Unit 3: Biological Basis

Question 1

Myelin Sheath

Answer 1

a layer of fatty substances that wraps around the shaft of the axons with 2 purposes:

1. protects and insulates the axon
2. speeds up action potential

Question 2

Axon Terminal

Answer 2

several shorter fibers that have little knobs on the end that branch out from the axon that are responsible for communicating with other nerve cells

Question 3

Dendrites

Answer 3

the parts of the neuron that receive messages from other cells

Question 4

Action Potential

Answer 4

the neuron has received enough information to fire a message

Question 5

Sensory/Afferent Neurons

Answer 5

neurons that carry messages from the senses to the spinal cord

Question 6

Motor/Efferent

Answer 6

neurons that carry messages from the spinal cord to the muscles and glands

Question 7

Acetylcholine

Answer 7

neurotransmitter involved in new memory formation, learning, attention, sleep, and dreaming

deficit: Alzheimer’s Disease
surplus: violent muscle contractions

Question 8

Dopamine

Answer 8

neurotransmitter involved in control of movement, motivation, and emotional pleasure/reward

deficit: Parkinson’s Disease
surplus: Schizophrenia, addiction

Question 9

Serotonin

Answer 9

neurotransmitter involved in regulation of mood, sexual behavior, pain perception, sleep, eating behavior, and aggression
deficit: depression, irritability, OCD, anxiety disorders

Question 10

Reuptake

Answer 10

the process by which neurotransmitters end up back in the synaptic vesicles after leaving the receptor sites before the next stimulation

Question 11

Agonist

Answer 11

a chemical substance that mimics or enhances the effects of a neurotransmitter

Question 12

Antagonist

Answer 12

a chemical substance that blocks or reduces the effects of a neurotransmitter

Question 13

Sympathetic Nervous System

Answer 13

“fight-or-flight” response, how people and animals deal with stressful events
ex. increase heart rate, dilates pupils, decreases salivation

Question 14

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Answer 14

returns the body to normal functioning after a stressful situation ends, responsible for day-to-day functions
ex. slows heart rate, constricts pupils, regulates heart rate, breathing and digestion

Question 15

Cerebellum

Answer 15

part of the lower brain that controls all involuntary, rapid, fine, motor movement, coordinates voluntary movements that happen in rapid succession (walking, dancing, playing an instrument), stores learned habits and skills

Question 16

Limbic System

Answer 16

includes the thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and the cingulate cortex, involved in emotions, motivation, memory, and learning

Question 17

Thalamus

Answer 17

acts as a relay station for incoming sensory information, sends it to the part of the cortex that deals with that kind of sensation

Question 18

Ventromedial Hypothalamus

Answer 18

regulates hunger (overeating), balances energy, regulates sexual behavior

Question 19

Lateral Hypothalamus

Answer 19

regulates hunger (under eating), sleep/wake cycle, reward system

Question 20

Hippocampus

Answer 20

forming long-term declarative memories that are stored elsewhere in the brain

Question 21

Amygdala

Answer 21

involved in fear responses and memory of fear, helps people respond to danger quickly, forms emotional memories

Question 22

Occipital Lobe

Answer 22

processes visual information in the primary visual cortex, visual association cortex helps identify and make sense of visual information

Question 23

Prefrontal Cortex

Answer 23

responsible for higher mental functions like planning, personality, and decision making

Question 24

Temporal Lobes

Answer 24

contain the primary auditory cortex and the auditory association area, involved with language and visual information but mainly auditory information

Question 25

Broca’s Area

Answer 25

located in the left frontal lobe, production of speech

Question 26

Wernicke’s Area

Answer 26

located in the left temporal lobe, involved in the understanding the meaning of words

Question 27

Plasticity

Answer 27

the brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

Question 28

Neural Pruning

Answer 28

the process of removing neurons that are no longer used or useful in the brain

Question 29

Circadian Rhythm

Answer 29

sleep-wake cycle

Question 30

Activation Synthesis

Answer 30

a dream is another type of thinking that occurs when a person is asleep that comes from their memories and experiences, the frontal lobe is shut down which is why they’re so weird

Question 31

Manifest Content

Answer 31

the actual content of a dream

Question 32

Latent Content

Answer 32

what the content of a dream symbolized

Question 33

Barbiturates

Answer 33

major tranquilizers, have a sedative effect

Question 34

Narcotic/Opiates

Answer 34

a depressant that suppresses the sensation of pain by binding to and stimulating the receptor sites for endorphins

Question 35

Hallucinogens

Answer 35

drugs that cause hallucinations and alter perceptions