final exam terms

Question 1

an atom or group of atoms that has an unpaired (extra) electron and is therefore unstable and highly reactive

Answer 1

free radical

Question 2

chemically relative molecules containing oxygen

Answer 2

reactive oxygen species (ROS)

Question 3

an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species and the bodies ability to detoxify the free radicals or repair damage

Answer 3

oxidative stress

Question 4

enzyme that is part of the detoxification of reactive oxygen species

Answer 4

Superoxide dismutase (SOD)

Question 5

Alzheimer’s disease

Answer 5

Amyloid Beta 42 peptide in amyloid plaques

Question 6

neurofibrillary tangles

Answer 6

hyperphosphorylated tau

Question 7

Lewy bodies

Answer 7

Alpha-synuclein

Question 8

Alzheimer’s disease affects which region of the brain?

Answer 8

hippocampus, cortical and limbic structures

Question 9

Parkinson’s disease affects which region of the brain?

Answer 9

substantia nigra (and linked cortical regions)

Question 10

ALS affects which region of the brain?

Answer 10

Spinal cord (and precentral gyrus- part of the primary motor cortex)

Question 11

subcortical brain structures that are crucial in planning, organizing and executing movement, addiction

Answer 11

basal ganglia

Question 12

a nucleus in the basal ganglia involved in initiating voluntary movement. Contain a lot of dopaminergic neurons

Answer 12

substantia nigra

Question 13

one of the three major classes of glia in nervous system, controls the ionic environment of neurons and can be involved in neurotransmitter reuptake

Answer 13

astrocyte

Question 14

a stimulus that produces a natural, automatic reaction

Answer 14

unconditioned stimulus

Question 15

a previously neutral stimulus that, after repeated association with an unconditioned stimulus, elicits the response produced by the unconditioned stimulus itself.

Answer 15

conditioned stimulus

Question 16

a single neuron (or small number) whose stimulation triggers a specific naturally occurring behavior

Answer 16

command neuron

Question 17

activated by changes in environmental temperature

Answer 17

Trp channels

Question 18

process of synapse elimination

Answer 18

synaptic pruning

Question 19

induces gene expression that produces proteins that strengthen the synapse

Answer 19

long term potential

Question 20

structural or functional changes in the nervous system

Answer 20

plasticity

Question 21

experience driven reorganization of neural pathways in the brain, forming new connections, strengthening or discard old ones

Answer 21

neuroplasticity

Question 22

speed up nerve conduction velocities strengthening circuits- allows signals to arrive synchronously

Answer 22

increases in myelination

Question 23

cell bodies, uninsulated axons

Answer 23

gray matter

Question 24

myelinated axons

Answer 24

white matter

Question 25

a nuclear complex in the temporal lobe whose major functions concern autonomic, emotional and sexual behavior. Most often connected with the major emotions such as fear and avoiding situations that induce fear

Answer 25

amygdala

Question 26

memory of autobiographical events

Answer 26

episodic memory

Question 27

event is linked to where you learnt something

Answer 27

episodic memory

Question 28

“factual memory, ideas and concepts not drawn from personal experience

Answer 28

semantic memory

Question 29

memories held briefly in mind that enable a particular task to be accomplished

Answer 29

working memory

Question 30

ability to learn

Answer 30

associative memory

Question 31

picks up sound waves in the environment

Answer 31

outer ear

Question 32

convey and amplify sound waves

Answer 32

middle ear

Question 33

translate sound waves into nerve impulses

Answer 33

inner ear

Question 34

psychological aspect of sound related to magnitude

Answer 34

Loudness

Question 35

psychological aspect of sound related to fundamental frequency

Answer 35

pitch

Question 36

magnitude of displacement of a sound pressure wave

Answer 36

amplitude

Question 37

number of times per second that a pattern of pressure change repeats

Answer 37

frequency

Question 38

electrical signal conducted along axons (or muscle fibers) by which information is conveyed from one place to another in the nervous system

Answer 38

action potential

Question 39

an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge

Answer 39

ion