Chapter #3
Limbic system
Group of interconnected structures that play a role in our experiences of emotion, motivation, and memory; fuels basic drives, such as hunger, sex, and aggression.
limbic system
Group of interconnected structures that play a role in our experiences of emotion, motivation, and memory; fuels basic drives, such as hunger, sex, and aggression.
Parietal lobes
Receive and process sensory information; orient the body in space.
Somatosensory cortex
Receives and integrates sensory information from the body; for example, helps us determine if the touch we feel is pleasurable or painful.
somatosensory cortex
Receives and integrates sensory information from the body; for example, helps us determine if the touch we feel is pleasurable or painful.
Primary visual cortex
Receives and interprets visual information; allows us to "see" vivid mental images.
primary visual cortex
Receives and interprets visual information; allows us to "see" vivid mental images.
If you think about an action potential as being similar to running a marathon, it would have a start line and a finish line. Which of the following would represent each of those positions?
The start line would be the axon hillock, and the finish line would be the axon terminals.
Which statement about the adrenal glands is true?
They are involved in the regulation of salt balance.
A neuroscientist asks Kiran to extend her leg at the knee. fMRI recordings of Kiran's brain activity should show increased activity in the _____ lobe, where the motor cortex is located.
frontal
The motor cortex is located in the:
frontal lobe
Prior to his hemispherectomy, Brian was extroverted and easygoing, but after his operation he became more introverted and passive. The transformation of his personality may be a result of many influences. However, one factor could be that he lost a considerable amount of brain tissue from his:
frontal lobes
The major function of the ______ is to organize information among the other lobes of the brain.
frontal lobes
Dopamine
function: Coordination of muscle movement, attention, pleasure
GABA
function: Inhibits communication between neurons
Serotonin
function: Mood, appetite, aggression, sleep
Acetylcholine
function: Muscle movement, memory, arousal, attention
Glutamate
function: Promotes communication between neurons
When Brandon was injured, ________ played an important role in his recovery by defending against infection and inflammation of the brain, as well as holding neurons together and maintaining the structure of the nervous system.
glial cells
For most people, the _____ controls language. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.
left hemisphere
The _____ excels in language processing.
left hemisphere
The brain is constantly undergoing alterations in response to experiences and is capable of certain degree of physical adaptation and repair. This ability is known as:
neuroplasticity
temporal lobe
process auditory stimuli, recognize visual objects, especially faces, and play a key role in language comprehension and memory
One advantage of using MRI instead of CAT is that it:
produces superior detail.
The left hemisphere plays a major role in:
producing speech.
A potential factor in female soccer players' greater vulnerability to brain damage from heading the ball is a dip in blank__________ during certain phases of their menstrual cycle which protects against swelling in the brain.
progesterone
In which example is the somatic nervous system at work?
receiving information about pressure felt on the skin
Zia's instructor described how neurons communicate. She was explaining that neurotransmitters cannot bind to just anything on the receiving neuron. Rather, it must come into contact with the correct _____ in order to convey its message.
recepter site
Electroenchephalogram (EEG)
records electrical activity from cortical area
Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system is associated with the:
rest-and-digest response.
Aniyah is studying for her psychology quiz tomorrow morning on the activity of neurons. She knows that when the electrical potential of a cell is not activated, it is called:
resting potential
sodium-potassium pumps
restore proper ion concentrations
Roger Sperry and Michael Gazzaniga found that split-brain patients:
retained normal cognitive abilities.
In the midbrain, the _____ helps regulate not only general arousal, but also the ability to pay attention to specific stimuli.
reticular formation
After their release into a synapse, neurotransmitters are reabsorbed into the sending neuron in a process called:
reuptake
Maps of the somatosensory and motor cortexes show how the various regions of the body correspond to these areas of the brain. Parts of the body that are shown larger indicate areas of greater:
sensitivity
_____ receive information from the environment and convey this information to the brain as electrical and chemical signals for processing.
sensory neurons
Information about the surrounding environment is sent to the brain via:
sensory neurons.
As Ken is cooking dinner, he accidentally touches a hot pan with his hand. This immediately activates his:
sensory receptors
Needles frighten Janice. As she awaits a flu shot, Janice's _____ nervous system is activated as she imagines the pain she will feel when the needle penetrates her skin.
sympathetic
A person in a stressful situation experiences increased heart rate and respirations. This is because the _____was activated.
sympathetic nervous system
Sequence of events that occurs when an action potential is generated
- The axon is in its resting state. The interior is negative. - Sodium channels open. - Sodium ions flow into the axon, making the interior positive. - Potassium channels open. - Potassium ions flow out of the axon, making the interior negative. - Sodium-potassium pumps restore the proper ion ratios.
