C2. P3

Question 1

What 3 things does the reticular formation do?

Answer 1

Manages sleep-wake cycle, experience pain, and filtering sensory information

Question 2

What part of the brain is affected during anesthesia to keep us asleep?

Answer 2

Reticular formation

Question 3

What 3 processes keep us asleep during surgery?

Answer 3

Reduce in arousal, initiate unconsciousness, and maintain unconsciousness

Question 4

Your grandpa went to the doctors for an annual checkup. While there, they assessed his brain and found some possible damage in his reticular formation. What could happen as a result?

Answer 4

A permanent coma could arise

Question 5

Your friend has recently been sleepy during school and will fall asleep in her classes. She can’t stay awake for long, even when she sleeps 9 hours a night. Why might this be happening?

Answer 5

A dysfunction in the reticular formation

Question 6

What is the pathway neurons must take to experience conscious pain?

Answer 6

Signals must travel up the spinal cord and be processed in the cerebral cortex. It travels through the reticular formation (surrounded by the spinal cord and thalamus)

Question 7

True or false: The reticular formation can block pain signals from reaching the cortex.

Answer 7

True

Question 8

What is habituation?

Answer 8

Repeated exposure to a sensory stimulus lessens the stimulus’ intensity and stops neurons firing

Question 9

How does the reticular formation and thalamus help with background or constant information?

Answer 9

It filters it out and we barely notice them

Question 10

What is the thalamus connected to?

Answer 10

The midbrain and reticular formation

Question 11

What does the thalamus do?

Answer 11

Route incoming sensory information to the brain’s cortex (except smell)

Question 12

Where does the thalamus send sensory information?

Answer 12

Cerebral cortex

Question 13

What do the parts of the brain do to play a role in the attention orienting process?

Answer 13

Orient conscious attention to the most meaningful things in our environment for us and filter out sensory stimuli that are irrelevant or unimportant

Question 14

The three parts of the brain play a big role in attention orienting process?

Answer 14

Reticular formation, thalamus, and basal ganglia

Question 15

What is the cocktail party phenomenon?

Answer 15

The ability to focus one’s attention to a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli

Question 16

What is the orienting response?

Answer 16

Grabbing and refocusing of conscious attention, largely without our intention

Question 17

What makes up the basal ganglia?

Answer 17

Oddly shaped nuclei that wraps around thalamus and extends into the temporal lobes

Question 18

What three things does the basal ganglia do?

Answer 18

Error detection, reward management, and movement

Question 19

What area of the basal ganglia helps us with error detection?

Answer 19

The area behind the frontal lobe

Question 20

What could be a cause for OCD?

Answer 20

Excessive activity in the error detection area of the basal ganglia

Question 21

What could be a cause for ADHD?

Answer 21

Under activity in the error detection area of the basal ganglia

Question 22

What two parts of the brain work together for the reward system?

Answer 22

Basal ganglia and hypothalamus

Question 23

Which hormone releases in the reward system of the brain?

Answer 23

Dopamine

Question 24

What does the basal ganglia do for the reward system?

Answer 24

It learns from experiences which behaviors are more likely to obtain rewards

Question 25

My dad gambles and goes to the casino everyday. Why does he do this instead of loving me?

Answer 25

The basal ganglia releases dopamine when winning bets, not when he’s spending time with his daughter

Question 26

What structures work with the basal ganglia to smooth our movements?

Answer 26

The cerebellum and midbrain

Question 27

Can the basal ganglia block movement signals?

Answer 27

yes

Question 28

A nurse finds that one of her patients can’t hold a glass of water. When observed, she noticed that her hand was shaking involuntarily. What disease might this be and what might be causing it?

Answer 28

Parkinson’s disease, which can occur from dysfunction near the midbrain

Question 28

A patient has come to you stating that they have jerky body movements, unsmooth motion, mood related problems, and difficulty speaking. You learn that their basal ganglia isn’t producing dopamine correctly. What disease do they have?

Answer 28

Huntington’s disease