The Effect of Ageing on the Nervous System | OCR A-Level Biology B (Advancing Biology) (H422)
The Effect of Ageing on the Nervous System
- 52 questions
- 3 subtopics
- Further biology content, examined on all three papers
- Component 01, Component 02 and Component 03
The Effect of Ageing on the Nervous System is examined in all three written papers — the specification states that Components 01, 02 and 03 can each assess content from any of the five modules, so nothing is confined to one paper.
It covers Alzheimer's disease: symptoms and causes, the effects of ageing on the senses and memory and investigating ageing, reaction times and memory.
Sample questions from The Effect of Ageing on the Nervous System
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Alzheimer's disease: symptoms and causes
Where do beta-amyloid plaques form, and from what?
Show the answer
They form outside the neurones in the spaces between them, from insoluble fragments produced by the abnormal breakdown of a membrane protein called amyloid precursor protein. -
Alzheimer's disease: symptoms and causes
Give two genetic factors that raise the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
Show the answer
Mutations in the gene for amyloid precursor protein or the presenilin genes cause a rare inherited early-onset form, and inheriting the APOE ε4 allele raises the risk of the common late-onset form. -
The effects of ageing on the senses and memory
How does the audiogram of a person with presbycusis differ from that of a young adult?
Show the answer
The threshold is close to normal at low frequencies but rises steeply at high frequencies, so the trace slopes away at the right-hand end in both ears. -
The effects of ageing on the senses and memory
Which part of the visual field is lost first in chronic glaucoma?
Show the answer
Peripheral vision is lost first, while central vision remains sharp until late in the disease. -
Investigating ageing, reaction times and memory
Why is a statistical test needed even when the mean reaction time of the older group is clearly higher?
Show the answer
The values within each group vary widely and overlap, so a test is needed to judge whether a difference between the means this large could reasonably have arisen by chance. -
Investigating ageing, reaction times and memory
What is a confounding variable, and give one that could affect a study of age and reaction time?
Show the answer
A confounding variable is one that varies alongside the independent variable and could itself explain the result, for example poorer eyesight in the older group slowing detection of the falling ruler.
The 3 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Alzheimer's disease: symptoms and causes | Recall questions on dementia and the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles, brain shrinkage, reduced acetylcholine and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, assessment, genetic risk factors including APOE ε4 and Down syndrome, age and modifiable risk factors, and correlation in dementia studies. | 17 |
| The effects of ageing on the senses and memory | Recall questions on structural changes in the ageing brain and slower reactions, presbycusis and reading audiograms, cataracts and their treatment, glaucoma and loss of peripheral vision, dry and wet age-related macular degeneration, and memory loss in normal ageing and dementia. | 18 |
| Investigating ageing, reaction times and memory | Recall questions on comparing reaction times of age groups with a ruler drop test, calculating reaction times and percentage increases, null hypotheses and t-tests, word-list memory tests and their controls, ethics with elderly volunteers, confounding variables, and cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. | 17 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
OCR A-Level Biology B (Advancing Biology) Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,895 questions with their answers.