Who has done insight 2012 trial exam??

[molllz]

Did it and the short answer questions were just so hard,
How did you find them??!

[dzzhao]

It was cake, just realize that the "physiological effects" of long-term alcoholism isnt really in the course, though for close measure just remember its the scarring of the tissue in the liver which can cause impaired functioning

And also, the last short-answer question which refers to how does MRI diagnose alzheimer's is completely stupid, you cannot diagnose alzheimers with MRI as the amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are way too small to be seen by a MRI, structural damage can be observed but a MRI cant DIAGNOSE alzheimers.

[emilyhobbes]

They were difficult in that they kind of involved connected different dot points from the study design, but it's good practice for extended response I thought the alcohol question was irrelevant and that 3a with the RAS was a little tricky, but most of them were okay 

[zvezda]

You would be able to diagnose Alzheimers. MRI would construct a 3-D image of the brain atrophy 

[zvezda]

what was the question about the RAS?

[emilyhobbes]

Alzheimer's can't actually be properly diagnosed till the postmortem autopsy when they find the plaques and tangles, but MRI would help figure out that it's probably Alzheimer's.

The question on the RAS was like, "Thomas has just bought the game "Grand Theft Auto" and is trying really hard to master each level. Explain this behaviour in terms of Thomas' state of consciousness and how the RAS would respond as Thomas plays the game. In your answer, refer to the specific functions and structures of the RAS as he plays" (4 marks)

 

[dzzhao]

You would be able to diagnose Alzheimers. MRI would construct a 3-D image of the brain atrophy

It's not possible to physically diagnose alzheimer's until after a person has died, we don't have the technology to microscopically zoom in to detect plaques and tangles inside and around small small neurons.

Yes, you can see atrophy, but to diagnose it as alzheimers?  That is the wrong term to use, atrophy could be due to other neurodegenerative diseases like parkinson's, a MRI can not know for sure that the atrophy was caused by alzheimers.

A better structure for that question would of been how could an MRI detect changes to someone who has been diagnosed with alzheimer's (already).

[zvezda]

ok fair enough. Although in the Oxford textbook it does say that the MRI can distinguish between cancerous and non-cancerous cells? I have no background in biology so this may sound stupid

[zvezda]

Alzheimer's can't actually be properly diagnosed till the postmortem autopsy when they find the plaques and tangles, but MRI would help figure out that it's probably Alzheimer's.

The question on the RAS was like, "Thomas has just bought the game "Grand Theft Auto" and is trying really hard to master each level. Explain this behaviour in terms of Thomas' state of consciousness and how the RAS would respond as Thomas plays the game. In your answer, refer to the specific functions and structures of the RAS as he plays" (4 marks)

 

ok thanks. btw what was the marking scheme for that question?

[emilyhobbes]

Mark allocation
 1 mark for identifying that the RAS regulates awareness (function).
 1 mark for identifying that Thomas would be using selective attention (function).
 1 mark for explaining that the higher level of attention would result in a higher level of
activation of the neurons of the RAS (function and structure).
 1 mark for indicating that there would be increased blood flow in the region of the RAS
(function).