Brain Bee Preparation

There are 11 complete chapters in the Brain Facts and could be divided as follows:

Chapter Chapter Number of  Person  

Questions 
1 Neuron 15‐20  Howell Fu 
2 Brain Development (20Q)

3 Sensation and Perception (15Q) 15  Jesse Zhang 

4 Learning, Memory and Language (15Q) 15  Jasper Little 

5 Movement (15Q) 15  Lincoln Ye 

 
6 Sleep + Stress 15‐20  Henry Yuen 
7 Ageing (20Q)
 
8a Neural Disorders Part I: (we need to cover the 15  Qiheng Yang 
neural disorders quite extensively)
Addiction -->Brain Tumors (inclusive) (15Q)

8b Neural Disorders Part II: (we need to cover the 15  Bathiya Ratnayake
neural disorders quite extensively)
Down Syndrome --> Pain (inclusive) (15Q)
 

8c Neural Disorders Part III: (we need to cover the 15  Sanjay Patel 
neural disorders quite extensively)
Parkinsons' --> Tourette Syndrome (inclusive)
(15Q)

9 New Diagnostic Methods (10Q) 10  Jun Young Lee 

 
10 Potential Therapy (10Q) 10  Daniel Hidajat 
 

The questions for the more important sections will be well‐covered.  The total number of questions 
will be about 140. 50% for Individual challenge, 50% for mock challenge.  
Please send this to all team members. 

 Make questions of varying levels of difficulty, particularly leaning towards ones dealing with the 
more tricky/difficult/obscure details (as these are apparently picked on in the real challenge) 
 The specific questions will be collated to form one long document ‐ actual questions asked 
generated randomly. 
 Format questions documents follows (for ease of reference).:e.g 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Chapter 8A 
 8A Q1: What is the percentage of the American population where drugs are abused on a regular 
basis? 
8A Q2: ......................................................? 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Neuro Questions Chapt 1&2 The Neuron & Brain Development:

1. What is the difference between oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells?

2. How fast (roughly) can an action potential travel?
3. About how many years ago was ACh discovered?
4. What does GABA stand for?
5. Name one benzodiazepine.
6. Which are the catecholamines?
7. What is Korsakoff's Syndrome?
8. What does cAMP stand for and what enzyme makes it?
9. From what embryonic structure does the eye develop?
10. What do ectodermic cells form?
11. Sonic hedgehog governs the differentiation of tissue into which cell types?
12. What structures guide developing axons?
13. What is apoptosis and how is it triggered?
14. Name the four regions of the nervous system.
15. Which area of the brain is the last to be myelinated?

 
 
  Chapter 3 Sensation and Perception Jesse 
3 Q1: What does the visual process begin by comparing?   

3 Q2: What is the name of the place where the optic nerves from each eye cross over?   

3 Q3: Where in the brain is the lateral geniculate nucleus found?   

3 Q4: How many visual processing systems are there and what do they do?   

3 Q5: Where is the tectorial membrane located in the ear?   

3 Q6: Describe how sound travels from the outer ear to the cochlea in detail.   

3 Q7: Which membrane do hair cells in the cochlea ride on?   

3 Q8: How are the left auditory cortex and the right auditory cortex different?   

3 Q9: What is the name of the protuberances in which taste buds are embedded?   

3 Q10: How many taste buds do humans have?   

3 Q11: How many specialised sensory cells does each taste bud consist of?   

3 Q12: Where are olfactory receptor cells found?   

3 Q13: What is the name given to the sensory fibres that respond to tissue‐damaging stimuli?   

3 Q14: What is the function of prostaglandins?   

3 Q15: Why does pain often remain even after the harmful stimulus has been removed (explain in 
terms of the different neurones involved)?   
Chapter 5 Movement
1， What are muscle fibers controlled by?
2， Complete the sentence: Skilled movements are started by a)_____________ and stopped by
b)___________________.
3， Receptors in muscles are called muscle _____________.
4， What senses the force applied by the muscle, and is located in the muscle tendons?
5， Actions by muscles can be separated into two main groups, v_________ and i__________.
6， Where is the v________ (your answer to the first part of 5) actions controlled in the brain.
7, Multi choice, choose 3 parts of the brain, which are involved in movement

Pons, oblongata medulla, movement cortex, basal ganglia, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdale,
cerebellum, cerebrum, thalamus, hindbrain.

