Exam Questions 2021

Question 1

The fastest response system to acute stress is the
a) GABA system
b) HPA axis
c) Mineralocorticoid system
d) Autonomic nervous system

Answer 1

d) Autonomic nervous system

Question 2

Which answer is wrong? The core features of schizophrenia include:
a) Inflated sense of self-importance
b) Social withdrawal
c) Delusions and paranoia
d) Cognitive dysfunction

Answer 2

a) Inflated sense of self-importance

Question 3

Which answer is correct? Direct current stimulation
a) works via anodal and cathodal stimulation
b) is an invasive brain stimulation technique
c) exclusively activates inhibitory interneurons
d) exclusively impacts long term potentiation

Answer 3

a) works via anodal and cathodal stimulation

Question 4

Which of the following is true? An aphasia
a) is a disorder of speech but not writing
b) affects language production but usually not language comprehension
c) is most commonly the result of degenerative disease
d) interferes with all aspects of language competence

Answer 4

d) interferes with all aspects of language competence

Question 5

In-vivo exposure is seen as a core element of cognitive behavioral therapy for patients with agoraphobia. How should they ideally behave during exposure?
a) They should accept the increase of anxiety up to a certain point and apply relaxation techniques in case of extreme anxiety.
b) They should accept the increase of anxiety, not apply avoidance or safety behavior, and wait until anxiety decreases by itself.
c) They should constantly switch attention between anxiety provoking stimuli and distraction strategies.
d) They should leave the anxiety provoking situation in case of extreme anxiety and re-start exposure with a low level of anxiety.

Answer 5

b) They should accept the increase of anxiety, not apply avoidance or safety behavior, and wait until anxiety decreases by itself.

Question 6

On which receptor does psilocybin mostly act?
a) Mu opioid receptor
b) Dopamine receptor
c) GABA receptor
d) Serotonin 2A receptor

Answer 6

d) Serotonin 2A receptor

Question 7

Which one of the following is false?
a) Deep brain stimulation can restore dopaminergic levels in nigrostriatal cells.
b) Difficult to treat levodopa-associated bothersome dyskineasias may be an indication for deep brain stimulation.
c) Deep brain stimulation can induce behavioral changes.
d) Deep brain stimulation can improve Parkinsonian motor symptoms.

Answer 7

a) Deep brain stimulation can restore dopaminergic levels in nigrostriatal cells.

Question 8

Which statement is correct? Neuroplasticity
a) is usually suppressed by antidepressant medication
b) is only possible in the prenatal period and the first two years of life.
c) exclusively happens in hippocampus in mammals
d) is influenced by early life experiences

Answer 8

d) is influenced by early life experiences

Question 9

Cerebral achromatopsia is an acquired deficit of
a) color perception
b) motion perception
c) face perception
d) form perception

Answer 9

a) color perception

Question 10

Which substance is an antagonist against the NMDA-receptor and is often used to induce psychotic experiences in the lab?
a) Ketamin
b) Glutamate
c) Dopamine
d) Serotonine

Answer 10

a) Ketamin

Question 11

Which of the following is an/are effective treatment/s for schizophrenia?
1) antipsychotic medication
2) stimulate medication
3) cognitive behavior therapy
4) social skill training
5) electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

a) 1
b) 1, 2, 5
c) 1, 2, 3
d) 1, 3, 4, 5

Answer 11

d) 1, 3, 4, 5

Question 12

Which intervention or condition usually does not have the potential to increase neuroplasticity?
a) M. Huntington
b) Exercise
c) Juggling
d) Learning to play an instrument

Answer 12

a) M. Huntington

Question 13

What is the hollow mask illusion?
a) perceiving other people as if they wear a mask
b) perceiving the inside of a mask (i.e. concave side) as a convex face
c) perceiving the outside of a mask (i.e. convex side) as an inverted face
d) perceiving one’s own face as if it was a mask

Answer 13

b) perceiving the inside of a mask (i.e. concave side) as a convex face

Question 14

Which diagnostic tools are considered to detect early changes of Alzheimer’s disease?
a) All of the mentioned tools
b) MRI
c) Psychometric tests
d) Biomarker-CSF/PET-Scan

Answer 14

a) All of the mentioned tools

Question 15

Which medication was recently approved in the USA for the treatment of depression?
a) Intranasal Esketamin
b) Intravenous ketamin
c) Psilocybin
d) MDMA

Answer 15

a) Intranasal Esketamin

Question 16

Which one of the following is true? Damage to the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system typically leads to:
a) Gilles de la Tourette syndrome
b) Brainstem myoclonus
c) Parkinsonism
d) Cortical myoclonus

Answer 16

c) Parkinsonism

Question 17

All of the following are true about perception, except
a) Visual signals are processed in a hierarchical fashion, from the retina to the prefrontal cortex and from there to the primary and secondary visual cortex of the brain.
b) The binding problem is the problem of how the unity of conscious perception is brought about by the distributed activities of the central nervous system.
c) Binocular rivalry is a phenomenon of visual perception in which perception alternates between different images presented to each eye.
d) Blindsight is a phenomenon in which people who are perceptually blind in a certain area of their visual field demonstrate some response to visual stimuli, without any qualitative experience (‘qualia’).

