Psychology Test #1 (chapter 2)

What percent of the human brain is made up of the prefrontal cortex?

30% of the brain.

Endocrine system.

A communication system that uses hormones to influence mental activity and behavior.

___________ are drugs that enhance the actions of neurotransmitters.

Agonists.

What legal psychoactive substance produces similar effects as GABA antagonist?

Alcohol.

What neurological disorder is associated with diminished acetylcholine functioning, according to Koen & Yonelinas (2104)?

Alzheimer's disease.

What neurological disorder affects the hippocampus's ability to form new memories according to Tate, Herbet, Moritz-Gasser, Tate & Duffau (2014)?

Alzheimer's doesn't allow new memories.

When Bob was 12 years old he was bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake and almost died. Ever sense Bob experienced this traumatic event whenever he sees a snake he becomes frightened almost to the point of having a panic attack. What group of forebrain subcortical neurons is associated with Bob's intense emotional reaction to snakes?

Amygdala.

____________are drugs that inhibit the actions of neurotransmitters.

Antagonists.

What group of psychological disorders are treated with GABA agonists (e.g. Valium)?

Anxiety disorders.

People who are prone to ___________ show greater activation of the amygdala when viewing faces, they haven't seen before, according to Schwarz, Wright, Shin, Kagan, & rauch (2003).

Anxiety.

Where are the terminal buttons located on the neuron?

At the end of the axon.

Cortex is Latin word for__________.

Bark.

How did phrenologists assess personality traits and mental abilities?

By me4asuring bumps on the human skull.

How to glutamate receptors aid in learning and memory?

By strengthening synaptic connections.

Jeremy is 38 years old and has difficulties seeing colors, geometric forms, tracking motion and other visual deficits. While riding his bicycle without wearing a helmet he lost control and hit the back of his head on concrete. What group of neurons (found in the cerebral cortex) is likely damaged?

Cerebral cortex- primary visual cortex.

This group of forebrain structures is associated with thought, perceptions, complex behaviors and our understanding of ourselves, other people and the outside world.

Cerebral cortex.

Brain reorganization is much more common in __________ than in_____.

Children, adults.

How do twin studies assess the degree to which traits are inherited?

Compare similarities between different types of twins, monozygotic and dizygotic twins.

Benita is playing a very exciting video game and she finds that she wants to keep playing it more and more. Benita's desire is most likely activating the neurons in her brain that produce more of the neurotransmitter ________________.

Dopamine.

List 4 examples of motivational behaviors that are associated with the hypothalamus.

Drinking, eating, aggression, and sex.

What neurotransmitter associated with "runners high?"

Endorphins.

What neurological disorder may be caused by low levels of GABA, according to Shetty & Upadhya (2016)?

Epileptic seizures.

Billy is 19 years old and his friend Fred is 20 years old. Last Saturday they decided to go target practice in an isolated area south of St. Johns County. As both were walking down a sandy path both noticed a cylindrically shaped object on the path in front them. They realized that it was a large rattlesnake. Immediately Billy and Fred's pupils dilated, their heart rate and respirations increased markedly. Both stepped back quickly out of range of the rattlesnake. What division of the autonomic nervous system "kicked in" to prevent them from being bitten?

Epinephrine- adrenaline.

What group of hormones are found in high quantities in females?

Estrogen.

Describe the difference between an excitatory and inhibitory neuronal signal.

Excite the neuron, they increase the likelihood that it will fire an action potential. Inhibit the neuron, they decrease the likelihood that it will fire an action potential.

List the two types of signals produced when the neurotransmitter binds with the receptor on the postsynaptic neuron.

Ezcitatory or Inhibitory.

Give an example of a SSRI drug that leaves more serotonin in the synapse to bind with the postsynaptic neurons, resulting in an effective treatment for depression.

Freemantle.

What group of brain cells were damaged as a result of Phineas Gage's accident?

Frontal lobes.

What main endocrine glands influence sexual behavior in males and females?

Gonads.

What growth hormone prompts bone, cartilage, and muscle tissue to grow or helps them regenerate after injury?

Growth hormone.

What can occur (i.e. medical problems) if the sympathetic nervous system is chronically, according to Hans Selye?

