Chapter 1 Flashcards
A researcher deletes a gene from an organism to determine the gene’s function. This approach is most similar to the work of which of the following scientists?
a. Paul Broca.
b. Pierre Flourens.
c. Franz Gall.
d. Sir Charles Sherrington.
Pierre Flourens.
Which component of the nervous system is not involved in a reflective response?
a. Spinal cord.
b. Cerebal cortex.
c. Interneuron.
d. Motor neuron.
Cerebal cortex
A child has experiences nervous system damage and can no longer coordinate the movements to dribble a basketball, although the child can still walk in an uncoordinated fashion. Which region of the nervous system was likely affected?
Hindbrain - Coordination.
The temporal lobe deals with all of the following except:
a. Language comprehension.
b. memory.
c. emotion.
d. motor skills.
Motor skills.
Which part of the brain deals with both homeostasis and emotions?
a. Cerebellum.
b. Pons.
c. Hypothalamus.
d. Thalamus.
Thalamus.
Which of the following activities would most likely be completed by the right hemisphere of a left-handed person?
a. Finding a car in a parking lot.
b. Learning a new language.
c. Reading a book for pleasure.
d. Jumping rope with friends.
Finding a car in a parking lot. - the right hemisphere of the brain is associated with non-verbal tasks, like visual processing and spatial awareness.
Which of the following is true with regard to neurulation?
a. The neural tube differentiates from the endoderm.
b. The neural tube becomes the peripheral nervous system.
c. Neural crest cells migrate from their original site.
Neural crest cells migrate from their original site.
Which of the following neurotransmitters are not classified as a catecholamine?
a. Epinephrine.
b. Norepinephrine.
c. Dopamine.
d. Acetylcholine.
Acetylcholine.
If the amount of acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme that breaks fown acetylcholine, is increases, which of the following results would be most likely?
a. Weakness of muscle movements.
b. Excessive pain or discomfort.
d. Mood swings and mood instability.
d. Auditory and visual hallucinations.
Weakness of muscle movements.
The adrenal glands do all of the following EXCEPT:
a. Promote fight or flight response via estrogen.
b. Produce stress responses via cortisol.
c. Produce both hormones and neurotransmitters.
d. Release estrogen in females and testosterone in males.
Promote fight or flight response via estrogen.
A disorder of the pineal gland would most likely result in which of the following disorders?
a. High blood pressure.
b. Diabetes.
c. Insomnia.
d. Hyperthyroidism.
Insomnia - because the pineal gland releases melatonin.
Which of the following conclusions would William James most likely support?
a. Mental processes help individuals adapt to their environments.
b. Psychological attributes could be measured by feeling the skull.
c. Specific functional impairments can be linked to specific lesion in the brain.
d. Synaptic transmission is an electrical process.
Mental processes help individuals adapt to their environments.
A scientist designs a study to determine if different regions of the brain are activated when a person speaks their native language vs. a second language. Which of the following methods would the scientist likely use?
a. MRI.
b. CT scan.
c. fMRI.
d. EEG.
fMRI - a imaging method where brain activity can be tracked by detecting changes in blood flow and oxygenation.
During a physical exam, a physician brushes the bottom of the foot of a patient who is 50 years old with multiple sclerosis. The patient’s toes curl toward the bottom of the foot, with no fanning of the toes. This response is:
a. Abnormal, and evidence that the patient is exhibiting a primitive reflex.
b. Normal, and evidence that the patient is exhibiting a primitive reflex.
c. Abnormal, and evidence that the patient is not exhibiting a primitive reflex.
d. Normal, and evidence that the patient is not exhibiting a primitive reflex.
Normal, and evidence that the patient is not exhibiting a primitive reflex.
Babinski reflex test - Babies will have extension and fanning of the toes, indicating that myelination of the corticospinal tract is not fully formed. (Positive).
Adults will not have this result, instead will have curling of the toes, indicating an intact corticospinal tract. (negative)
Which of the following fine motor tasks would one expect to see first in an infant?
a. Grasping for objects with two fingers.
b. Following objects with their eyes.
c. Scribbling with a crayon.
d. Moving a toy from one hand to the other.
Following objects with their eyes.