Nicholas is working for a psychology professor as a research assistant. To prepare for his work, he is studying up on the changing voltage of a neuron during the communication process. He notes that the value of the threshold potential is:
-55 mV
If you were to measure the electrical potential of a neuron when it is "at rest," the voltage inside the cell is about blank_______ compared to the voltage outside.
-70 mV
How does positron emission tomography (PET) work?
A radioactive substance is injected to detect active areas of the brain.
A man involved in a car accident suffered severe brain trauma. As he recovered, it became clear he was having difficulty producing speech, even though he could understand what people were saying. It is very likely he had suffered damage to the left frontal lobe in a part of the brain referred to as:
Broca's area
The region of the cortex that plays a critical role in language production is called:
Broca's area
Corpus callosum
Connects the hemispheres; allows the left and right sides of the brain to communicate and work together to process information.
corpus callosum
Connects the hemispheres; allows the left and right sides of the brain to communicate and work together to process information.
Wernicke's area
Controls language comprehension; enables us to make sense of what is being said.
Broca's area
Controls language expression - an area of the frontal lobe, in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.
Right cerebral hemisphere
Controls the left side of the body; excels in visual-spatial tasks.
right cerebral hemisphere
Controls the left side of the body; excels in visual-spatial tasks.
Left cerebral hemisphere
Controls the right side of the body; excels in language processing.
left cerebral hemisphere
Controls the right side of the body; excels in language processing.
Pons
Helps regulate sleep-wake cycles and coordinates movement between the right and left sides of the body.
Natasha reaches under her car seat, searching for her umbrella. She pricks her fingertip on something sharp and yanks her hand back before she even realizes what happened. What can we conclude about this reaction?
Her sensory neurons sent a signal to interneurons in her spinal cord, which activated her motor neurons, which then instructed her muscles to contract.
Jameel is alone in her house when she thinks she smells something burning. As she searches for the source of the smell, her breathing increases and her pulse quickens. Why is this happening? Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.
Her sympathetic nervous system and endocrine system are activated.
Elan is on a subway car all alone. The train stops suddenly, and the lights go out. Elan starts breathing harder, and his heart rate increases. What has happened?
His endocrine system is releasing stress hormones.
Association areas
Integrate information from all over the brain; allow us to learn, have abstract thoughts, and carry out complex behaviors.
association areas
Integrate information from all over the brain; allow us to learn, have abstract thoughts, and carry out complex behaviors.
Cerebellum
Involved in muscle coordination and balance.
Broca's area
Involved in speech production; helps us generate speech.
Which statement about the corpus callosum is true?
It is the thick band of nerve fibers connecting the right and left cerebral hemispheres.
Which statement about the pituitary gland is true?
It regulates the function of other endocrine glands.
How is the hypothalamus involved in appetite?
It relays signals from the digestive system to higher regions of the brain.
What happens to an axon segment following the quick reversal of the charge from negative to positive caused by an action potential?
It returns to its resting potential.
Which statement about the motor cortex is true? Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.
It works with other areas of the brain to plan and execute voluntary movement.
Hypothalamus
Keeps the body's systems in a steady state.
superior in quality to a CAT Scan.
MRI
Which statement characterizes how hormones differ from neurotransmitters?
Neural impulses can arrive at their destination within fractions of a second, but hormones may take minutes to arrive.
Frontal lobes
Organize information among the other lobes of the brain; responsible for higher-level cognitive functions, such as thinking, perception, and impulse control.
Medulla
Oversees functions such as breathing and heart rate.
Motor cortex
Plans and executes voluntary movements; allows us to move our body.
motor cortex
Plans and executes voluntary movements; allows us to move our body.
Temporal lobes
Play a key role in hearing, language comprehension, and memory; process auditory stimuli; recognize visual objects.
Midbrain
Plays a role in levels of arousal; home to neurons that help generate movement patterns in response to sensory input.
Hippocampus
Primarily responsible for processing and forming new memories from experiences.
Occipital lobes
Process visual information; help us see.
Amygdala
Processes aggression and basic emotions like fear, and the memories associated with them.
Thalamus
Processes and relays sensory information to the cortex.
The primary goal of the thalamus is to:
Relay sensory information
Hindbrain
Responsible for fundamental life-sustaining processes.
