Neuroscience and Behavior - Exam 2

Question 1

Receptor Cells

Answer 1

Detect stimuli (various forms of energy) and translate it into electrical signals

Question 2

Action Potentials of Sensory Information

Answer 2

All the same magnitude, carried on separate nerve tracks

Question 3

Labeled Lines

Answer 3

Particular neurons are onsetly labeled/determined to relay one modality of sensory information

Question 4

Receptor Potential

Answer 4

Electrical change in sensory receptor

Question 5

Sensory Transduction

Answer 5

Transformation of sensory information to electrical signals

Question 6

Pacinian Corpuscle

Answer 6

Onion-like structure in the innermost layer of skin that responds to changes in vibration and intensity

Question 8

Meissner’s Corpuscle

Answer 8

Ability to perceive form - movement of clothes against skin

Question 9

Merkel’s Discs

Answer 9

Ability to perceive sharp objects

Question 10

Ruffini Corpuscles

Answer 10

Ability to feel stretching of skin, limbs, fingers

Question 11

Filtered Information

Answer 11

Brain receives information that has been filtered by multiple relay sensory receptors and synapses in the body

Question 12

Action Potentials in the Sensory System

Answer 12

Same time and duration, they have different frequency

Question 13

Sematosensory System

Answer 13

Body’ sesnsation system

Question 14

Bilateral Reception System

Answer 14

Different receptors on 2 nostrils, ears, eyes
Neurons are arranged in map-like manner

Question 15

Receptive Field

Answer 15

Region of space in which stimuli will alter sensory neuron’s firing rate

Question 16

Donut-shaped receptor field

Answer 16

1) Excitatory center, inhibitory surroundings
2) Inhibitory center, excitatory surroundings

Question 17

Supresion Systems

Answer 17

1) Sensory Adaptation
2) Physical Prevention
3) Central modulation of sensory information

Question 18

Sensory Adaptation

Answer 18

Progressive decrease of response to a sustained stimuli

Question 19

Sensory Receptors

Answer 19

1) Phasic receptors - Show decreased sensitivity
2) Tonic receptors - Do not show decrease in sensitivity (pain receptors)

Question 20

Somatosensory Touch Receptors

Answer 20

Axons - skin to dorsal part of spinal cord
Ascend as part of the dorsal column system

Question 21

Somatosensory Pathway

Answer 21

1) Axons of sensory receptors have axons that reach the dorsal part of spinal cord
2) Signal ascends as part of the dorsal column system - white matter, wedge-like, in the dorsal spinal cord
3) Axons ascend all the way to the brainstem where they project contralaterally
4) Information is relayed to the thalamus, and then the cerebral cortex

Question 22

Body’s Sematosensory Map

Answer 22

At all levels, inputs are organized in dermatome bonds according to body’s sematosensory map

Question 23

Dermatome

Answer 23

Patch of skin innervated by spinal nerve

Question 24

Sensory Neurons

Answer 24

Usually unipolar. Information goes from receptors to the dorsal roots of the spinal cord

Question 25

Primary Sensorymotor Cortex (S1)

Answer 25

Located in the postcentral gyrus for both hemispheres
Each hemisphere contacts the opposite side neurons

Question 26

Map of body in the Primary Somatosensory Cortex

Answer 26

S1 is arranged as a map of the body where the size of each region is determined based on the number of receptor cells on that part of the body.

Question 27

Association Areas

Answer 27

Process a mixture of inputs from different modalities (taste + smell), S2 areas - Nonprimary

Question 28

Polymodal Neurons

Answer 28

Convergion of stimuli occurs here. This allows different modalities to interact

Question 29

Synthesia

Answer 29

Stimulus in one receptor activates another modality - Seeing a number and thinking of a color