8, What does Parkinson’s disease cause?

9, a depletion of what neurotransmitter, causes the Parkinson disease?
10, What substance, can regenerate the depleted neurotransmitter mentioned above?

Answers

Answers:
1, alpha motor neuron in the brain
2, a,agonists b,antagonists
3, spindles
4, golgi tendon organs
5, voluntary and involuntary.
6, motor cortex
7, thalamus, basal ganglia, cerebellum,
And movement cortex does not exist for the record.
8, movement disorders, rigidity
9, dopamine.
10, levodopa
Chapter 6: Sleep + Stress (Henry)

1) How many people in USA are affected by sleep disorders?

2) What is the cost of sleeping disorders a year? What accounts for this cost?
3) What machine is used to examine human brain waves during sleep?
4) What is the time period over which the first phase of slow wave sleep occurs, according to
research?
5) What is atonia?
6) What muscles are not paralysed by atonia?
7) How long does the first REM period last?
8) In what phase of sleep to infants spend most time in?
9) How many hours do infants sleep a day?
10) What is the most common sleeping disorder?
11) Insomnia manifests itself in more than one form. Describe two ways.
12) What type of drugs can help insomniacs?
13) How do these drugs work (from Q 12) ?
14) What is the name given to the disorder when as sleep deepens, airway muscles relax until the
airway is closed, causing arousal from sleep?
15) What is the common name for Wittmaack-Ekbom's Syndrome?
16) How does Periodic Limb Movements of sleep arouse one from sleep?
17) What is the name of the disorder where muscles fail to become paralysed during REM, and
dreams are 'acted out'?
18) Periodic Limb Movements disorder and the above disorder Q17 is common with with
disease?
19) Name a drug which is used to treat the two disorders in Q18- also name the type of drug it is
classified under.
20) How does Narcolepsy work?
21) What chemical is missing in narcoleptics?
22) Define hypnagogic hallucination?
23) What is the name given to attacks of paralysis where control over muscles is lost, and can be
triggered by emotional experiences?
24) Name the 4 main monoamines.
25) What is the meaning of cholinergic?
26) Damage to which part of the brain causes irreversible insomnia?
27) Which neurotransmitter produced by a group of nerve cells promotes wakefulness and
suppresses REM?
28) What chemical does caffeine block?
29) Account for the 4 locations through which impulses are passed to regulate the brain's
circadian timing system and sleep cycles? (Hint: they have long names)
Stress
30) What is another informal name for cortisol?
31) What are the two branches under the autonomic nervous system?
32) What are the two major stress hormones?
33) Account for the difference between epinephrine and norepinephrine.
34) What do adrenal glands secrete?
35) What is the formal name for cortisol?
36) When do cortisol levels peak in a 24 hour period?
37) Account for the production of epinephrine? (*)
38) When cortisol levels are very high, what happens to the hippocampus?
39) Define autoimmune disorders?
40) Which two synthetic glucocorticoids suppress the immune system?
41) Where is corticotrophin releasing hormone released and where does it act?
42) Where is adrenocorticotrophin released and where does it act?
Chapter 7 Ageing (Henry)

1) Who was the oldest woman and how old was her when she died in 1997 (give your answer in
the number of years and days)?
2) What was the average life expectancy in 1900?
3) More than what percentage of the population was older than 65 in 2003?
4) What fraction of people over 85 are affected by senile dementia?
5) What is the difference between normal ageing and Alzheimers'?
6) In research conducted, what significant function improves as ageing progresses?
7) What happens to the remaining neurons when the circuitry begins to break down with ageing?
8) In which main cortical Areas are the most neurons retained during ageing?
9) At what age does the brain reach its maximum weight?
10) Outline the structure of the basal ganglia
11) Outline the structure of the passacaglia.
Chapter 8A Neural Diseases 

8A Q1. What are the two types of drugs classed under Psychostimulants? 