Answer 17

a) Visual signals are processed in a hierarchical fashion, from the retina to the prefrontal cortex and from there to the primary and secondary visual cortex of the brain.

Question 18

Which of the following is true? Broca’s aphasia is
a) is diagnosed if the patient can only utter meaningless sounds
b) the most common form of aphasia
c) can be clearly delineated from all other aphasia types
d) is a non-fluent type of aphasia

Answer 18

d) is a non-fluent type of aphasia

Question 19

Which of the following is true? Language is a means of communication which:
a) depends on the integrity of hearing and speaking
b) is defined by the fact that we have words for objects / concepts
c) is developed due to the formal instruction by parents
d) comprises (arbitrary) signs according to a set of rules

Answer 19

d) comprises (arbitrary) signs according to a set of rules

Question 20

Which of the following apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype has the highest lifetime risk for AD-Type dementia?
a) E1/E4
b) E3/E4
c) E3/E3
d) E4/E4

Answer 20

d) E4/E4

Question 21

Agnosia is…
a) …a loss of the ability to produce and/or comprehend language (while there is no deficit in sensory, motor or intellectual functioning and no psychiatric disorder).
b) …a loss of the ability to perform simple mathematical tasks, such as adding, subtracting, multiplying and even simply stating which of two numbers is larger;
c) …a loss of the ability to recognize objects, persons, sounds, shapes, or smells (while the specific sense is not defective nor is there any significant memory loss);
d) …a loss of the ability to execute or carry out learned purposeful movements (despite having the desire and the physical ability to perform the movements);

Answer 21

c) …a loss of the ability to recognize objects, persons, sounds, shapes, or smells (while the
specific sense is not defective nor is there any significant memory loss);

Question 22

Which aspects help to differentiate between generalized tonic clonic epileptic seizures and
syncopes?
1) Syncopes often lead to a loss of conscience that is much shorter than in case of epileptic seizures
2) Eyes are always open during epileptic seizures but always closed during syncopes
3) Epileptic seizures rarely can be assigned to a clear trigger, while syncopes can be triggered by e.g. agitation
4) The time to complete reorientation is long (often > 5 min) for epileptic seizures but less than 1 min for syncopes

a) 1, 2
b) 1, 3, 4
c) All answers are correct
d) Only 1) is correct

Answer 22

b) 1, 3, 4

Question 23

How are seizures classified according to 2017 ILAE classification?

1) By duration (< or > 2 min)
2) By etiology (genetic vs. acquired)
3) By onset region (focal vs. generalized)
4) By eye status (open with/without deviation vs. closed)

a) 1, 2
b) 3, 4
c) Only 1) is correct
d) Only 3) is correct

Answer 23

d) Only 3) is correct

Question 24

Which one of the following is true?
a) The hallmark feature of Tourette syndrome is myoclonus
b) The hallmark feature of Parkinsonism is stooped posture
c) Dystonia is typically associated with epilepsy
d) Dystonia is a disorder of abnormal motor programs

Answer 24

d) Dystonia is a disorder of abnormal motor programs

Question 25

What theorem is often used to explain the emergence of illusions (such as the hollow mask illusion)?
a) Nash’s theorem
b) Bayes’ theorem
c) Pythagoras’ theorem
d) Fermat’s last theorem

Answer 25

b) Bayes’ theorem

Question 26

Which of the following is an evidence-based and recommended pharmacological treatment for social phobia?
a) Anti-inflammatory drugs
b) Serotonin reuptake inhibitors
c) Antipsychotic drugs
d) Lithium

Answer 26

b) Serotonin reuptake inhibitors

Question 27

Several antiepileptic drugs are approved for therapy. What are their mechanisms of action?
1) Antagonistic action on sodium channels
2) Antagonistic action on calcium channels
3) Agonistic action on GABA-A receptors
4) Antagonistic action on AMPA receptors

a) Only 1) is correct
b) 1, 3, 4
c) 1, 2
d) All answers are correct

Answer 27

d) All answers are correct

Question 28

The brain-based mineralocorticoid receptor is associated with…
a) appraisal of the situation and response selection
b) recovery after stress exposure and return to homeostasis.
c) consolidation of memory and behavioral adaptation.
d) preventing the initial response from overshooting

Answer 28

a) appraisal of the situation and response selection

Question 29

Lazarus’ transactional model of stress rests on the assumption that:
a) Stress occurs when the individual’s stress limits are exceeded
b) Stress is caused primarily by adverse environmental factors.
c) Stress arises when the situation is appraised as challenging and one’s coping capacities are appraised as inadequate.
d) In humans, stress is predominantly a social phenomenon

Answer 29

c) Stress arises when the situation is appraised as challenging and one’s coping capacities are appraised as inadequate.

Question 30

Which of the following is true? Schizophrenia is a genetic disorder,
a) and its heritability is around 80%.
b) but it is not heritable.
c) and its heritability is around 10%.
d) and environmental factors are not important

Answer 30

a) and its heritability is around 80%.