Heart disease and asthma.

What role does the sodium potassium pump during the action potential?

Helps return the neuron to the resting state.

In what group of subcortical forebrain neurons will neurogenesis occur, according to Christian, Song, and Ming (2014)?

Hippocampus.

The field of Epigenetics have found that environmental exposure does not alter genes themselves but do alter __________ or _________ those genes are expressed.

How, when.

What endocrine gland governs the immune system?

Hypothalamus.

What group of forebrain subcortical structures receives input from almost everywhere in the body, other brain regions, and sends its influence to almost everywhere the body and brain?

Hypothalamus.

What two aspects of genes researchers have focused on?

Inheritance of characteristics, gene expression.

If morphine (a drug that binds with endorphin receptors) does not lock the nerves that transmit pain then how does it help people who are suffering from the same (i.e. pain), according to Foley (1993)?

It alters the pain we experience. People still feel pain but they report a sense of detachment that lets them not care about the pain.

Jacqueline is 18 years old. Ever since she could remember she has wanted to bungee jump but her parents forbid her from doing so. Now that she has reached legal adult age Jacqueline will get to experience the adrenaline rush from this activity. What neurotransmitter is associated with Jacqueline's desire for an adrenaline rush?

It is associated with norepinephrine.

Why does nicotine act as an agonist to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine?

It is chemically similar and so acetylcholine receptors cannot tell the difference between the two.

Who (i.e. famous athlete) in early 2013 admitted to using GH and other hormones, including testosterone to gain a competitive advantage in his sport?

Lance Arm Strong.

The biological basis for _________ is associated with the rewiring and growth of new neurons.

Learning.

What neurological procedure (carried out in the late 1940s and early 1950s) was performed to deliberately damage the prefrontal cortex in an effort to treat mental disorders and patients who cannot control their emotions?

Lobotomy.

What neurological disease destroys the myelin sheath resulting in the afflicted person's inability to coordinate their actions?

MS-multiple sclerosis.

How did the case of Michelle Mack (a person who is born with a missing left hemisphere of the brain) show that nurture can influence nature?

Michelle's right hemisphere the duties of the left, language production and moving the right side of the body to a surprising extent.

What neurotransmitter (responsible for motivation and the control of normal motor functions) is produced in the substantia nigra?

Midbrain.

Give an example of a drug that binds with endorphin receptors resulting in the reduction of his subject experience of pain.

Morphine.

Name the famous boxer who is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at the age of 42.

Muhammad Ali.

How does the nervous system and endocrine system differ in the way they communicate?

NS uses fast electrochemical signals, the ES uses a slower method of communication.

What is the name of the drug (antagonist) that binds with endorphin receptors which can help prevent overdose?

Naloxone.

What makes neural communication possible?

Neurons can communicate with each other through parts called dendrites, cell body, axon, and terminal buttons.

List one example of an agonist.

Nicotine.

What neurotransmitter is released from the sympathetic nervous system is activated?

Norepinephrine

What neurotransmitter is part of a system called the flight or fight response?

Norepinephrine.

Describe a simple way to think about epigenetic processes.

On top of genetics.

Alex is 25 years old. At social gathering he came into contact with a young woman with whom he found very attractive. His heart rate increased, his pupils dilated, and respirations increased as well. Although quite nervous Alex spoke to the young woman. They hit it off well and he plans to call her soon to go on a date. Once he left the company of this person he became relaxed and was in a good mood. What division of the autonomic nervous system returned Alex to state of homeostasis?

Parasympathetic nervous system.

Samantha recently became blind and is learning to use her fingers to read in Braille. The part of her brain that will be activated by touching the bumps on the page as she reads the Braille is the __________ lobes.

Parietal lobes.

What neurological disorder is associated with the death of substantia nigra cells?

Parkinsons disease.

What mental disorder is associated with abnormalities in the attention and self-regulation processes of the prefrontal cortex, according to Nigg (2010)?

People with a ADHD.

List three known functions of genes.

Personality, intelligence, athletic talent.

This group of neurons in the frontal lobe is associated with rational thought, many aspects of human social life, a sense of self, and our capacity to empathize with others or feel guilty about harming them.

Prefrontal cortex.

