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1
Q

What are the four lobes of the cerebral cortex?

A

Frontal, Parietal, Occipital, Temporal

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2
Q

What are the three types of neurons in the nervous system?

A

Motor (efferent), Interneurons, Sensory (afferent)

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3
Q

What is the focus of the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic system?

A

‘Rest-and-digest’ responses

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4
Q

What is the focus of the sympathetic branch of the autonomic system?

A

‘Fight-or-flight’ responses

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5
Q

List two functions of the parasympathetic system.

A
  • Constrict pupils
  • Stimulates salivation
  • Constricts bronchi
  • Slows heartbeat
  • Stimulates peristalsis
  • Stimulates bile release
  • Contracts bladder
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6
Q

List two functions of the sympathetic system.

A
  • Inhibits salivation
  • Increases heart rate
  • Dilates pupils
  • Relaxes bronchi
  • Sweating
  • Inhibits peristalsis and secretion
  • stimulates glucose production and release
  • secretion of adrenaline and noradrenaline
  • inhibits bladder contraction
  • stimulates orgasms
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7
Q

What are the components of the hindbrain?

A
  • Cerebellum
  • Medulla oblongata
  • Reticular formation
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8
Q

What are the components of the midbrain?

A
  • Inferior colliculi
  • Superior colliculi
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9
Q

What are the components of the forebrain?

A
  • Thalamus
  • Hypothalamus
  • Basal ganglia
  • Limbic system
  • Cerebral cortex
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10
Q

What is the function of the frontal lobe?

A

Executive function, impulse control, long-term planning, motor function, speech production

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11
Q

What is the function of the parietal lobe?

A

Sensation of touch, pressure, temperature, pain, spatial processing

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12
Q

What is the function of the occipital lobe?

A

Visual processing

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13
Q

What is the function of the temporal lobe?

A

Sound processing, speech perception, memory, emotion

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14
Q

Name two methods of mapping the brain.

A
  • EEG
  • MRI
  • CT
  • PET
  • fMRI
  • rCBF
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15
Q

What neurotransmitter is involved in voluntary muscle control?

A

Acetylcholine

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16
Q

What is the role of epinephrine and norepinephrine?

A

Fight-or-flight responses, wakefulness, alertness

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17
Q

What is the role of dopamine?

A

Smooth movements, postural stability

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18
Q

What does serotonin influence?

A

Mood, sleep, eating, dreaming

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19
Q

What is the role of GABA and glycine?

A

Brain ‘stabilization’

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20
Q

What is the role of glutamate?

A

Brain ‘excitation’

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21
Q

What do endorphins function as?

A

Natural painkillers

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22
Q

What does the nature vs. nurture debate focus on?

A

Contributions of genetics (nature) and environment (nurture) to traits

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23
Q

What is the function of the thalamus?

A

Relay station for sensory information

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24
Q

What is the role of the hypothalamus?

A

Maintains homeostasis and integrates with the endocrine system

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25
What does the basal ganglia help maintain?
Postural stability
26
What structures are included in the limbic system?
* Septal nuclei * Amygdala * Hippocampus * Fornix
27
Define sensation.
Conversion of physical stimuli into neurological signals
28
Define perception.
Processing of sensory information to make sense of its significance
29
What is a threshold in sensory perception?
The minimum stimulus that causes a change in signal transduction
30
What does Weber's law state?
Just noticeable difference for a stimulus is proportional to the magnitude of the stimulus
31
What does signal detection theory study?
Effects of nonsensory factors on perception of stimuli
32
What is the visual pathway from the eye to the brain?
Retina → Optic nerve → Optic chiasm → Optic tracts → Lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) → Visual cortex
33
What is the role of the cochlea?
Detects sound
34
What do the utricle and saccule detect?
Linear acceleration
35
What do semicircular canals detect?
Rotational acceleration
36
What is the auditory pathway?
Cochlea → Vestibulocochlear nerve → Medial geniculate nucleus (MGN) → Auditory cortex
37
What is the detection of volatile or aerosolized chemicals by olfactory chemoreceptors called?
Smell ## Footnote This process involves olfactory nerves.
38
What is the detection of dissolved compounds by taste buds in papillae called?
Taste
39
What are the four touch modalities in somatosensation?
* Pressure * Vibration * Pain * Temperature
40
What is the kinesthetic sense also known as?
Proprioception This is the ability to tell where one’s body is in space
41
What type of processing involves the recognition of objects by parallel processing and feature detection?
Bottom-up (data-driven) processing
42
What is the term for recognition of an object by memories and expectations, with little attention to detail?
Top-down (conceptually-driven) processing
43
What are the ways that the brain can infer missing parts of an image when it is incomplete called?
Gestalt principles
44
What is the process of becoming used to a stimulus called?
Habituation
45
What occurs when a second stimulus intervenes, causing a resensitization to the original stimulus?
Dishabituation
46
What is the acquisition of behavior by watching others called?
Observational learning
47
What type of learning involves pairing together stimuli and responses, or behaviors and consequences?
Associative learning
48
What is a form of associative learning in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus?
Classical conditioning
49
In operant conditioning, what does positive reinforcement do?
Increases behavior
50
In operant conditioning, what does negative punishment do?
Decreases behavior
51
What are the stages of consciousness during sleep?
* Awake * Stage 1 * Stage 2 * Stages 3/4 * REM
52
What is the focus of the sensorimotor stage of Piaget's stages of cognitive development?
Manipulating the environment to meet physical needs
53
What characterizes the preoperational stage of cognitive development?
Symbolic thinking, egocentrism, and centration
54
What is the focus of the concrete operational stage in Piaget's theory?
Understanding the feelings of others and manipulating physical objects
55
What is the focus of the formal operational stage of cognitive development?
Abstract thought and problem-solving
56
What type of sleep is characterized by dreams and procedural memory consolidation?
REM sleep
57
What are the two categories of sleep disorders?
* Dyssomnias * Parasomnias
58
What neurotransmitter mediates drug addiction in the mesolimbic pathway?
Dopamine
59
What is the function of depressants like alcohol and benzodiazepines?
Sense of relaxation and reduced anxiety
60
What is the function of stimulants such as cocaine and amphetamines?
Increased arousal
61
What do opiates and opioids primarily decrease?
Reaction to pain
62
Fill in the blank: _______ refers to the process of putting new information into memory.
Encoding
63
What is stronger: recognition or recall?
Recognition
64
What are the types of problem-solving techniques?
* Trial-and-error * Algorithms * Deductive reasoning * Inductive reasoning * Heuristics
65
What type of attention allows one to pay attention to a particular stimulus while determining if additional stimuli require attention?
Selective attention
66
What area of the brain is responsible for language comprehension?
Wernicke's area
67
What is the result of damage to Broca's area?
Broca's aphasia
68
What connects Wernicke's and Broca's areas?
Arcuate fasciculus
69
What is the driving force behind our actions called?
Motivation
70
What type of motivation is based on external circumstances?
Extrinsic motivation
71
What does the Yerkes-Dodson law relate to?
Optimal level of arousal for performance

MCAT Lessons Review (2 decks)

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