Week 3

Question 1

How many components does the peripheral nervous system have?

Answer 1

Two components, the Somatic Nervous System and the Autonomic nervous system

Question 2

Describe the Somatic Nervous System

Answer 2

Carries information from the senses to the CNS and sends movement instructions back to muscles.

Question 3

What function do sensory neurons have?

Answer 3

Carry information TO the brain

Question 4

What function do motor neurons have?

Answer 4

Carry information FROM the brain to direct motion.

Question 5

Describe the autonomic nervous system

Answer 5

Carries information back and forth between the CNS and organs and glands. It has two divisions the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.

Question 6

What functions do the sympathetic nervous system have?

Answer 6

Mobilises the body for action through fight-or-flight.

Question 7

What functions do the parasympathetic nervous system have?

Answer 7

Slows the organ and gland activity to conserve the body’s energy.

Question 8

Describe the spinal cord

Answer 8

The spinal cord transmits information between the peripheral nervous system and the brain.

Question 9

Describe reflexes

Answer 9

quick, involuntary muscular responses

Question 10

The spinal cord is an example of what?

Answer 10

A feedback system

Question 11

The spinal cords sensory neurons are?

Answer 11

afferent neurons and carry information toward the brain

Question 12

Motor neurons are?

Answer 12

efferent neurons and carry information away from the brain.

Question 13

Name the three distinct areas of the brain

Answer 13

Hindbrain, Midbrain and Forebrain

Question 14

Describe the hindbrain

Answer 14

Mudulla oblongata - controls basic physiological functions.
Reticular formation -a network of cells running throughout the hindbrain and into the midbrain. involved in arousal and attention. (locus coeruleus is activated by this)
Cerebellum - controls finley coordinated movements.

Question 15

Describe the midbrain

Answer 15

Sits above the hindbrain. Surrounded by forebrain.
Tectum - orienting visual and auditory stimuli
Tegmentum - movement and arousal.
Substantia nigra together with the striatum is involved in smoothly initiating movement.

Question 16

The midbrain and parts of the hindbrain other than the cerebellum are called?

Answer 16

The brainstem.

Question 17

Describe the forebrain

Answer 17

largest and most sophisticated part of the brain. Involved in complex sensory, emotional, cognitive and behavioural processes.

Question 18

Describe the major components of the forebrain

Answer 18

Hypothalamus - regulates behaviours such as eating, sleeping, sexual activity and emotional experience. Suprachiasmatic nuclei is part of the hypothalamus.

Thalamus - processes sensory information as it arrives and transmits it to higher brain centres.

Cerebrum - included cerebral cortex as well as basal ganglia, and limbic system.

Question 19

Desrcibe limib system

Answer 19

includes the hypothalamus, the septum, the amygdala (fear and emotions) and hippocampus (formation of memories)

Question 20

Describe the cerebral cortex

Answer 20

the outer surface of the cerebral hemisphere. Comprises 80 per cent of the brain’s mass.

Question 21

Describe the functions of the cerebral cortex

Answer 21

Analysis of information from the senses
Control of voluntary movements
Higher-order thought
other complex aspects of behaviour and mental processes.

Question 22

What are the four lobes of the brain?

Answer 22

Occipital, parietal, temporal and frontal

Question 23

What are the functional areas of the cortex?

Answer 23

Sensory, motor and association

Question 24

Describe sensory cortex

Answer 24

Visual information is received by the visual cortex in the occipital lobe.

Auditory information is received by the
the auditory cortex in the temporal lobe.

Skin information about touch, pain and temperature is received in the
somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobe

Question 25

Describe the motor cortex

Answer 25

Neurons in specific areas of the motor cortex in the frontal lobe create voluntary movements in specifics parts of the body.

Question 26

Describe the association cortex

Answer 26

Parts of the cerebral cortex not directly involved with sensory information or movements.
Damage to associating areas can create deficits in all kinds of mental abilities.

Question 27

Describe aphasia

Answer 27

A deficit in understanding and producing language.
Damage to Broca’s area results in difficulty organising speech.
Damage to Wernick’s area can leave a person unable to understand the meaning of words.

Question 28

Describe EEG

Answer 28

Electroencephalograph - Measures general electricity activity in the brain.

Question 29

Describe PET

Answer 29

Positron Emission Tomography - records where radioactive substances are concentrated as the brian performs various tasks.

Question 30

Describe MRI

Answer 30

Magnetic resonance imaging - exposes the brain to a magnetic field and measure radiofrequency waves to produce a structural picture of the brain.

Question 31

Describe fMRI

Answer 31

Functional magnetic resonance imaging- Uses magnetic fields to detect changes in blood flow and reflects ongoing changes in the activity of neurons.

Question 32

Describe DTI

Answer 32

Diffusion tensor imaging is a variant of fMRI and traces the activity of axon pathways

Question 33

Describe TMS

Answer 33

Transcranial magnetic stimulation temporarily disrupts the function of a part of the brain. It can be combined with MRI to refine the localisation of brain activity.

Question 34

Describe the endocrine system

Answer 34

influences a variety of behaviours, endocrine organs or glands secrete hormones that travel via the bloodstream and affect coordinated systems of target organs that have receptors for them.

Question 35

Which part of the body controls the secretion of hormones

Answer 35

The brain. The hypothalamus controls the pituitary gland which controls endocrine organs in the body.