Describe how researchers assess how neurotransmitters affect behaviors, according to the author of your text.

Researchers inject agonists or antagonists into animals brains.

Which of our 5 senses (the oldest and most fundamental) is not associated with the thalamus and has neural pathways directly connect to the cerebral cortex?

Smell.

Johnny is 15 years old. One day while preparing to go fishing he accidentally hooked his finger with one of his fishing lures. He instantaneously cried out "ouch" and quickly pulled the hook (from his finger.) What part of the peripheral nervous system was activated when Johnny felt the pain of a fishing hook?

Spinal cord.

Nasim is driving on a snow-covered road, and her car begins to slide. The quick behavioral response and the increased heart rate and respiration she experiences are most likely due to the __________ nervous system. The feeling of relief and decrease in heart rate and respiration once she has the car under control again are most likely due to the __________ nervous system.

Sympathetic, parasympathetic.

What group of hormones are found in high quantities in males?

Testostrone.

A post office receives lots of incoming mail, organizes it, and then sends it out to various locations. Which part of the brain is a lot like a post office?

Thalamus.

Jeremy is 6 years old. His parents enrolled him in music school so he can learn how to play the violin. He has been attending classes 3 times a week and practices about one hour a day. About a year, later Jeremy is able to play classic violin pieces and has also joined a junior orchestra. What group of brain cells are associated with Jeremy's ability to learn to play in the violin and remember the songs he has been taught?

The cerebellum.

The prefrontal cortex makes humans unique in the animal kingdom. Conventional wisdom dictated that this difference was associated with the quantity of neurons in this and other neural structures. However, studies conducted by Bush & Allman (2004) and Schoenemann, Sheehan, & Glotzar (2005) concluded that is not the size of the brain but the ________________ that separates us from other nonhuman brains.

The difference between is the complexity and organization of these neural circuits.

What is neurogenesis?

The formation of new neurons.

How did phrenology contribute to our current understanding of the brain?

The idea of localization of brain function was an important insight.

What is the theory of phrenology as proposed by neuroscientists Franz Gall and Johann Spurzheim?

The idea that different areas if the brain perform different functions.

Action potential.

The neural impulse that travels along the axon and then causes the release of neurotransmitters into the synapse.

What makes possible the brain's ability to carry out all of the complex aspects of human thought and behavior?

The neurons.

What occurs neurologically when a person ingests the agonist) nicotine?

The nicotine binds to acetylcholine receptors and causes effects that are typical of acetylcholine.

Both males and females produce both types of sex hormones. Then what is the difference?

The quantity: androgens, testostrone tend to be greater in males. Estrogen greater in females.

Jim and Beth are on their way to Charleston, South Carolina to celebrate their 25 their wedding anniversary. They are not familiar with the city and is a make their approach Jim opens a roadmap to make sure they are heading in the right direction. What hemisphere of the brain is being used and is associated with spatial relationships such as understanding a roadmap?

The right hemisphere of the Corpus Callosum.

What does the catch phrase neurons that fire together, wire together mean, according to Donald Hebb?

The strengthen connection then makes these neurons more likely to fire together.

What is behavioral genetics?

The study of how genes and environment interact to influence mental activity and behavior.

Neurologically, why do certain drugs (e.g. cocaine & heroin) that act as neurotransmitters produce effects that can lead to addiction?

They are chemically similar to naturally occurring neurotransmitters.

How do neural networks in the brain develop and strengthen?

Through maturation and experience.

What endocrine glands control metabolism in the body?

Thyroid.

List the 3 basic functions of the nervous system.

To receive sensory input from the world through vision, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. To process this information in the brain by paying attention to it, perceiving it, and remembering it. To respond to the information by acting on it.

What 2 methods are used by scientists in an effort to assess the degree to which genetic traits are inherited?

Twin studies and adoption studies.

List 2 major ways neurotransmitters are removed from the synapse.

When neurotransmitters are reabsorbed by the presynaptic neuron in a process called reuptake. Enzymes destroy the neurotransmitter while they are in synapse.

What occurs between neurons if they fire simultaneously?

When one neuron activates another. The connection between them strengthens.

What affects gene expression and as a result it influences your brain, mental activity and behavior?

Your environment.