Frank Gall theory:
If a particular trait developed well, the associated portion of the brain would grow more, and we can measure psychological attributes by measuring the skull - proven wrong.
Pierre Flourens Theory:
removed portions of the brain and analyzed subsequent behavior changes. This process is called extirpation or ablation.
William James theory:
established functionalism - which is the study of how mental processes help adapt individuals to their environment.
John Dewey theory:
Psychology should focus on the study of a whole organism and how it functioned to adapt to its environment.
Paul Broca theory:
Examined behavioral deficits of people with brain damage - discovering a region of the brain responsible for speech on the left side of the brain, now called Broca’s area.
Hermann von Helmholtz theory:
Was the first guy to measure the speed of a nerve impulse, and linked between behavior and nervous system activity. Transitioned psychiatry from philosophy to quantifiable natural science.
Sir Charles Sherrington theory:
Discovered the synapse - originally thinking it was an electric process, however it is actually a chemical process.
Sensory/afferent neurons:
Transmit information form the peripheral receptors, to the spinal cord, and then the brain.
Motor/efferent neurons:
Transmit motor information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands.
Interneuron:
Found between other neurons, and is the most numerous type. These are found in the brain and spinal cord, and are used for reflective behavior.
CNS is composed of:
Brain and spinal cord.
PNS is composed of:
Peripheral nerves - part of either the somatic or autonomic (either sympathetic or parasympathetic NS).
Which branch of the NS goes to the skin, joints, and muscles?
Somatic.
What branch of the nervous system goes to regulate heartbeat, digestion, respiration, and glandular secretion?
Autonomic. - uncontrollable.
Which branch of the autonomic NS does rest and digest, energy conservation, increasing peristalsis and exocrine secretions?
Parasympathetic nervous system.
Which branch of the autonomic nervous system does fight or flight, rage and fear, and can increase heart rate and blood glucose?
Sympathetic nervous system
Function of the miniges?
Protect the brain by anchoring it in the skull, and reabsorping CSF.
Which two portions of the brain form the brainstem?
Hindbrain and midbrain.
Divisions of the midbrain and their functions:
Inferior and superior colliculi - which have sensorimotor reflexes.
Divisions of the hindbrain and their functions:
- Cerebellum - Refined motor skills.
- Medulla oblongata - Heart, vital reflexes (puking)
- Reticular formation - arousal and alertness.
- Pons - Breathing and communication within the brain.
Divisions of the fore brain and their functions:
- Cerebral cortex - Complex perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral processes.
- Basal ganglia - Movement.
- Limbic system - emotion and memory.
- Thalamus - Sensory relay station.
- Hypothalamus - Hunger, thirst, and emotions.
Rhombencephalon:
Hindbrain. Divides to form the metencephalon and myelencephalon
Mesencephalon:
Midbrain.
Prosencephalon:
The forebrain! Divides to form the telencephalon (cerebral cortext, basal ganglia, and limbic system) and diencephalon (thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and pineal gland..
_____________: the study of functions and behaviors associated with specific regions of the brain.
Neuropsychology.
EEG:
Good for detecting broad patterns of electrical activity in the brain.
rCBF:
Regional cerebral blood flow detects broad patterns of neural activity by mapping out the increase/decrease of blood flow to a certain region during activity.
CT:
Computed tomography - (CAT) X-rays are taken at different angle.
PET:
Positron emission tomography scan - injects with a radioactive sugar, which can be traced and uptake through target tissues is examined.
MRI:
Magnetic resonance imaging - Magnet interacts with hydrogen - maps out hydrogen dense portions of the body.
fMRI:
Magnet interacts with hydrogen - specifically will map out blood flow.
What is a common disease associated with the destruction of the basal ganglia?
Parkinsons - causes tremors and gait instability.
What portion of the diencephalon will release ADH and oxytocin?
The posterior pituitary.
Hunger center of the brain:
Lateral hypothalamus.
Satiety center of the brain:
Ventromedial hypothalamus.
Sexual bahavior center of the brain, that also regulates sleep and body temp:
Anterior hypothalamus.
Primary pleasure center of the brain:
Septal nuclei.
A portion of the brain that is responsible for defensive and aggressive behavior.
Amygdala.
Region of the brain that consolidates information to form long-term memory:
Hippocampus.
