Chapter 2

Question 1

plasticity

Answer 1

the brains ability to adapt and change in reaction to the environment

Question 2

afferent nerves

Answer 2

carry information to the brain and spinal cord

Question 3

efferent nerves

Answer 3

carry information out of the brain and the spinal cord

Question 4

neural networks

Answer 4

interconnected groups of nerve cells that integrate sensory and motor output

Question 5

nervous system

Answer 5

the body’s electrochemical communication circuitry

Question 6

central nervous system

Answer 6

brain and spinal cord

Question 7

peripheral nervous system

Answer 7

network of nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body

Question 8

somatic nervous system

Answer 8

afferent nerves that carry information from the skin to the muscles (pain and temp)

Question 9

autonomic nervous system

Answer 9

takes messages from the body’s internal organs (monitoring breathing, heart rate, etc)

Question 10

sympathetic nervous system

Answer 10

mobilize the body for action (involved in stress)

Question 11

parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 11

calms the body down

Question 12

stress

Answer 12

body’s response to stressors

Question 13

stressors

Answer 13

circumstances or events that threaten people and tax their coping abilities

Question 14

neurons

Answer 14

nerve cells that handle the information processing function

Question 15

dendrites

Answer 15

receive information and orient it towards the neurons cell body

Question 16

cell body

Answer 16

contains the nucleus, which directs the manufacture of substances that the neuron needs

Question 17

axon

Answer 17

the part of the neuron that carries information away from the cell body toward other cells

Question 18

myelin sheath

Answer 18

layer of cells containing fat, encases most axons (speeds up the transmission of nerve impulses)

Question 19

resting potential

Answer 19

the stable negative charge of an inactive neuron

Question 20

action potential

Answer 20

brief wave of positive electrical charge that sweeps down the axon

Question 21

all or nothing principle

Answer 21

once the electrical impulse reaches a certain level of intensity (threshold), it fires and moves all the way down the axon without losing any of its intensity

Question 22

synapse

Answer 22

tiny space between neurons

Question 23

neurotransmitters

Answer 23

chemical substances stored in little tiny sacs in the neuron, transmits information across the synaptic gap

Question 24

acetylcholine

Answer 24

stimulates the firing of neurons and is involved in the action of muscles, learning, and memory

Question 25

GABA

Answer 25

neurotransmitter the keeps many neurons from firing

Question 26

glutamate

Answer 26

excites many neurons to fire (learning and memory)

Question 27

norepinephrine

Answer 27

inhibits the firing of neurons in the central nervous system

Question 28

dopamine

Answer 28

helps control voluntary movement

Question 29

serotonin

Answer 29

involved in the regulation of sleep, mood, attention, and learning

Question 30

endorphins

Answer 30

natural opiates that mainly stimulate firing of neurons

Question 31

oxytocin

Answer 31

hormone and neurotransmitter that plays a role in the experience of love and social bonding

Question 32

agonist

Answer 32

drug that mimics or increases a neurotransmitter's effects

Question 33

antagonist

Answer 33

drug that blocks a neurotransmitters effects

Question 34

medulla

Answer 34

controls vital functions

Question 35

cerebellum

Answer 35

plays important roles in motor coordination and leg/arm movements

Question 36

brain stem

Answer 36

determines alertness and regulates basic survival functions

Question 37

reticular formation

Answer 37

involved in stereotyped patterns of behavior such as walking/sleeping

Question 38

limbic system

Answer 38

controls emotion, memory, and reward processing (amygdala and hippocampus)

Question 39

amygdala

Answer 39

discrimination of objects that are necessary for survival

Question 40

hippocampus

Answer 40

storage of memories

Question 41

thalamus

Answer 41

serves as a relay station

Question 42

basal ganglia

Answer 42

control and coordinate voluntary movements

Question 43

hypothalamus

Answer 43

monitors eating, drinking, and sexual behavior, as well as emotion, stress and reward (homeostasis)

Question 44

cerebral cortex

Answer 44

responsible for mental functions such as thinking and planning

Question 45

frontal lobes

Answer 45

personality, intelligence, control of muscles

Question 46

parietal lobes

Answer 46

spatial location, attention and motor control

Question 47

temporal lobes

Answer 47

hearing, language processing, motor control

Question 48

occipital lobes

Answer 48

visual stimuli

Question 49

somatosensory cortex

Answer 49

processes body sensations

Question 50

motor cortex

Answer 50

processes information about voluntary movement

Question 51

corpus callosum

Answer 51

axons that connect the brains two hemispheres

Question 52

stem cells

Answer 52

blank slate cells