psych 112 Ch 3

Monozygotic twins share _____ of their genes.

100%

Neurons _____ connected physically and communicate with each other at the _____.

are not; synapse

The three basic parts of a neuron include the

cell body, axon, and dendrites.

_____ direct(s) and produce(s) human behaviors, personality traits, and even psychological disorders.

Both genes and the environment

_____ consist of strands of DNA wound around each other.

Chromosomes

_____ refers to the fact that each hemisphere in the brain controls the functions of the opposite side of the body.

Contralateral control

What is TRUE about the spinal cord?

Different areas have different functions.

Which of the following points about heritability is FALSE?

Heritability is not dependent on the environment.

Increasing the electrical signal beyond the threshold that initiates an action potential has what effect on a neuron?

It does not increase the strength of the action potential.

How does cardiovascular exercise affect brain structures?

It promotes neuron growth and increased synaptic connections in the hippocampus.

_____ affects dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, influencing the systems that help us perceive visual images.

Methamphetamine

_____ are activated when watching another animal's behavior and are involved in social behavior.

Mirror neurons

_____ refers to the time following an action potential during which a new action potential cannot be initiated.

Refractory period

When the face or arm of an amputee is stimulated, what happens?

The individual reports feeling a phantom limb.

Why is it informative to study people with damage to certain regions of the brain?

These patients often demonstrate problems performing specific behaviors, and we can correlate this behavior with the specific region that has been damaged.

Neurons

_____ are the billions of cells in your brain that process information, resulting in cognitive processes and behaviors.

Which of the following is NOT an all-or-nothing event?

accelerating in a car

Jane's grandmother was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Jane wanted to do some research so that she could help her grandmother better understand this disease. Through her research, Jane found that Alzheimer's involves the deterioration of what neurotransmitter?

acetylcholine

The _____ stimulates the release of neurotransmitters, allowing neurons to communicate with each other.

action potential

What is referred to as an all-or-nothing event?

action potential

L-dopa is a drug given to individuals with Parkinson's disease. This drug helps with the symptoms of the disease because it is a(n) _____ for dopamine.

agonist

Drugs that increase the action of a neurotransmitter are called:

agonists.

The myelinated sheath of an axon:

allows for faster transmission of signals to other neurons, organs, or muscles.

As part of the limbic system, the _____ attaches significance to previously neutral events that are associated with fear, punishment, or reward.

amygdala

The _____ of the brain allow information to be connected to meaning, with neurons in these regions being more adaptable to change.

association areas

Compared with the _____, we have voluntary control over the _____.

autonomic nervous system; somatic nervous system

Jayden damaged his motor cortex during a car accident, but over time, part of the frontal lobe cortex nearby began to coordinate some muscle movements. This is an example of:

brain plasticity.

The _____ is the part of the neuron that keeps the cell alive.

cell body

The _____ processes and coordinates sensory input from the body in order to send signals from the brain and spinal cord back to the muscles and bones in the body.

central nervous system

Compared with vertebrates, invertebrates lack a hierarchical organization of their:

central nervous systems.

Denton could pitch a baseball in what looked like one effortless and smooth movement. What part of the hindbrain is most associated with this highly coordinated motion?

cerebellum

Neurons communicate _____with each other at the _____.

chemically; synapse

Drugs are able to specifically target certain behaviors because neurons:

communicate along certain pathways and have specific receptor sites for different neurotransmitters.

The first stage of neural communication, _____, is the movement of the signal within a single neuron. _____ is the movement of a signal between neurons.

conduction; Transmission

If this area were severed the two sides of the brain would not be able to communicate with each other.

corpus callosum

The _____ receives information from other neurons and the _____ sends that information on to the next neuron.

dendrite; axon

The synapse is located between the _____ and _____ of neighboring cells.

dendrite; axon

Which of the following is the correct sequence for information travelling within a single neuron?

dendrites, cell body, axon

Neurons are functionally _____, in that they support _____ functions.

distinct; 3 major types of

Neurons:

do all of the things mentioned here.

The spinal cord allows us to:

do all of these things.

Which neurotransmitter is associated with seeking pleasure and plays a role in drug addiction?

dopamine

Within a neuron, information is transmitted as a(n) _____ from the dendrites to the cell body and throughout the axon.

electrical signal

Information is transmitted within the neuron as a(n) _____ signal, and information transmission between neurons is a(n) _____ signal.

electrical; chemical

Dan is running a marathon, and after 15 miles he doesn't think he can take it anymore. Just as he is about to give up, the pain suddenly subsides and he feels much better and motivated to run the rest of the race. Dan is most likely feeling the effects of what neurotransmitter?

endorphins

Which of the following is an all-or-nothing event?

flushing a toilet

Which part of the brain is responsible for movement, abstract thinking, and planning?

frontal lobe

Through the case study of Phineas Gage, researchers found that the:

frontal lobe is involved in planning, decision making, and emotion regulation.