8A Q2.What toxin had showed effectiveness in treating brain tumour and what does it do? 

8A Q 3.What does GHB stand for and what is it known as? 

8A Q 4. What was the first effective treatment of OCD inspired by? 

8A Q 5.Mutation in a gene that codes for what that is responsible for some forms of ALS? 

8A Q 6. How do opiates work after they are taken into the body? 

8A Q 7.What are the lifetime prevalence rate of PTSD in the United States? 

8A Q 8. Why are the effects of Nicotine dangerous? 

8A Q 9.What can you tell us about the prevalence of Bipolar disorder in the US? 

8A Q 10.How are the short term memory problems caused by Marijuana explained? 
Chapter 8B Brain Bee Questions 

DOWN SYNDROME 
1. Q‐How prevalent in babies is Down syndrome? 
2. Q‐What chromosome is typically associated with this disease? 
3. Q‐ How can you accurately detect Down syndrome? 
4. Q‐How many characteristics approximately is Down syndrome associated with? 
DYSLEXIA 
5. Q‐what approximate percentage of America have some sort of learning disability? 
6. Q‐what percentage of all identified Americans as having learning disabilities does Dyslexia 
affect? 
7. Q‐What is the process of converting letters to sounds of the language termed? 
8. Q‐What is Broca’s Area? 
9. Q‐What are risk alleles? 
HUNTINGTONS 
10. Q‐Huntingtons killed which folk singer in 1967? 
11. Q‐When does Huntingtons usually appear? 
12. Q‐What 2 primary areas does Huntingtons normally affect 
13. Q‐What is the genetic cause for HD? 
Major Depression 
14. Q‐How many more times are depressed individuals likely of conducting suicide? 
15. Q‐What percentage of the American population is affected by major Depression annually? 
16. Q‐What delicate system involving the hypothalamus and pituitary and adrenalglands does 
this desease affect? 
17. Q‐What stress, hormone do depressed patients excrete excessively? 
18. Q‐what two transmitters do most antidepressant drugs usually affect? 
19. Q‐what do monoamine oxidase inhibitors do? 
20. Q‐what does SSRIs stand for? 
21. Q‐What are SSRIs similar to with their function? 

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS 
22. Q‐How much does the US lose annually for families with MS? 
23. Q‐In Ms what part of the neurone is thought to be believed is acted upon as foreign tissue? 
24. Q‐What are lesions or plaques in association with MS? 
25. Q‐what climates is MS more prevalent in? 
26. Q‐What are contractures? 
NEURALOGICAL AIDS 
27. Q‐How many people in the world are living with HIV? 
28. Q‐What is a Cytokine? 
29. Q‐what protein secreted by infected cells is suspected of neurotoxicity? 
30. Q‐what happens to the brains of these patients? 
NEURALOGICAL TRAUMA 
31. Q‐what is the approximate economic cost of those living with traumatic injury? 
32. Q‐what is oedema? 
 33. Q‐what percentage of moderate to severe head injury deaths was cut by the hormone 
progesterone in a clinical trial? 
34. Q‐to reduce intracranial presseure doctors may remove part of the skull to allow the brain to 
swell, what is this process called? 
35. Q‐spinal cord injuries may become less severly impaired if they receive high doses of which 
steroid drug within eight hours? 
36. Q‐what is the process of giving birth to new nerve cells termed? 
PAIN 
37. Q‐local anaesthesia affects which ion channel? 
38. Q‐What are the four types of analgesias? 
39. Q‐what area are opiate receptors concentrated in the body? 
40. Q‐what is the peripheral nerve fiber that initially responds to injury? 

