Quiz: Are you smarter than a Brain Bee contestant?

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/brain.jpg.jpg” caption=”Canadian high school students will engage in a battle of the brains this weekend at McMaster as they put their knowledge of neuroscience to the test at the Canadian National Brain Bee. File photo.”]Canadian high schoolers will converge at McMaster this weekend for a battle of the
brains.

The students, winners of regional Brain Bee contests, will compete at the Canadian
National Brain Bee. The competition tests budding neuroscientists on topics such as
memory, sleep, intelligence, emotion, perception, stress, aging, brain-imaging,
neurology, neurotransmitters, genetics and brain disease.

Winners are awarded scholarships of $1,500, $1,000 and $500, and the first place
winner will represent Canada at the International Brain Bee from July 22 to 27 in
Cape Town, South Africa.

How would you do at the Brain Bee? Answers to these sample questions are below.

1) Approximately how many neurons does the brain contain?

2) Name the device that measures brain waves?

3) Prozac relieves symptoms of depression by affecting which neurotransmitter?

4) The Greek word for the branches of a tree give us the name of what part of a neuron?

5) Name the surgical procedure that destroys part of the basal ganglia and helps
Parkinson's patients.

6) The biological clock is located in what part of the brain?

7) Name a brain disorder named after a famous baseball player.

8) Name the peptide that accumulates in the senile plaques of brains of Alzheimer's
patients.

9) What chromosome is altered to cause Huntington's disease?

10) The abbreviation PET stands for what brain imaging technique?

Answers:

1) 100 billion
2) Electroencephalograph
3) Serotonin
4) Dendrites
5) Pallidotomy
6) Hypothalamus
7) Lou Gehrig's disease
8) Beta-Amyloid
9) Four
10) Positron Emission Tomography