Which area of the brain sets humans apart from other animals?

frontal lobes

What guides the development of the brain for both an individual and a species?

genes

Which major area of the brain deals with information coming in from and going out through the spinal cord?

hindbrain

With only which two portions of your central nervous system could you survive?

hindbrain and midbrain

The brain can be organized into areas that perform simple functions to areas that perform complex functions. Which order below begins with the area that is most simple in its functions and ends with the area that is most complex in its functions?

hindbrain, midbrain, forebrain, cerebral cortex

Patients with amnesia who cannot form new memories usually have damage to the:

hippocampus.

Although neurons do not physically touch each other, the synapse is a small gap between neurons where:

information from the axon of one neuron is sent to the dendrite of another neuron.

After damage to the spinal cord, the amount of function that is lost:

is based on the localization of the damage.

Damage to this area of the brain can be deadly as this structure controls heart rate, respiration, and circulation.

medulla

Vijay has problems orienting to sounds. For example, he cannot tell whether the music is coming from the television or the stereo when he is at home. What area of the central nervous system is likely malfunctioning and causing problem?

midbrain

Research has shown that when certain groups of animals observe one another engaging in a particular behavior, some of the same neurons also become active in the observer animal. This is due to the action of what type of neuron?

mirror neurons

Diseases such as multiple sclerosis usually involve a deterioration of what part of a neuron?

myelin sheath

The _____ is made up of _____vand helps to insulate the axon.

myelin sheath; glial cells

Chemicals that pass information across the tiny gap between neurons are called:

neurotransmitters.

The visual pathway projects from the retina, along the optic nerve, through the thalamus to the:

occipital lobe.

The brain is remarkably adaptive and the functions of areas that are damaged may be taken over by other areas of the brain. What is the term for this phenomenon?

plasticity

This area serves as a bridge from the cerebellum to the rest of the brain.

pons

The main focus of the nervous system is to:

provide a large network of interacting nerve fibers passing information throughout the body.

In order for a neuron to respond to a particular neurotransmitter it must possess a(n) _____ for that neurochemical.

receptor

In order for a neurotransmitter to affect surrounding neurons the molecular structure of the neurotransmitter must fit into the _____ like a key fits into a lock.

receptor

During the _____, it is not possible for a new action potential to be generated.

refractory period

During the _____, the ions of the neuron are imbalanced and it _____ immediately send another signal.

refractory period; cannot

The typical sequence of events for neuronal activity is:

resting potential, action potential, refractory period.

The typical state of a neuron is the _____, but when electrical signals stimulate it to its threshold, the _____ is immediately observed.

resting potential; action potential

In order to process information from the external world, _____ receive input from the body and transfer the information to the brain through the spinal cord.

sensory neurons

Janell holds her hand close to a fire. Her _____ allow her to feel the heat, while her _____ allow her to move her hand away from the fire.

sensory neurons; motor neurons

The three major types of neurons include:

sensory, motor, and interneurons.

Suzanne has been having difficulty falling asleep and waking up in the morning. She has also noticed that her appetite has changed and that she has become somewhat more aggressive. What neurotransmitter is most likely involved in Suzanne's symptoms?

serotonin

The homunculus shown in your book illustrates how much of the _____ is devoted to each area of the body.

somatosensory cortex

You are driving down an unfamiliar road at night and an animal darts out in front of your car. You quickly slam on the brakes and avoid hitting the animal. Your ability to respond quickly to this situation was most likely promoted by your:

sympathetic nervous system.

If we were to compare the autonomic nervous system with a car we could say that the _____ nervous system functions like a car's accelerator and the _____ nervous system functions like a car's brake.

sympathetic; parasympathetic

The thalamus receives information from the sensory systems, including:

taste, vision, touch, and sound.

Damage to this area of your brain could leave you unable to navigate your way through a room.

tectum

The action potential travels down the length of the axon, and when it gets to the _____, the neurotransmitters are released into the synapse.

terminal buttons

Which of the following make up the major components of the peripheral nervous system?

the autonomic and somatic nervous systems

The central nervous system is composed of:

the brain and the spinal cord.

Information that is received on the left side of the body is processed in _____ of the brain.

the right hemisphere

Spinal reflexes require input from:

the spinal cord.

Olu is hiking in the woods when he comes across a bear. What part of the nervous system is coordinating his body as he decides whether he should run away from the bear or stay still?

the sympathetic nervous system

A split-brain patient is shown a picture of a dog on the left side of a computer screen and a picture of a tree on the right side of a computer screen. When asked to say what object he saw, he will report a _____. When asked to use his right hand to draw the object he saw, he will draw a picture of a _____.

tree; tree

The occipital lobe is to _____ as the parietal lobe is to _____ .

vision; touch