Reticular formation
Responsible for levels of arousal and our ability to selectively attend to important incoming sensory data.
reticular formation
Responsible for levels of arousal and our ability to selectively attend to important incoming sensory data.
_____ and his student Michael Gazzaniga performed trail-blazing split-brain studies on patients who had severe epilepsy.
Roger Sperry
How do the two brain hemispheres communicate? How does this change after a split-brain operation?
The corpus callous is a bundle of nerve fibers that allows the two haves of the brain to communicate and work together to process information. For example, with visual information each eye receives visual sensations, but that information is sent to the opposite hemisphere, and shared between the hemispheres via the corpus callous. Because the hemispheres are disconnected through surgery, researchers can study each hemisphere separately to explore its own unique capabilities.
Which area of the brain is MOST involved in language comprehension?
Wernicke's area
RETICULAR FORMATION
a nerve network that runs through the center of the brainstem; plays an important role in controlling alertness and attention
Low levels of ____ are involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease, while deficiencies in _____ are linked to Parkinson's disease.
acetylcholine; dopamine
Sakiya is drawing a diagram to help her better understand neural processes. She starts by drawing a neuron, and then she draws a symbol to indicate the voltage change from the _____ that causes vesicles to release neurotransmitters into the synapse. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.
action potential
Someone who drinks coffee feels less drowsy because caffeine is an:
adenosine antagonist.
Pablo visits a vending machine when he craves a salty snack. In the endocrine system, the body's salt balance is regulated by the _____ gland(s).
adrenal
The amygdala plays a key role in:
aggression
Dr. Bonhomme studies substances that influence behavior by interfering with neurotransmitter activity at the synapse. One of them is muscarine, which increases the secretion of acetylcholine, causing sweating, pupil constriction, and nausea. Based on this information, Dr. Bonhomme likely studies:
agonists
sodium channels
allow ions to flow into the axon
potassium channels
allows ions to flow out of the axon
The specific brain structure that processes aggression and basic emotions like fear, and the memories associated with them, is the _______.
amygdala
The cerebral cortex is about:
an eighth of an inch thick
The _______ regions of the cortex that integrate information from all over the brain, allowing us to learn, have abstract thoughts, and carry out complex behaviors.
association areas
Broca's area and Wernicke's area are examples of _____ areas because they _____.
association; integrate information from many brain areas
The _____ cortex receives information from the ears and allows people to "hear" sounds.
auditory
Khloe is drawing a diagram of the human nervous system. She includes the _____, which has two divisions involved in the physiological responses to stressful or crisis situations: the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
autonomic nervous system
Dr. Pearson studies the human nervous system. She has a diagram on her wall that shows the branch of the peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary processes within the body, such as contractions in the digestive tract and activity of glands. Dr. Peterson's diagram is of the: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.
autonomic nervous system.
Activities within the _____ are insulated by a _____.
axons; myelin sheath
The left hemisphere excels in language and the right hemisphere excels in visual-spacial tasks. The specialization of the two hemispheres is known as:
lateralization
The word 'cortex' is Latin for:
bark
Located beneath the structures of the limbic system is the _____, which includes the midbrain, pons, and medulla. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.
brainstem
The structure located behind the brainstem that is responsible for muscle coordination and balance is the ________.
cerebellum
Raul is labeling a diagram of the brain. He should label the structure that is the largest as the:
cerebrum
Professor Vargas is trying to explain her research on neurotransmitters to a colleague who studies hormones. She tells him that the two are similar in that they are _____ that are used to communicate.
chemicals
The bundle of nerve fibers connecting the two hemispheres and allowing them to communicate with each other is called the:
corpus callosum.
Thomas Kaminski, sports physiologist, called Lipton's 2018 study on gender differences in the extent of head injuries among soccer players, "truly groundbreaking" due to its unique focus on the:
cumulative effect of repetitive hits to the skull.