Anterograde amnesia:
Can’t establish new long-term memories.
Retrograde amnesia:
Loss of previously existing long-term memories.
Portion of the brain used for high order cognitive processes:
Anterior cingulate cortex.
Most recent portion of brain to develop?
Cerebral cortex
Frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex:
Has a prefrontal cortex (an association area) for supervising other regions of the brain. It also has a primary motor cortex (a projection area) used for initiating voluntary motor movement. Lastly, it has Broca’s area used for speech production.
Parietal lobe of the cerebral cortex:
Contains the somatosensory cortex, for all incoming sensory information.
Occipital lobe of the cerebral cortex:
Contains the visual cortex used for sight.
Temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex:
Has the following:
1. Auditory cortex -
2. Wernicke’s area - language reception and comprehension.
In the visual system, the nondominant hemisphere will recognize what? What about the dominant?
Nondominant - Faces.
Dominant - Letters and words.
In the auditory system, what are the dominant and non-dominant hemispheres responsible for?
Nondominant - Music.
Dominant - Language sounds.
In language, what are the dominant and nondomiannt hemispheres responsible for?
Nondominant - emotions.
Dominant - Speech, reading, writing, and math.
In movement, what are the functions of the dominant and nondominant hemispheres?
Dominant - Complex voluntary movement.
Non-dominant - no function!
In spatial processes, what are the functions of the dominant and nondominant hemispheres?
Nondominant hemisphere does all spatial processes.
What are the catecholamines:
Epinephrine (, norepinephrine (alterness - too much anxiety and mania), and dopamine (movement and posture - too much can cause hallucinations)
Which neurotransmitter regulates mood, eating, sleep, and dreaming?
Serotonin.
Neurotransmitter GABA:
Inhibits postsynaptic potentials and stabilizes neural activity.
Neurotransmitter glycine:
Increases chloride influx into the neuron, and inhibits NS.
Neurotransmitter glutamate:
Excitatory neurotransmitter.
Learned behavior:
Based on experience and environment.
Adaptive value:
The extent to which a trait or behavior positively benefits a species fitness.
Family study:
test impacts of family unit on a specific behavior.
Twin study:
Studies the development of behavior in twins that have been separated or kept together.
Adoption study:
Tests the development of behavior between an adopted childs adoptive family influence, and biological family genes.
Rooting reflex:
A primitive reflex babies have to turn their head toward a stimulus of the cheek - looking for nipple.
Moro reflex:
Babies stick out arms and then slowly retract them during abrupt movement - a primitive evolutionary reflex.
Grasping reflex:
Babies squeeze their fingers around something paced in their hand.
True or false: Demyelination diseases cause adults to exhibit primitive reflexes.
TRUE.
The ___________ is responsible for regulating growth and development.
Pituitary gland.
The ____________ is responsible for regulating cognition, such as planning and memory.
the prefrontal cortex.
The ____________ is involved in recognizing threatening stimuli and activating a response to it.
Amygdala.
The _____________ is primarily responsible for learning and memory.
Hippocampus.
Define systematic desensitization:
The process of using increasingly proximal stimuli to gradually reduce the fear response to that stimuli.
A theurapeutic patient undergoes systematic desensitization treatment. The function of which of the following structures is most altered by this treatment?
a. Hippocampus.
b. Amygdala.
c. Prefrontal cortex.
d. Pituitary gland.
Amygdala.
What is the function of the cerebellum?
Maintaining balance, posture, and coodination of motor movements.
What is the function of the occipital lobe?
Transmitting, intepreting, and synthesizing visual information.
What is the function of the vestibular system?
providing the brain information on head position, spatial orientation, and motion.
What is the function of the frontal lobe of the cerebrum?
Executive functions, impulse control, long-term planning and decision making, speech production, and voluntary motor movements.
Vision is essential to balance and coordination. Which of the following is least involved in balance and coordination?
a. Cerebellum.
b. Occipital lobe.
c. Frontal lobe.
d. Vestibular system.
Frontal lobe.
Which of the following is LEAST regulated by a structure within the brain?
a. Involuntary breathing.
b. Vestibular sense.
c. Blood pressure.
d. Reflexive motor responses.
Reflective motor responses.
