Exam 1

Question 1

________ wrap around the presynaptic terminals of a group of functionally related axons.

Answer 1

Astrocytes (pg. 20)

Question 2

________ guide the migration of neurons and their axons and dendrites during embryonic development.

Answer 2

Radial glia (pg. 20)

Question 3

The surface of a cell is called the ________ .

Answer 3

plasma membrane (pg. 17)

Question 4

A motor neuron, with its soma in the spinal cord, receives excitation through its ________ .

Answer 4

dendrites (pg. 18)

Question 5

The jumping of action potentials from node to node is referred to as ________ conduction.

Answer 5

saltatory (pg. 33)

Question 6

The difference in distribution of ions across the neuron membrane is called the ________ .

Answer 6

concentration gradient (pg. 27)

Question 7

The slightly negative electrical potential of the inside of a resting neuron relative to the outside is called a resting ________ .

Answer 7

potential (pg. 27)

Question 8

At the peak of the action potential, ________ .

Answer 8

sodium channels close (pg. 30)

Question 9

In his studies of infant brains, Santiago Ramón y Cajal demonstrated that ________ .

Answer 9

nerve cells remain separate rather than merging into each other (pg. 16)

Question 10

The brain uses active transport to move ________ across the blood-brain barrier.

Answer 10

glucose (pg. 22)

Question 11

The brain’s primary source of energy is ________ .

Answer 11

glucose (pg. 23)

Question 12

The sodium-potassium pump is effective only because of the membrane’s ________ .

Answer 12

selective permeability (pg. 27)

Question 13

Transmission of the action potential down an action is called ________ .

Answer 13

propagation (pg. 32)

Question 14

Local neurons lack ________ .

Answer 14

axons (pg. 34)

Question 15

A(n) ________ conveys an impulse toward other neurons, an organ, or a muscle.

Answer 15

axon (pg. 18)

Question 16

The permeability of the proteins that allow sodium and potassium to cross a neuron’s membrane depends on the ________ .

Answer 16

voltage difference across the membrane (pg. 30)

Question 17

Chromosomes are contained in the cell ________ .

Answer 17

nucleus

Question 18

In people with Alzheimer’s disease or similar conditions, the ________ cell(s) lining the brain’s blood vessels shrink, and harmful chemicals enter the brain.

Answer 18

endothelial (pg. 22)

Question 19

In the periphery of the body, ________ build the myelin sheaths that surround and insulate certain vertebrate axons.

Answer 19

Schwann cells (pg. 20)

Question 20

The surfaces of ________ are lined with synaptic receptors that receive information from other neurons.

Answer 20

dendrites (pg. 18)

Question 21

Consider a wiring arrangement of neurons in which the two neurons (A and B) stimulate a third neuron (X). Neither neuron A nor B can stimulate neuron X on its own, but can excite neuron X in combination. This is an example of ________ .

Answer 21

spatial summation (pg. 41)

Question 22

Nitric oxide is an example of the ________ category of neurotransmitters.

Answer 22

gas (pg. 50)

Question 23

Smoking cigarettes is rewarding in part because it triggers the release of ________ .

Answer 23

dopamine (pg. 54)

Question 24

Neuropeptides are characterized by ________ .

Answer 24

being released mostly from dendrites (pg. 54)

Question 25

The temporary hyperpolarization of a membrane is a(n) ________ .

Answer 25

inhibitory postsynaptic potential (pg. 43)

Question 26

The amount of ________ in the diet controls the amount of serotonin in the brain.

Answer 26

tryptophan (pg. 51)

Question 27

Epinephrine and norepinephrine are produced in the ________ .

Answer 27

adrenal medulla (pg. 58)

Question 28

________ helps control appetite.

Answer 28

Leptin (pg. 58)

Question 29

Many hallucinogenic drugs are chemically similar to ________ .

Answer 29

serotonin (pg. 54)

Question 30

Adenosine is an example of the ________ category of neurotransmitters.

