The Brain and the Nervous System

Question 1

dendrites

Answer 1

the little feelers that receive information

Question 2

axon

Answer 2

carries output to other neurons

Question 3

axon terminals

Answer 3

the end of the axon that actually puts the info into the synapse

Question 4

synapse

Answer 4

the junction between two nerve cells, which is a minute gap through which information

Question 5

excitatory synapses

Answer 5

make the postsynaptic neurons more likely to fire

Question 6

inhibitory synapes

Answer 6

make the postsynaptic neurons less likely to fire

Question 7

base line for neuron fire

Answer 7

-55mV

Question 8

A neuron in resting state

Answer 8

is polarized
negative on the inside, positive on the outside (difference of -70mV)

Question 9

Action Potential

Answer 9

the movement of the positive from the outside to the inside creates energy which allows the neuron to fire

Question 10

White matter

Answer 10

myelinated, created for long distance communication, the highways of the brain.

Question 11

grey matter

Answer 11

un-myelinated, short distance communication, the neighbors of the brain

Question 12

the average human has _____ neurons in their brain

Answer 12

30-100 billion

Question 13

the average human has _____ synapses in their brain

Answer 13

500 trillion

Question 14

Acetylcholine

Answer 14

motor control over muscles

Question 15

norepinephrine

Answer 15

arousal, fight or flight response, attention

Question 16

serotonin

Answer 16

emotional states and impulsiveness, dreaming

Question 17

dopamine

Answer 17

reward and motivation, motor control over voluntary movement

Question 18

GABA

Answer 18

inhibition of action potentials, anxiety reduction

Question 19

glutamate

Answer 19

enhancement of action potentials, learning and memory

Question 20

endorphins

Answer 20

pain reduction, reward

Question 21

transcranial magnetic stimulation

Answer 21

scientists can use TMS to study the effects of temporary brain damage, it disrupts brain activity by activating all neurons at once with a magnet

Question 22

electroencephalography

Answer 22

shows the electrical activity of large populations of neurons with high temporal precisions

Question 23

PET and fMRI

Answer 23

reveals which brain locations are particularly active at any moment in time by recording where blood flow is in the brain

Question 24

spinal cord

Answer 24

coordination of reflexes; carries sensory information to the brain and motor signals away from the brain

Question 25

brain stem

Answer 25

an extension of the spinal cord
controls functions associated with survival such as heart rate, breathing, and swallowing

Question 26

cerebellum

Answer 26

essential for coordinated movement and balance
limb coordination
compensation of eye position for head movement

Question 27

thalamus

Answer 27

the sensory gateway to the brain
receives almost all incoming sensory info before that information reaches the cortex

Question 28

hypothalamus

Answer 28

regulation of bodily function
- fighting
- fleeing
- feeding
- fornification

Question 29

hippocampus

Answer 29

the formation of memories and mental maps

Question 30

amygdala

Answer 30

emotional responses and processing emotional information

Question 31

basal ganglia

Answer 31

planning and production of movement
also learning to associate actions with consequences

Question 32

cerebral cortes

Answer 32

the outer layer of gray matter

Question 33

occipital lobe

Answer 33

vision
primary visual cortex

Question 34

temporal lobe

Answer 34

hearing, memory
primary auditory cortex

Question 35

frontal lobe

Answer 35

thought, planning, movement, actions, both abstract and simple
thinking and action become more abstract as you move further and further forward in your frontal lobe

Question 36

prefrontal cortex

Answer 36

abstract action

Question 37

primary motor cortex

Answer 37

concrete action

Question 38

parietal lobe

Answer 38

touch, spatial relations, attention to the environment

Question 39

primary somatosensory cortex

Answer 39

basic sensation

Question 40

corpus callosum

Answer 40

a massive bridge of millions of axons that connects the hemispheres

Question 41

right hemisphere

Answer 41

better with spatial realtionships

Question 42

left hemisphere

Answer 42

better with language

Question 43

3 principles of evolution by natural selection

Answer 43

1. traits vary between individuals in a population
2. some individuals in a population survive and reproduce at a higher rate than others because of specific traits
3. traits get passed on to offspring