications (e.g., Ambien) have no adverse effects on the amount of REM and NREM sleep d) The amount of REM and NREM sleep will affect memory performance

26) If you stay up much if not all of the night and use caffeine to keep you awake, what kind of effect should you expect on how well you can learn information the next day? a) Your learning the next day would be the same as if you’d slept and better than if you hadn’t used caffeine b) Your learning the next day would be worse than if you’d slept but better than if you hadn’t used caffeine c) Your learning the next day would be worse than if you’d slept and no better than if you hadn’t used caffeine d) Your learning the next day would be worse than if you’d slept and also worse than if you hadn’t used caffeine

27) Which of the following is true about the relationship between sleep and memory? a) Sleep after learning helps consolidate the day’s memories b) Sleep before learning (being well-rested) improves new learning c) During sleep, we see “replay” of the day’s events d) All of the above

28) Which area(s) of the brain is (are) most sensitive to age-related volume reductions? a) The hippocampus b) The entire prefrontal cortex (PFC) c) The amygdala d) All of the above

29) If I show people a list of words that is missing a highly related word (e.g., “door, glass, pane, shade, …” but not the word “window”), how often should I expect people to falsely remember the highly related word? a) Neither younger nor older people would falsely remember the related word much b) Older, but not younger individuals would falsely remember the related word much c) Younger and older individuals would both falsely remember the related word to the same degree d) Younger and older individuals would both falsely remember the related word, but older individuals would do this even more often

30) As we age, details of an event and the ‘gist” of an event are a) Both strongly impaired by aging b) Detail memory would show clear affects of aging but basic gist would show small or no effects c) Basic gist memory would show clear affects of aging but detail memory would show small or no effects d) Both would be affected by aging once past 60 years old, but have little if any effect before that.

31) The leading cause of dementia and affecting a majority of cases is: a) Alzheimer’s disease b) Vascular Dementia c) Age-related neuronal impairment d) Stress-related neuropathology

32) The second leading cause of dementia and affecting approximately a quarter of all cases is: a) Mad Cow Disease (Bovine Encephalopathy) b) Parkinsonian dementia c) Traumatic brain injury-related dementia d) Vascular dementia emory loss, giving us an opportunity to learn what’s different

33) Which of the following is not true of Area 46 in the prefrontal cortex? a) It plays a critical role in executive functioning b) It shows a loss of synaptic density and dendritic spines with aging c) It shows a volume loss (physically shrinks) with aging d) It shows a loss of neurons with aging

34) What has been found in studies of “successful agers” such as those in Kawas’ 90+ study? a) They typically have “good diets” with fruits and vegetables b) They typically consume some alcohol and some caffeine c) They typically have slightly higher blood pressure and BMI d) All of the above

35) Which of the following is true about fronto-temporal dementia (FTD)? a) It’s associated with the presence of alpha synuclein b) It’s associated with Bradykinesia c) It’s associated with impulsiveness and inappropriate social behaviors d) It’s very difficult to detect using neuroimaging

36) What is the relationship between the term “dementia” and Alzheimer’s Disease? a) Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease are two totally separate concepts b) Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease are synonymous c) Dementia is a particular kind of Alzheimer’s Disease d) Alzheimer’s Disease is a particular kind of dementia

37) Dr. Stark mentioned several times that there is a growing link between good heart health (blood pressure, cholesterol, exercise, obesity, etc.) and good brain health. Why? a) Heart health has been linked to the rate of Alzheimer’s Disease b) Heart health has been linked to the rate of Vascular Dementia c) Heart health is a prominent factor in the successful agers d) All of the above

38) Which of the following does not appear to elevate the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease? a) Diabetes b) Head trauma c) Infrequent social interactions d) None of the above. They all appear to elevate the risk.

39) In the normal population, what is the risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease before death for those over the age of 85? a) One in every 2 b) One in every 3 c) One in every 5 d) One in every 10

40) Which of the following is not true of Parkinson’s Disease? a) It’s associated with loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra b) It’s associated with motor symptoms (tremor, rigidity, slow motion) c) It’s associated with auditory hallucinations d) It’s associated with executive dysfunction and memory deficits

41) What tool can we use to confidently diagnose that someone has Alzheimer’s Disease while the patient is still living? a) Genetic assays b) Cognitive tests c) Brain scans d) Nothing can confidently diagnose it before death still.

42) Given the current research, which of the following should supplements you add into your diet to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease? a) Ginko biloba b) DHA (Omega-3 fatty acid) supplements c) Vitamin E or other antioxidants d) None of the above. All have failed to show positive effects in supplement form.

43) Which of the following showed positive results for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease in Phase III clinical trials? a) Axona (Ketasyn, derived from coconut oil) b) Alzhemed (Tramiprostate, derived from seaweed) c) Huperzine A (derived from Chinese moss extract) d) None of the above has shown positive results in Phase III clinical trials.

44) Which of the following is an FDA-approved treatment that will slow the course of Alzheimer’s Disease? a) Donepezil (Aricept) b) Memantine (Namenda) c) Rivastigmine (Elexor) d) None of the above will slow the course of Alzheimer’s Disease 45) What can brain training regimens do for you? a) They can train fundamental cognitive abilities that are used in many day to day tasks b) They can make you “smarter” c) They can provide cognitive stimulation that may slow age-related cognitive decline or may lower the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease d) All of the above

46) If I show a chess expert and a non-expert chess boards with many pieces on them, what should I expect of their ability to recreate the boards from memory? a) Experts and non-experts will each get ~7 pieces correctly placed no matter what kind of positions the pieces were in. b) Experts and non-experts will each get ~4 pieces correctly placed no matter what kind of positions the pieces were in. c) Experts will get as many as 20 correct and non-experts far, far fewer no matter what kind of positions the pieces were in d) Experts will get as many as 20 correct if the positions came from a valid game. If the pieces were random, they will do as well as non-experts and get far, far fewer correct.

47) You got to see videos of several people with truly exceptional memory. When asked what they did on random dates in their adult lives, they could accurately tell you. What have they told us about memory? a) There are people who can accurately recall any kind of information for decades, showing us that there are real “superior learners” b) That being a “calendar calculator” gives a large boost to our memory performance by helping organize the information c) That using diaries gives a large boost to our memory performance by helping synthesize the day’s events d) None of the above

48) Dr. Stark talked about several ways to get into better memory habits – several things we could all do to improve our ability to learn new information. Which one of these is something you should not do. a) Exploit the “depth of processing effect” and use elaboration or think of the information in several different ways at encoding b) Exploit the “test effect” and devote more time to testing yourself than to studying c) Exploit the “massed practice effect” and focus all your studying in a single episode to engrain the information most strongly. d) Exploit the “intentional learning effect” by making sure you tell yourself you want to know the information

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Date: _____ / _____ / 2013