Last night, Daron was reviewing how neurons communicate in preparation for an upcoming test. If he were to draw a diagram of the communication process at the synapse, which label would he use for the location of the receptor sites? Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.
dendrite
Ehidiamen is drawing a diagram of how neurons communicate. He draws an arrow from the sending neuron across the synapse to the neighboring neuron's bushy _____ and then draws another arrow from there to the cell body.
dendrites
Dr. Torres studies the hormones associated with the fight-or-flight response. Her focus is on the:
endocrine system
Dr. Charles is using _____ to measure activity throughout the brain by utilizing strong magnets to track changes in the brain's blood-oxygen levels.
fMRI
In class, Paloma learned about the way neighboring neurons are involved in the activity of an individual neuron. If enough neighboring neurons signal to the receiving neuron to pass along the message, their combined signal becomes excitatory and the neuron will: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.
fire
Compared to men, measures of the volume of brain cells damaged by individual players repeatedly heading a soccer ball were found to be approximately blank________ for female players.
five times higher
Chinua has a niece who has recently experienced a brain injury. He knows that because she is only 2 years old, she has a strong chance of a full recovery. This is because children's brains have: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.
great neuroplasticity
The medulla is the part of the brain that regulates:
heart rate and respiration.
The _____ includes areas of the brain responsible for fundamental life-sustaining processes such as breathing and heart rate.
hindbrain
Ashley has brain damage but her memory has not been affected. It is UNLIKELY that Ashley sustained damage to her:
hippocampus
The _____ is particularly important in the formation and temporary storage of new memories.
hippocampus
Dione is talking with a classmate and says, "They travel through the bloodstream and typically cause long-lasting effects." What is Dione discussing?
hormones
Lane recently learned she has a brain tumor. Her initial symptoms included fluctuating body temperature, unexplained weight loss, dehydration, and difficulty sleeping. Based on these symptoms, it is likely that her brain tumor is located in or near the:
hypothalamus
THALAMUS
in the forebrain but at the top of the brainstem; connected to most areas of the cortex and routes sensory information to the proper areas of the cortex
Caffeine blocks adenosine, a neurotransmitter that slows neural activity. Based on this information, adenosine is an _____ neurotransmitter, like _____.
inhibitory; GABA
Meghan is a researcher who is examining the specialized cells that reside exclusively in the brain and spinal cord. What is she researching?
interneurons
What type of neurons act as a bridge connecting sensory and motor neurons?
interneurons
The left hemisphere surpasses the right hemisphere for:
interpreting hand gestures.
The removal of an animal's cerebellum causes them to stagger, fall, and act clumsy because the cerebellum:
is responsible for muscle coordination and balance.
Positive sodium ions are being pulled toward the cell membrane, but they cannot move rapidly into the cell until the neuron:
is stimulated by neighboring cells.
The thalamus:
is the brain's relay system.
Wernicke's area
language comprehension
Generally speaking, the left hemisphere controls _____ processing, while the right hemisphere controls _____ processing.
language; visual-spatial
As a study technique, Derek created study sets, which are groups of terms related to specific systems in the body. He is currently reviewing the group "thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus." This group goes with the:
limbic system
Buried beneath the cortex is the _____, a group of interconnected structures that play an important role in the experience of emotion, motivation, and memory.
limbic system
The _____ helps regulate emotion, memory, and motivation.
limbic system
The _______ is a group of interconnected structures that process emotions, memories, and basic drives.
limbic system
SOMATOSENSORY CORTEX
located along the front bump of the parietal lobes; registers sensations that arise from the skin and inside the body
OCCIPITAL LOBES
located at the back and base of the brain; contains the visual cortex which processes visual information
CEREBELLUM
located at the back of the brainstem; assists in movement and in timing functions of the brain
PONS
located in the brainstem; controls breathing and heartbeat; involved in movement, sleep and dreaming
MIDBRAIN
located in the brainstem; controls breathing and heartbeat; plays a role in both vision and audition
VISUAL CORTEX
located in the occipital lobes; processes information from the eye
AUDITORY CORTEX
located in the temporal lobes; processes information from the ear
TEMPORAL LOBES
located on the sides of the brain; contains the auditory cortex which processes auditory information
The pineal gland secretes _____ to control sleep-wake cycles
melatonin
Which task primarily involves the right hemisphere?
mentally rotating an object
smallest part of the brain
midbrain
Bodily movements are controlled by the _____, while bodily sensations are processed in the _____.
motor cortex; somatosensory cortex
_______ carry information from the central nervous system to activate various parts of the body, such as muscles and glands.
motor neurons
Many axons are surrounded by a ________, which is a fatty substance that insulates the axon.
myelin sheath
Endorphins
naturally produced opioid, reduces feeling of pain
Lana has always been fascinated by the complexity of thoughts and feelings that humans are capable of. This semester, she is taking a psychology course on the brain and nervous system, and she now knows that these complex abilities are due to the web of connections among:
nerve cells
Stem cells are responsible for:
neurogenesis
Where the nervous system uses _____ to send messages, the endocrine system uses _____ to send messages by releasing hormones.
neurons; glands
Patty suffered a stroke and experienced brain damage as a result. Immediately following the stroke, she had a difficult time speaking, but years later, her speech has improved. This is an example of:
neuroplasticity.
