Reading Study Guide

Question 1

What is the approximate weight of the adult human brain? What percentage of total body weight does it account for?

Answer 1

1.5kg; 2%

Question 2

The brain uses approximately what percentage of the body’s total energy expenditure?

Answer 2

1/5

Question 3

Myelinated nerve fibers (axons) largely make up the ____ matter of the brain, whereas ____ matter is dense with cell bodies and dendrites

Answer 3

White; Grey

Question 4

The white matter fiber tract that allows for the passage of information between the two hemispheres of the brain is called…

Answer 4

Coropus callosum

Question 5

The bumpy surface of the cortex that is made up of raised ridges are the ____ whereas the grooved indentations are the ____

Answer 5

Gyri; Sulci

Question 6

Four major lobes of the cerebral cortex

Answer 6

• Frontal lobe
• Temporal lobe
• Parietal lobe
• Occipital lobe

Question 7

What are the names of the regions of the vertebral column?

Answer 7

• Cervical
• Thoracic
• Lumbar
• Sacral

Question 8

The most common type of stroke, which occurs when normal blood flow in the brain is interrupted, is called an ____ stroke

Answer 8

Ischemic

Question 9

A ____ stroke is caused by the rupturing of a blood vessel in the brain that causes bleeding and an increase in intracranial pressure

Answer 9

Hemorrhagic

Question 10

Compared to the outside of the cell, the inside of most cells has a ____ charge

Answer 10

Negative

Question 11

The resting membrane potential of most cells is between ____ mV and ____ mV, with the average membrane potential being ____ mV.

Answer 11

-50; -90; -70

Question 12

The creation of new neurons, a process called ____, is very limited in the mature, adult nervous system.

Answer 12

Neurogenesis

Question 13

In what two brain areas has neurogenesis been most frequently documented?

Answer 13

Olfactory system & Hippocampus

Question 14

What is plasticity?

Answer 14

The ability for the brain to alter its morphology

Question 15

Ribosomes, which are attached to the ____ in all cells, are the sites where messenger RNA (mRNA) is translated and coded into ____.

Answer 15

ER; Proteins

Question 16

The specialized portion of the axon that is located at its junction with the cell body is the ____ ____.

Answer 16

Axon hillock

Question 17

What is another name for the axon terminal?

Answer 17

Terminal bouton

Question 18

A specialized region of the axon terminal called the ____ ____ contains a variety of proteins that are important for the process of neurotransmitter release.

Answer 18

Active zone

Question 19

Astrocytes densely express ____ ____ ____ ____ (GFAP), which is a protein that scientists use as a marker for differentiating astrocytes from other cell populations in the nervous system.

Answer 19

Glial fibrillation acidic protein