Chapter 3 Terms

Question 1

Neurons

Answer 1

Cells in the nervous system that communicate with one another to perform information-processing tasks.

Question 2

Cell Body (or soma)

Answer 2

The part of a neuron that coordinates information-processing tasks and keep the cell alive.

Question 3

Dendrite

Answer 3

The part of a neuron that receives information from other neurons and relays it to the cell body.

Question 4

Axon

Answer 4

The part of a neuron that carries information to other neurons, muscles, or glands.

Question 5

Synapse

Answer 5

The junction or region between the axon of one neuron and the dendrites or cell body of another.

Question 6

Myelin Sheath

Answer 6

An insulating layer of fatty material.

Question 7

Glial cells

Answer 7

Support cells found in the nervous system.

Question 8

Resting Potential

Answer 8

The difference in electric charge between the inside and outside of a neuron’s cell membrane.

Question 9

Action Potential

Answer 9

An electric signal that is conducting along a neuron’s axon to a synapse.

Question 10

Refractory Period

Answer 10

The time following an action potential during which a new action potential cannot be initiated.

Question 11

Terminal Buttons

Answer 11

Knoblike structures that branch out from an axon.

Question 12

Neurotransmitters

Answer 12

Chemicals that transmit information across the synapse to a receiving neuron’s dedrites.

Question 13

Receptors

Answer 13

Parts of the cell membrane that receive the neurotransmitter and initiate or prevent a new electrical signal.

Question 14

Agonists

Answer 14

Drugs that increase the action of a neurotransmitter.

Question 15

Antagonists

Answer 15

Drugs that block the function of a neurotransmitter.

Question 16

Nervous System

Answer 16

An interacting network of neurons that conveys electrochemical information throughout the body.

Question 17

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Answer 17

The part of the nervous system that us composed of the brain and spinal cord.

Question 18

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Answer 18

The part of the nervous system that connects the central nervous system to the body’s organs and muscles.

Question 19

Somatic Nervous System

Answer 19

A set of nerves that conveys information between voluntary muscles and the central nervous system.

Question 20

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

Answer 20

A set of nerves that carries involuntary and automatic commands that control blood vessels, body organs, and glands.

Question 21

Sympathetic Nervous System

Answer 21

A set of nerves that prepares the body for action in challenging or threatening situations. (Fight or Flight)

Question 22

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Answer 22

A set of nerves that helps the body return to a normal resting state.

Question 23

Spinal Reflexes

Answer 23

Simple pathways in the nervous system that rapidly generate muscle contractions.

Question 24

Hindbrain

Answer 24

The area of the brain that coordinates information coming into and out of the spinal cord.

Question 25

Medulla

Answer 25

An extension of the spinal cord into the skull that coordinates heart rate, circulation, and respirations.

Question 26

Reticular Formation

Answer 26

A brain structure that regulates sleep, wakefulness, and levels of arousal.

Question 27

Cerebellum

Answer 27

A large structure of the hindbrain that controls fine motor skills.

Question 28

Pons

Answer 28

A brain structure that relays information from the cerebellum to the rest of the brain.

Question 29

Subcortical Structures

Answer 29

Areas of the forebrain housed under the cerebral cortex near the center of the brain.

Question 30

Thalamus

Answer 30

A subcortical structure that relays and filters information from the sense and transmits the information to the cerebral cortex.

Question 31

Hypothalamus

Answer 31

A subcortical structure that regulates body temperature, hunger, thirst, and sexual behavior.

Question 32

Hippocampus

Answer 32

A structure critical for creating new memories and integrating them into a network of knowledge so that they can be stored indefinitely in other parts of the cerebral cortex.

Question 33

Amygdala

Answer 33

A brain structure that plays a central role in many emotional processes, particularly the formation of emotional memories.

Question 34

Basal Ganglia

Answer 34

A set of subcortical structures that directs intentional movements.

Question 35

Endocrine System

Answer 35

A network of glands that produce and secrete into the bloodstream chemical messages known as hormones, which influence a wide variety of basic functions, including metabolism, growth, and sexual development.

Question 36

Pituitary Gland

Answer 36

The “master gland” of the body’s hormone-producing system, which releases hormones that direct the functions of many other glands in the body.

Question 37

Cerebral Cortex

Answer 37

The outermost layer of the brain, visible to the naked eye and divided into two hemispheres.

Question 38

Corpus Callosum

Answer 38

A thick band of nerve fibers that connects large areas of the cerebral cortex on each side of the brain and support communication of information across the hemispheres.

Question 39

Occipital Lobe

Answer 39

A region of the cerebral cortex that processes visual information.

Question 40

Parietal Lobe

Answer 40

A region of the cerebral cortex whose function include processing information about touch.

Question 41

Temporal Lobe

Answer 41

A region of the cerebral cortex responsible for hearing and language.

Question 42

Frontal Lobe

Answer 42

The region of the cerebral cortex that has specialized areas for movement, abstract thinking, planning, memory, and judgement.

Question 43

Association Areas

Answer 43

Areas of the cerebral cortex that are composed of neurons that help provide sense and meaning to information registered in the cortex.

Question 44

Mirror Neurons

Answer 44

Neurons that are active when an animal performs a behavior, such as reaching for or manipulating an object, and are also activated when another animal observes that animal performing the same behavior.

Question 45

Gene

Answer 45

The major unit of hereditary transmission.

Question 46

Chromosomes

Answer 46

The DNA is configured in a double helix; the chromosomes are not.

Question 47

Epigenetics

Answer 47

The study of environmental influences that determine whether or not genes are expressed, or the degree to which they are expressed, without altering the basic DNA sequences that constitute the genes themselves.