Chapter 1: Biology and Behavior

Question 1

What parts of the brain are associated with the CNS and PNS?

Answer 1

CNS: brain and spinal cord

PNS: nerve tissue and fibers outside the brain and spinal cord. PNS connects the CNS to rest of body. PNS consists of somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system

Question 2

What are the functions of afferent and efferent neurons?

Answer 2

Afferent neurons = sensory neurons: bring signals from sensor to the CNS

Efferent neurons = motor neurons: bring signals from CNS to effector (like muscles, joints)

Question 3

What functions are accomplished by the somatic nervous system? Autonomic nervous system?

Answer 3

Somatic nervous system: responsible for voluntary actions like moving muscles. It relies on sensory and motor neurons.

Autonomic nervous system: responsible for involuntary actions like heart rate, respiration, digestion, temperature, glandular secretion

Question 4

What are the effects of the parasympathetic nervous system?

Answer 4

“Rest and digest”

Main role is to conserve energy by decrease heart rate, constricts bronchi, constricts pupils, stimulates peristalsis and secretion, stimulates bile releases, contracts bladder, stimulates salvation.

Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter responsible for parasympathetic responses.

Question 5

What are the effects of the sympathetic nervous system?

Answer 5

“Fight or flight”

Activated by stress, functions include dilate pupils, inhibits salvation, relaxes bronchi, accelerate heart rate, stimulates sweating or piloerection, inhibits peristalsis and secretion in digestive tract, stimulates glucose production and release, secretion of adrenaline/epinephrine, inhibits bladder contraction

Question 6

What are meninges? What are they composed of?

Answer 6

Thick sheath of connective tissue to protect brain and keep it anchored in skull. Composed of pia mater, arachnoid mater, and dura mater. After dura mater is bone.

Question 7

What are the principal structures of the forebrain?

Answer 7

Cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, limbic system, thalamus, hypothalamus

Question 8

What is the function of the cerebral cortex?

Answer 8

Complex perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral processes, divided into four lobes (parietal, frontal, temporal, occipital)

Question 9

What is the function of the basal ganglia?

Answer 9

Coordinates smooth muscle movement as it receives info from cortex and sends it to CNS. Parkinson’s disease is related to damage of the basal ganglia.

Question 10

What is the function of the limbic system?

Answer 10

Associated with emotion and memory, the limbic system contains the septal nuclei, amygdala, and hippocampus

Question 11

What is the function of the septal nuclei?

Answer 11

Component of limbic system, pleasure center, there is an association between the septal nuclei and addictive behavior

Question 12

What is the function of the amygdala?

Answer 12

Component of limbic system, plays an important role in defensive and aggressive behaviors, including fear and rage. Damage to the amygdala causes reduced aggression and fear reactions.

Question 13

What is the function of the hippocampus?

Answer 13

Component of limbic system, plays an important role in learning and memory processes, relays information through the fornix. Damage to hippocampus may cause memory loss

Question 14

What is the function of the thalamus?

Answer 14

Serves as a relay station for incoming sensory information, including all senses but smell. It transmits the sensory info to different parts of the cerebral cortex.

Question 15

What is the function of the hypothalamus?

Answer 15

Serves homeostatic functions (metabolism, temperature, water balance), endocrine functions, regulator of autonomic nervous system.

4F’s: Feeding, Fighting, Flighting, Sexual Functioning

Question 16

What are the principle structures of the midbrain?

Answer 16

Inferior and superior colliculi

Question 17

What are the functions of the inferior and superior colliculi?

Answer 17

Associated with involuntary reflex responses triggered by visual and auditory stimuli

Superior: visual
Inferior: auditory

Question 18

What are the principle structures of the hindbrain?

Answer 18

Cerebellum, medulla oblongata, reticular formation

Question 19

What is the function of the cerebellum?

Answer 19

Helps maintain posture, balance, and coordinates body movements

Question 20

What is the function of the medulla oblongata? Pons?

Answer 20

Responsible for regulating vital functions like breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. The pons are above the medulla which contains sensory and motor pathways between the cortex and medulla.

Question 21

What is the function of the reticular formation?

Answer 21

Arousal and alertness

Question 22

What is the function of the frontal lobe?

Answer 22

Contains prefrontal cortex, motor cortex, and Broca’s area.
Prefrontal cortex manages executive function by supervising and directing the operations of the other brain regions. It integrates information from different cortical regions (association area).
The motor cortex initiates voluntary muscle movements by sending neural impulses down spinal cord toward muscles.
Broca’s area is important for speech production, found in dominant hemisphere.

Question 23

What is the function of the parietal lobe?

Answer 23

Projection area that is the destination for all incoming sensory signals for touch, pressure, temperature, and pain. Important for spatial awareness (orienting oneself, thinking in 3D)

Question 24

What is the function of the occipital lobe?

Answer 24

Contains visual cortex: sensation and perception

Question 25

What is the function of the temporal lobe?

Answer 25

Contains auditory cortex and Wernicke’s area. The auditory cortex is site for sound processing for speech, music, and other sounds. Wernicke’s area is associated with language reception and comprehension. Temporal lobe also involved with memory processing (contains hippocampus), emotion, and language.

Question 26

What are the dominant and nondominant spheres associated with?

Answer 26

Dominant: analytic function, managing details, language, logic, math

Nondominant: intuition, creativity, music cognition, spatial processing, recognize moods

Question 27

What is the function of acetylcholine?

Answer 27

Neurotransmitter found in CNS and PNS. At the neuro-skeletal junction, Ach is stimulatory. At the neuro-cardiac junction, Ach is inhibitory (decrease heart rate) by parasympathetic system.

Question 28

What is the function of epinephrine/norepinephrine?

Answer 28

Catecholamine, control alertness and wakefulness, immediate stress response, they promote the fight or flight response. Epinephrine secreted from adrenal medulla.

Question 29

What is the function of dopamine?

Answer 29

Catecholamine, plays a role in smooth movement and posture. Dopamine usually found in basil ganglia. Too much: schizophrena, too little: Parkinson’s

Question 30

What is the function of serotonin?

Answer 30

Plays roles in regulating mood, eating, sleeping, and dreaming. Thought to play a role in depression and mania.

Question 31

What is the function of gama-aminobutyric acid?

Answer 31

GABA is inhibitory and thought to stabilize neural activity in the brain. It’s inhibitory by hyperpolarizing the cell (Cl- influx), brain “stabilization”

Question 32

What is the function of glycine?

Answer 32

Inhibitory in CNS, causes Cl- influx to hyperpolarize cell

Question 33

What is the function of glutamate?

Answer 33

Excitatory in CNS, causes Ca++ influx, Na+ influx, and K+ eflux, brain excitation

Question 34

What is the function of neuropeptides?

Answer 34

Neurotransmitter that has slower and longer effects on cell. Example: endorphins, natural painkillers