Brain and Behavior

Question 1

What is the limbic system?

Answer 1

Neural system associated with emotions and drives

Includes the amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus.

Question 2

What functions does the brainstem control?

Answer 2

Automatic survival functions

Includes heartbeat and breathing.

Question 3

What is the role of the medulla?

Answer 3

Controls heartbeat and breathing

Question 4

What does the pons help coordinate?

Answer 4

Movement and control sleep

Question 5

What are the functions of the cerebellum?

Answer 5

Judgment of time, discrimination of sound and texture, emotional control, coordination of voluntary movement

Also helps process and store memories.

Question 6

What does MRI stand for and what does it do?

Answer 6

Magnetic Resonance Imaging; produces images of soft tissue using magnetic fields and radio waves

Question 7

What is functional MRI (fMRI) used for?

Answer 7

Revealing blood flow and brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans

Question 8

What is the thalamus?

Answer 8

The brain’s sensory control center located at the top of the brainstem

Question 9

What is the role of the reticular formation?

Answer 9

Acts as a filter that relays important information to other brain areas and controls arousal

Question 10

What are dreams?

Answer 10

Sequences of images, emotions, and thoughts during sleep

Question 11

Name one theory about why we dream.

Answer 11

To satisfy our own wishes, file away memories, develop and preserve neural pathways, make sense of neural static, reflect cognitive development

These are various theories proposed to explain the purpose of dreams.

Question 12

What is the function of acetylcholine (ACh)?

Answer 12

Enables muscle action, learning, and memory

Question 13

What is the main role of dopamine?

Answer 13

Influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion

Question 14

True or False: An oversupply of serotonin is linked to depression.

Answer 14

False

An undersupply of serotonin is linked to depression.

Question 15

What does the central nervous system consist of?

Answer 15

The brain and spinal cord

Question 16

What are the two main parts of the peripheral nervous system?

Answer 16

Somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system

Question 17

What is insomnia?

Answer 17

Recurring problems in falling or staying asleep

Question 18

What is narcolepsy?

Answer 18

Sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks

Question 19

What is the role of the corpus callosum?

Answer 19

Connects both brain hemispheres and carries messages between them

Question 20

What is neuroplasticity?

Answer 20

The brain’s ability to change and reorganize itself

Question 21

What is the all-or-none response in neurons?

Answer 21

Neuron’s reaction of either firing or not firing

Question 22

What is the function of the somatosensory cortex?

Answer 22

Registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

Question 23

What happens during REM sleep?

Answer 23

The brain’s motor cortex is active, but the brainstem blocks its messages

Question 24

What is the biological clock?

Answer 24

Internal biological clock regulating 24-hour cycles

Question 25

What are alpha waves?

Answer 25

Brain waves detected when an individual is awake but relaxed

Question 26

What is the significance of delta waves?

Answer 26

Characterizes deep sleep stage (NREM-3)

Question 27

What does reuptake refer to?

Answer 27

Reabsorption of a neurotransmitter by the sending neuron

Question 28

What are neurotransmitters?

Answer 28

Chemicals that cross synaptic gaps to carry messages to other neurons or muscles

Question 29

What is the role of Kish in navigating his surroundings?

Answer 29

Kish engages the brain’s visual centers to navigate despite being blind

Kish’s brain shows flexibility in compensating for the lack of sight.

Question 30

What is a neuron?

Answer 30

A nerve cell that is the basic building block of the nervous system

Neurons consist of dendrites and axons.

Question 31

What do dendrites do in a neuron?

Answer 31

Dendrites listen

They receive signals from other neurons.

Question 32

What do axons do in a neuron?

Answer 32

Axons speak

They transmit signals away from the neuron.

Question 33

What is an action potential?

Answer 33

A nerve impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

It is essential for neural communication.

Question 34

What are glial cells?

Answer 34

Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons

They play a vital role in learning, thinking, and memory.

Question 35

What is the synapse?

Answer 35

The junction between the axon tip of a sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of a receiving neuron

It is crucial for communication between neurons.

Question 36

What is the synaptic gap?

Answer 36

A tiny gap at the synapse

It separates the sending and receiving neurons.

Question 37

How do neurons communicate?

Answer 37

Through electrical impulses and neurotransmitters

This process involves action potentials and synaptic transmission.

Question 38

What is the function of neurotransmitters?

Answer 38

They influence communication between neurons

Different neurotransmitters have various effects on mood, perception, and behavior.

Question 39

What is the function of glial cells in relation to neurons?

Answer 39

They provide nutrients and myelin

Myelin is crucial for the proper conduction of electrical impulses along axons.