A researcher studying the impact of Brandon's brain injury might work in the field of __________, or the study of the brain and nervous system.
neuroscience
Dr. Jordan has been a researcher studying the brain and nervous system for many years. She collaborates with computer scientists, engineers, and psychologists on a variety of topics. What is her field of study?
neuroscience
Dr. Stefano is a _____, a researcher who studies the brain and nervous system.
neuroscientist
The signal to release _____ is the voltage change from the action potential, which results in vesicles on the axon terminal releasing their contents into the synapse.
neurotransmitters
________ are released into the ________ when an action potential reached the axon terminal.
neurotransmitters; sodium gates
action potentials
neutral impulses that move down axon
The action potential "skips" over the segments of myelin, hopping from one _____ to the next.
node of Ranvier
Jared is driving down the highway and is paying attention to the broken line that separates the different lanes. He thinks, those gaps in the lines create spaces every few feet. That sort of reminds me of the gaps in the myelin sheath that surrounds the axon in a neuron. What are these gaps in the myelin sheath called?
nodes of Ranvier
David reports "seeing stars" after being tackled during a game of football. This suggests disruption to activity in his _____ lobes.
occipital
Responsible for visual processing, the _____ lobe is located at the back of the head.
occipital
The visual cortex is located in the:
occipital lobe
People sometimes "see stars" when they have suffered a severe blow to the rear of the head because activity in the _____ has been disrupted.
occipital lobes
parietal lobe
orient the body in space, involved in tactile processing, and possibly play a role in mathematical thinking associated with spatial cognition.
The _____ secrete(s) sex hormones.
ovaries and testes
Coralyn is reading about Albert Einstein's brain. Researchers have reported that although Einstein's brain did not weigh more than the average brain, a region of his _____ believed to be important for visual-spatial processing was 15% larger than those of the control groups. This makes sense to Coralyn because she can understand how this type of processing could be important in mathematical reasoning. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.
parietal lobe
Which lobe sits behind the frontal lobe?
parietal lobe
frontal lobes
personality, intelligence, control of voluntary muscles
Developed by Franz Gall, the practice of _____ was an early approach to explaining the functions of the brain that involved analyzing the pattern of bumps on a person's skull.
phrenology
The _______ gland, located in the center of the brain, just under the hypothalamus, is in charge of the endocrine system.
pituitary
Jeanne has drawn a diagram that shows the segments of an axon, with small green dots flooding in from the outside of the neuron when each axon segment fires. What do these dots represent?
positive sodium ions
The neurotransmitter _____ is involved in regulating mood and appetite, whereas _____ underlies the ability to learn through reinforcement and regulates body movements.
serotonin; dopamine
Dr. Brown is conducting research that involves different levels of melatonin in the body. Dr. Brown is likely researching: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.
sleep disorders
Someone with insufficient levels of melatonin would likely experience problems related to:
sleeping
Adler is preparing for a presentation he is giving and is designing some slides to project onto the screen. His first slide includes a drawing of two large sticks coming out of a tree trunk. The trunk represents the peripheral nervous system and the two large sticks represent the: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.
somatic and autonomic nervous systems.
From a functional standpoint, the _____ division of the peripheral nervous system controls voluntary functions, while the _____ controls involuntary functions.
somatic; autonomic
When an electrode stimulates Brian's _____ he feels a tingling in his leg.
somatosensory cortex
Which cortex is in the parietal lobes?
somatosensory cortex
Broca's area
speech production
A person sustains a gunshot injury. This person has strong cognitive functions but is paralyzed. This person likely sustained an injury to the:
spinal cord
Jemele is researching the central nervous system. Which structure is part of Jemele's research?
spinal cord
When stimulus causes an involuntary response, we refer to it as a reflex; the simple communication pathway goes from sensory neurons through interneurons in the ________ and back out through motor neurons.
spinal cord
The _____ is a rare procedure used to disconnect the right and left hemispheres by cutting the corpus callosum. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.
split-brain operation
Professor Dlamini is a research psychologist who studies neurogenesis. She is interested in exploring the repair of tissue that has been damaged or destroyed. What is her research on?
stem cells
Another factor that may contribute to female soccer players experiencing more severe brain damage is that female players:
suffered more whiplash due to less muscle mass to stabilize neck and skull.