Answer 30

purine (pg. 50)

Question 31

Most of the brain's excitatory ionotropic synapses use the neurotransmitter ________ .

Answer 31

glutamate (pg. 52)

Question 32

_______ is credited with demonstrating the existence of chemical synapses.

Answer 32

Loewi (pg. 48)

Question 33

Stimulant drugs, including amphetamine and cocaine, decrease reuptake and prolong the effects of ________ .

Answer 33

dopamine (pg. 55)

Question 34

Gordon is having trouble sleeping and decides to take a supplement containing a hormone that is manufactured in the pineal. What is he most likely taking?

Answer 34

melatonin

Question 35

Sherrington inferred the presence of a gap between neurons based on ________ .

Answer 35

slower than predicted speed of conduction (pg. 51)

Question 36

In which neurotransmitter category does GABA belong?

Answer 36

amino acids (pg. 50)

Question 37

What term is used for the cumulative effect of repeated stimulation over a brief period of time?

Answer 37

temporal summation (pg. 41)

Question 38

What term describes periodic production of action potentials, even without synaptic input?

Answer 38

spontaneous firing (pg. 45)

Question 39

What is the circuit from sensory neuron to muscle response called?

Answer 39

reflex arc (pg. 40)

Question 40

________ refers to bursts of release of neurotransmitter from the presynaptic neuron.

Answer 40

Exocytosis

Question 41

Dorsal means toward the ________ .

Answer 41

back (pg. 67)

Question 42

The cell bodies of the sensory neurons are in clusters of neurons outside the spinal cord called ________ .

Answer 42

dorsal root ganglia (pg. 69)

Question 43

_______ axons prepare the body for fight or flight.

Answer 43

Sympathetic (pg. 69)

Question 44

The ________ system consists of the cranial nerves and nerves from the sacral spinal cord.

Answer 44

parasympathetic (pg. 69)

Question 45

The ________ controls vital reflexes including breathing, heart rate, vomiting, salivation, coughing, and sneezing.

Answer 45

medulla (pg. 71)

Question 46

The ________ is important for vision.

Answer 46

superior colliculus (pg. 72)

Question 47

Damage to the ________ leads to alterations in motivated behaviors like hunger, thirst, and sex.

Answer 47

hypothalamus (pg. 75)

Question 48

What structure has been implicated in movement disorders like Parkinson's and Huntington's?

Answer 48

basal ganglia (pg. 75)

Question 49

Cerebrospinal fluid is produced by cells called the ________ .

Answer 49

choroid plexus (pg. 77)

Question 50

The cerebral cortex is organized in six layers of cell bodies called ________ , which are parallel to the surface of the cortex.

Answer 50

laminae (pg. 80)

Question 51

Primary visual cortex is located in the ________ lobe.

Answer 51

occipital (pg. 82)

Question 52

Primary somatosensory cortex is in the ________ lobe.

Answer 52

parietal (pg. 83)

Question 53

The ________ lobe contributes to complex aspects of vision, including perception of movement and recognition of faces.

Answer 53

temporal (pg. 83)

Question 54

The primary motor cortex is in the ________ lobe.

Answer 54

frontal (pg. 84)

Question 55

The question of how various brain areas combine to produce integrated behavior and experience is referred to as the ________ .

Answer 55

binding problem (pg. 85

Question 56

What procedure enables researchers to study behavior with some brain area active, then inactive, and then active again?

Answer 56

transcranial magnetic stimulation (pg. 90)

Question 57

________ uses light to control a small population of neurons.

Answer 57

Optogenetics (pg. 90)

Question 58

What technique measures the faint magnetic fields generated by brain activity?

Answer 58

MEG (pg. 91)

Question 59

Research using contemporary imaging methods have shown that people with larger amygdalas tend to have ________ .

Answer 59

more social contacts (pg. 95)

Question 60

Research into the differences between men's and women's brains has shown that ________ .

Answer 60

women average more and deeper sulci on the surface of the cortex (pg. 98)