1. The following questions concerns evolution and its implications for complex behavior.

Be sure to
answer all of the parts of the questions.

a) Detail the role of orbitofrontal cortex in processing reward and expected value (e.g., gambling, decision
making). Provide two pieces of empirical evidence to support this role.

b) The orbitofrontal cortex is also found in rodents, where its response also tracks the likelihood of reward.
Discuss the implications/limitations of this homology for understanding its function in humans.

c) Consider Ernst Haeckel's phrase "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny" (google it if necessary) and discuss how
the stimuli that drive responses in orbitofrontal cortex might change over the course of the lifespan from infancy
to adulthood in humans. What does this imply for understanding human motivation?

2. This questions concerns the contrast between reductionism and emergentism in the context of
neuroscience.

a) Lay out a reductionist account that grounds a complex behavior (e.g., attention, recognition, awareness) in the
underlying biology.

b) Lay out an emergentist account of the same behavior and be sure to contrast it with the reductionist account.

c) Consider the implications of these two viewpoints for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders related to
your behavior of choice.

3. This questions concerns the implications of grounding consciousness in the underlying biology. Be
sure to answer all the parts.

a) Consider that it is possible to decode decisions from brain activation before they are consciously made. What
does this result imply, if anything, about free will and why?

b) Consider that it is possible to decode responses from the brain activation of comatose patients. Should these
responses be considered in medical decisions and why?

c) Consider the increasingly prevalent demonstrations that animals with very different brains evidence
consciousness and self-awareness (octopuses, dolphins, birds). What does this suggest about the biological basis
of consciousness and why?

4. This question concerns the membrane and its relationship to the action potential. Be sure to answer all
the parts of the question.

a) Describe the ionic basis of the action and resting potential. Be sure to specify which ions and channels are
involved and the timing and method of their operation.

b) Describe EPSPs and IPSPs in terms of their contribution to the action potential and the ions/channels
involved.

c) Describe and contrast saltatory and passive conduction. Be sure to spell out the benefits and costs of each.