Dayton's pupils dilate and his heart begins pounding immediately after he sees a large rat running across his driveway after he parks his car. Terrified, his _____ nervous system is activated.
sympathetic
Flannery is just about to give a speech to her class on the fight-or-flight response. The irony is that she is pretty anxious about talking in front of the class, so her breathing has increased and her heart is racing. Flannery is going to use herself as an example of someone whose _____ is triggering this fight-or-flight response.
sympathetic nervous system
Last night, Quinn studied hard for her psychology quiz. She feels especially confident today about being able to describe the processes of diffusion and reuptake. Based on this, which part of the neural communication pathway is Quinn most familiar with?
synaptic gap
Lionel is reading about language comprehension and the processing of auditory stimuli. He learns how studies of primate vocalizations support the notion that the ability to recognize language has evolved over time and is processed within the _____ lobes.
temporal
The processing of auditory information takes place in the:
temporal lobe
Katja is suddenly frightened by a loud sound she heard. Her first response is to grab her daughter and hold her tightly. She also quickly texts a neighbor. This is indicative of the: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.
tend-and-befriend response.
Which brain area is located in both hemispheres, but is only involved in language in one hemisphere?
the angular gyrus
MEDULLA
the area of the brain right on top of the spinal cord. It helps regulate involuntary functions
Javier is giving a presentation about nerves in the peripheral nervous system. He wants to use an everyday example to illustrate how they work. Which example should he use?
the cables connecting his TV, cable box, and surround sound system
Which brain area is named for the Latin term for 'little brain'?
the cerebellum
The cortex sits on top of:
the forebrain
Andrew is unable to speak because of a recent brain injury. Andrew has damage to Broca's area which is in:
the frontal lobe
Which area of the human cortex is MOST different from the brains of other animals?
the frontal lobe
What part of the body did early philosophers believe was the seat of thought and actions?
the heart
Dr. Califiore studies an area of the brain that is buried beneath the cortex. It includes a group of interconnected structures that play an important role in the experience of emotion, motivation, and memory. What area of the brain does Dr. Califiore study?
the limbic system
Which part of the brain looks like a swollen extension of the spinal cord?
the medulla
BRAINSTEM
the oldest and innermost region of the brain; looks like an extension of the spinal cord; its structures (the hindbrain and the midbrain) direct several automatic and survival related functions
HINDBRAIN
the portion of the brain closest to the spinal cord; composed of the medulla, pons, and cerebellum
Ciara is reading about the occipital lobes and the area within them that processes sensory information. Which area of the brain is she reading about?
the primary visual cortex
Morgan says, "The reason we don't hold onto a hot pan to the point of sustaining a significant injury is because the brain isn't involved in that specific pathway." What is Morgan discussing? Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.
the reflex arc
What part of the brain is associated with alertness and attention?
the reticular formation
The peripheral nervous system (PNS) has two functional branches:
the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.
Olivia is outside looking at a picture of a homunculus, which depicts Penfield's map of part of the brain. Suddenly she feels a raindrop fall on her nose. As she begins to pack up to go inside, she recalls that the homunculus's nose is relatively large, indicating that her nose is very sensitive and thus involves a greater amount of cortex than less sensitive areas of her body. Which part of the brain did the homunculus map portray?
the somatosensory cortex
What brain structure routes sensory information to the appropriate areas of the cortex?
the thalamus
Which of the following is NOT part of the hindbrain?
the thalamus
FOREBRAIN
the upper portion of the brain; contains the thalamus, limbic system, and two cerebral hemispheres
Sebastian is taking an introductory psychology course and is completing some online video simulations to understand how a neuron works. One particular video shows a neuron starting at its resting potential. When the charge inside of the axon segment reaches its blank_______ of -55 mV, the neuron fires.
threshold potential
Diffusion spectrum imaging maps neural connections by:
tracking the diffusion of water molecules through brain tissues.
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
tracks changes in blood-oxygen levels
positron emission tomography (PET)
tracks changes of radioactive substances
Based on current research, the right hemisphere is believed to play a key role in:
understanding abstract and humorous use of language.
Positron emission tomography:
uses radioactive tracers in the blood to reveal brain activity.
computerized axial tomography (CAT)
using X-rays creates cross-sectional images
The action potential results in _____ in the axon terminal unloading neurotransmitters into the synapse
vesicles
occipital lobe
visual information
The occipital lobes process _____ information, while the _____ lobes process auditory information.
visual; parietal
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
with magnet creates cross sectional images