unit 3

Question 1

central nervous system

Answer 1

brain + spinal cord

Question 2

peripheral nervous system

Answer 2

all nerves located outside of central nervous system

Question 2

neurons

Answer 2

receive, interpret and send information to the rest of the nervous system; communicate with electrical impulses and chemical signals

Question 3

dendrites

Answer 3

extend from the neurons to take in information

Question 4

cell body

Answer 4

neurons interpret information here

Question 5

axon

Answer 5

brings information from the cell body to the terminal buttons

Question 6

terminal buttons

Answer 6

release chemical signals into the synapse

Question 7

synapse

Answer 7

gap between neurons

Question 8

myelin sheath

Answer 8

insulates the axons for faster electrical impulses

Question 9

nodes of Ranvier

Answer 9

gaps of exposed axon where action potentials / nerve impulses take place

Question 10

all/none principle

Answer 10

neurons cannot partially fire, they fire with the same potency each time or they do not fire at all.

Question 11

receptors

Answer 11

neurotransmitters bind to these

Question 12

reuptake

Answer 12

a neurotransmitter is taken back into its presynaptic terminal, stopping its activity

Question 13

acetylcholine /ACh

Answer 13

responsible for motor control, learning, memory (+ by extension sleeping and dreaming)

Question 14

norepinephrine

Answer 14

monoamine neurotransmitter involved in states of arousal and attention

Question 15

serotonin

Answer 15

monoamine neurotransmitter involved in motivation, reward, and voluntary movement

Question 16

GABA

Answer 16

Gamma-aminobutyric acid: primary inhibitory transmitter in the nervous system

Question 17

glutamate

Answer 17

primary excitatory transmitter in the nervous system

Question 18

endorphins

Answer 18

neurotransmitters that reduce pain and control reward

Question 19

Broca’s area

Answer 19

crucial for speaking + language; left frontal region of the brain

Question 20

electroencephalograph (EEG)

Answer 20

a device that measures electrical activity in the brain

Question 21

polygraph

Answer 21

a device that measures changes in bodily functions such as heart rate, perspiration, blood pressure

Question 22

positron emission tomography (PET)

Answer 22

a method of brain imaging that assesses metabolic activity using a radioactive substance injected into the bloodstream

Question 23

magnetic resonance imaging (MET)

Answer 23

a method of brain imaging that uses a powerful magnetic field to produce high-uality images of the brain

Question 24

brain stem

Answer 24

essential for coordinated movement and balance

Question 25

cerebellum

Answer 25

motor function

Question 26

pons

Answer 26

unconscious processes; body cycles, breathing

Question 27

thalamus

Answer 27

receives sensory information and sends it to the cortex

Question 28

hypothalamus

Answer 28

regulates bodily functions (temp, blood pressure, blood glucose)

Question 29

hippocampus

Answer 29

controls the formation of memories

Question 30

amygdala

Answer 30

controls emotional responses and processes emotional information

Question 31

cerebral cortex

Answer 31

outermost layer of brain tissue

Question 32

occipital lobes

Answer 32

regions of the cerebral cortex responsible for visual processing; back of the brain

Question 33

parietal lobes

Answer 33

regions of the cerebral cortex on the sides of the brain; process touch and attention to the environment

Question 34

temporal lobes

Answer 34

found below parietal lobes and in front of the occipital lobes; process auditory information, memory, and sight/perception