Extra Diploma Prep Flashcards
What does the cerebrum do?
Controls voluntary actions, intelligence, memory, learning, and personality.
What are the 4 lobes of the cerebrum and their functions?
Frontal: reasoning, movement, personality
Parietal: touch, pressure, spatial awareness
Temporal: hearing, language processing
Occipital: vision
What is the function of the cerebellum?
Coordinates balance and smooth muscle movement (involuntary).
What does the medulla oblongata control?
Vital automatic functions: breathing, heart rate, blood pressure.
What is the role of the hypothalamus?
Regulates hunger, thirst, body temperature, and links nervous + endocrine systems.
What do dendrites do?
Receive signals from other neurons and pass them to the soma (cell body).
Function of the axon?
Sends nerve impulses away from the soma to axon terminals.
What is the myelin sheath?
Fatty layer that insulates the axon and speeds up signal transmission.
What are Schwann cells?
Cells that form the myelin sheath.
What is the axon terminal?
End of the neuron where neurotransmitters are released into the synapse.
What is an action potential?
A brief electrical charge that travels down a neuron.
What happens during depolarization?
Sodium (Na⁺) channels open, Na⁺ rushes in → inside becomes positive.
What happens during repolarization?
Potassium (K⁺) channels open, K⁺ rushes out → inside becomes negative again.
What restores the resting potential?
Na⁺/K⁺ pump — pumps Na⁺ out and K⁺ in.
What is the refractory period?
Time when a neuron can’t fire again; ensures one-way transmission.
What is the correct sequence from fertilization to fetus?
Zygote → Morula → Blastocyst → Gastrula → Embryo → Fetus
What are the 3 germ layers and what do they form?
Ectoderm: skin, nervous system
Mesoderm: muscles, bones, reproductive organs
Endoderm: digestive lining, liver, pancreas
What is gastrulation?
Formation of the 3 germ layers from the blastocyst.
What is the function of the placenta?
Nutrient/waste/gas exchange (no blood mixing!) — formed from chorion.
What does the amnion do?
Cushions embryo with fluid; shock absorber.
What is the role of the chorion?
Outer membrane; forms chorionic villi that contribute to placenta.
Function of allantois?
Becomes part of umbilical cord.
What does the yolk sac do in humans?
Helps form digestive tract and early blood cells.
What does hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) do?
Maintains the corpus luteum so it keeps producing progesterone during early pregnancy.
Where is hCG produced?
By the chorion of the embryo after implantation.
Why is hCG important for pregnancy tests?
It’s the hormone detected in urine to confirm pregnancy.
What happens during Prophase (Mitosis)?
Chromatin condenses, spindle forms, nuclear membrane dissolves.
What happens in Metaphase?
Chromosomes align at the equator.
What happens in Anaphase?
Sister chromatids are pulled apart to opposite poles.
What happens in Telophase?
Nuclei reform, chromosomes decondense, cell splits.
What is different in Meiosis I?
Homologous chromosomes separate → genetic diversity via crossing over in Prophase I.
What happens in Meiosis II?
Sister chromatids separate → 4 non-identical haploid gametes.
What did Mendel discover?
Laws of inheritance using pea plants — traits passed in predictable patterns.
What are Mendel’s 3 Laws?
Law of Dominance
Law of Segregation
Law of Independent Assortment
What method did Mendel use?
Crossed pea plants → counted ratios of traits in offspring → Punnett square foundation.
What did Watson and Crick do?
Built the first accurate model of the DNA double helix.
What data did Watson and Crick use?
Rosalind Franklin’s X-ray crystallography images (without credit initially 💀).
Why was Watson and Crick’s discovery important?
Explained how DNA replicates and codes for proteins.