 
Chapter 8C 
8C Q1: In the event of a stroke free radicals are released. What does it cause damage to?    
8C Q2: Which neurobiological disorder is characterised by vocal and motor tics?  
8C Q3: What do antiepileptics drug, which are administered to epileptic patients, target?  
8C Q4: What causes Parkinson’s disease? 
8C Q5: What substance is added to levadopa and what does it prevent? 
8C Q6: What are typical symptoms of Parkinson’s disease?  
8C Q7: The surgical removal of which nuclei reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s? 
8C Q8: Approximately what percentage of the American population is affected by schizophrenia? 
8C Q9: What percentage of patients die from stroke?  
8C Q10: The use of which arm after a stroke can aid in recovery, the affected arm or the          
unaffected arm? 
8C Q11: There are two types of epilepsies, what are they?   
8C Q12: An implantable pacemakerlike device can be implanted in epileptic patients. Via what 
cranial nerve does the signal travel and what type of epilepsy does it reduce the frequency of?  
8C Q13: Name one the stimulant drugs given to TS patients. 
8C Q14: TS patients often have other associated conditions (e.g. learning difficulties). Name 
another associated conditions. 
8C Q15: What are the annual costs of schizophrenia? 
 
Answers 
1) Endothelium of the blood vessel and mitochondria of the neurons  
2) Tourette syndrome 
3) Ion channels and neurotransmitters receptors  
4) Low levels of dopamine due to the death of dopamine‐producing neurons in the substantia                           
nigra  
5) Carbidopa, it prevents the peripheral breakdown of dopamine 
6) Slowness of movement, muscular rigidity, tremor and postural instability  
7) The pallidum and the subthalamic nucleus 
8) 1% 
9) 21.4% 
10) The unaffected arm  
11) General seizures and partial epilepsies  
12) Via the vagus (X) nerve and reduces the frequency of partial epilepsies   
13) Methylphenidate or dextroamphetamine  
14) Obsessive thoughts or compulsive rituals or difficulties with attention  
15) $32.5 billion 
Chapter 9 New Diagnostic Methods

1. What does PET stand for?

Positron Emission Tomography
2. How does PET measure changes in the blood flow?
It detects radioactivity emitted when positrons get carried in the blood and flow into
different brain areas in proportion to blood flow.
3. What does SPECT stand for
Single Photon Computed Tomography
4. How is SPECT different from PET
It’s less expensive but less detailed than PET
5. How long does MRI processing last?
15 minutes
6. How is MRS different from MRI?
It measures the concentrations of specific chemicals in different parts of the brain instead
of blood flow
7. What’s a recently developed technique that detects magnetic fields emitted by neurons?
Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
8. What two methods work well together to enable more precise understanding of the brain
activity in health and disease?
fMRI and MEG
9. What technique uses waves of frequencies high enough to render a human skull
transparent? What category does this frequency belong to in the EM spectrum?
Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS), Infrared (approx.)
10. What is the most common case of inherited mental retardation of males? And what gene
is responsible for this? Where is this gene found?
Fragile X mental retardation, FMR1, on the X chromosome.

JunYoung LEE
Brain Bee Potential Therapy Questions

1. How is the potency of an agent determined?

By how well it attaches to a receptor or other protein target.
2. What are trophic factors?
Factors which control the development and survival of specific groups of neurons.
3. How can antibodies be engineered to prevent/cure neurological diseases?
By tricking the body into attacking proteins that cause neurological diseases by effectively
'vaccinating' patients against these proteins.
4. What risk is there in 'vaccinating' patients with these antibodies?
The brain may react to these antibodies trying to eradicate its proteins negatively, and may cause
increased inflammation for example.
5. How do scientists plan to treat patients with neurological disease using potential therapy
techniques?
They insert genetic material for a beneficial neurotransmitter or trophic factor into stem cells or a
virus. The cells or virus are then put into a syringe and injected into the patient where they will
produce the beneficial molecule.
6. How can viruses be used to correct neurological diseases?
They can be used as 'Trojan Horses' which carry therapeutic genes which help correct the diseases
of the nervous system.
7. How can drugs aid the prevention of neurological disease?
They can be tested using high-throughput screening to alter a cellular property that represents an
important part of a disease process, thus preventing the disease from effectively forming.
8. What happens to proteins in many neurodegenerative diseases?
The proteins misfold and or clump abnormally, and in some cases there is an accumulation of
abnormal proteins.
9. What are stem cells?
Stem cells are unspecialised cells which give rise to cells with specific functions in the brain and
spinal cord.
10. Stem cells can continually produce all three major cell types of the brain, what are these
cells?
They are neurons, astrocytes (cells which nourish and protect neurons) and oligodendrocytes.