Test 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

What are neurons?

A

The nerve cells that are the building blocks of the body’s neural information system

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2
Q

What is a dendrite?

A

The bushy, branching, extentions of a neuron that recieve messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body

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3
Q

What is an axon?

A

The extension of a neuron, ending in terminal fibers through which messages are sent to other neurons or to muscles or glands

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4
Q

What is a myelin sheath?

A

A layer of fatty cells encasing the axon and speeding up transmission

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5
Q

What is action potential?

A

A neural impulse: a brief electrical charge that travels down the axon.

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6
Q

What generates action potential?

A

By the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axon’s membrane

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7
Q

What us threshold?

A

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

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8
Q

What is the difference between agonist and antagonist?

A

An agonist minics a neurotransmitter, an antagonist block a neuro transmitter

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9
Q

What are interneurons?

A

Neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and the motor outputs

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10
Q

What are motor neurons? What is their other name?

A

Efferent neurons. Neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands

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11
Q

What are sensory neurons? What is their other name?

A

Afferent neurons. Neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

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12
Q

What is resting potential?

A

The potential of the reaction of the negatively chaged fluid inside an axon and the positively charged fluid outside

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13
Q

What is the refractory period?

A

A resting pause between for neurons, the neuron pumps positively charge sodiums ions back outside

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14
Q

What is a synapse?

A

The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the sending neuron.

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15
Q

What is an example of an agonist and an antagonist?

A

Antagonist-Botox

Agonist-Heroin

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16
Q

What is a neurotransmitter?

A

Chemical sent across synaptic gaps between between neurons by bonding to receptor sites on the recieving neuron, influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse

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17
Q

What is reuptake?

A

The process where the sending neuron reabsorbs excess neurotransmitters

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18
Q

What are endorphins?

A

Natural neurotransmitters linked to pain, control, and pleasure

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19
Q

What is the nervous system?

A

The body’s electrochemical communication network, consisting of all nerve and peripheral and central nervous system

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20
Q

What is the peripheral nervous system?(PNS)

A

The sensory and motor neurons connecting the central nervous system(CNS) to the rest of the body

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21
Q

What is the central nervous system?(CNS)

A

The brain and spinal chord

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22
Q

What is the somatic nervous system?

A

The division if the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles(also called skeletal nervous system)

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23
Q

What is the autonomic nervous system?

A

The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and muscles of the internal organs

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24
Q

What is the sympathetic nervous system?

A

The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy

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25
Q

What is the parasympathetic nervous system?

A

The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

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26
Q

What are nerves?

A

bundled axons that form neural “cables” connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs

27
Q

What is an arc reflex?

A

A reflex when sensory neurons send impulses to the interneurons/spinal cord then back to the neurons to react

28
Q

What is the endocrine system?

A

The slower chemical communication system in humans that secrete hormones into the bloodstream

29
Q

What are hormones?

A

chemical messangers made by the endocrine system that travel through the bloodstream and affect other tissues

30
Q

What are adrenal glands?

A

A pair of endocrine glands that help arouse the body in times of stress

31
Q

What is the pituitary gland?

A

The gland regulating growth and control of other endocrine glands under the influence of the hypothalamus

32
Q

What is the thyroid gland?

A

The gland affecting metabolism levels

33
Q

What are the parathyroids?

A

Glands regulating calcium levels in the blood

34
Q

What is a lesion?

A

The destruction of brain tissue

35
Q

What is a CT scan?

A

(Computed tomography scan), a series of x ray photographs taken from different angles combine by a computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body

36
Q

What is a pet scan?

A

(Positron emission tomography scan) a visual display of brain activity thay detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task

37
Q

What is an MRI?

A

(Magnetic resonance imaging) a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer generated images of soft tissue, used to show brain anatomy

38
Q

What is an fMRI?

A

a technique for revealing bloodflow and brain activity by comparing fmri and mri scans(used to show brain function)

39
Q

What is the brainstem? What if it was damaged?

A

The oldest, central part of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull, responsible automatic survival functions. We could still do normal survival things, but we would them without purpose of it were damaged

40
Q

What is the medulla?

A

The base of the brainstem, controls heartbeat and breathing

41
Q

What is the pons?

A

The strucure above the medulla, helping to coordinate movements

42
Q

What is the reticular formation? What if its severed?

A

A nerve network in the brainstem playing an important role in controlling arousal. If severed, one would enter an irreversible coma

43
Q

What is the thalamus?

A

The brains sensory switchboard, it directs messages to sensory recieving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

44
Q

What is the cerebellum?

A

The part of the brain responsible for processing sensory input and coordinating output and balance

45
Q

What is the limbic system?

A

The doughnut shaped neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres associated with emotions and drives

46
Q

What is the amygdala?

A

Two neural clusters in the limbic system linked to emotion

47
Q

What is the hypothalamus?

A

A neural structure that directs several body maintenance functions, is linked to emotion and reward and helps govern the endocrine system

48
Q

What is the thalamus?

A

The part of the brain that relays messages between lower brain centers and cerebral cortex

49
Q

What is the corpus callosum?

A

The axon fibers connecting the two cerebral hemispheres

50
Q

What is the cerebral cortex?

A

The ultimate control and information processing center

51
Q

What are the frontal lobes?

A

area involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements

52
Q

What are the occiptal lobes?

A

Portion of the cerebral cortex including areas that recieve information from the visual fields

53
Q

What are the parietal lobes?

A

Portion of the cerebral cortex that recieves sensory input for touch and body position

54
Q

What are the temporal lobes?

A

portion of the cerebral cortex including auditory areas for recieving information from the opposite ear

55
Q

What is the motor cortex?

A

Cortex controlling voluntary movements

56
Q

What is aphasia?

A

impairment of language usually caused by damage to broca’s or wernicke’s area

57
Q

What is Broca’s area?

A

controls language expression, directs muscle movements involved in speech

58
Q

What is Wernicke’s area?

A

Controls language reception, involved in language conprehension and expression

59
Q

What can someone with a split brain do/not do?

A

They can still do most things normally, the two sides of the brain just dont communicate

60
Q

What is cognitive neuroscience?

A

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition

61
Q

What is dual processing?

A

The principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks

62
Q

What is the difference between fraternal and identical twins?

A

Franternal twins developed in separate eggs and are no more closely related than brothers or sisters, identical twins developed in the same egg and are more closely related

63
Q

What is the difference between heritability and interaction?

A

Heritability is how much of our behavior and variation we can attribute to genes and interaction is how much we can attribute to outside factors