Biological Bases

Which of the following is a disease in which the immune system attacks the myelin of neurons in the central nervous system?

Multiple sclerosis

Which part of the nervous system is most immediately activated by sudden fear?

sympathetic

Nervousness can result in faster and more shallow breathing as well as a racing heart. This is due to activation of the

sympathetic nervous system

Which of the following are NOT part of a neuron?

synapses

Immediately after firing, a neuron is incapable of responding to stimulation. This condition is referred to as

the absolute refractory phase

The part of the neuron that is responsible for receiving signals from other neurons is called

dendrite

Based on its effects on the central nervous system, alcohol can be classified as

depressant, meaning it has a calming effect on the central nervous system

Which of the following statements best describes the effect of alcohol on human functioning?

depresses the central nervous system

Kristi has been training as a ballet dancer since she was very young. When Kristi's car is hit by another motorist, she is diagnosed with mild trauma to the area in the back of her brain. Kristi tries to dance again soon after her accident but has a great deal of trouble maintaining her balance. Explain how each of the following concepts applies to Kristi's current situation. Long-term potentiation Cerebellum Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Neuroplasticity

"Since Kristi has been training in this type of dance for years and has repeated the moves thousands of times, the synaptic pathways for those movements have taken on a permanent increase in the likelihood that they will fire. This would make her movements more fluid and make it easier for her to link different moves together, before the accident." Kristi's learning of ballet operates through the long-term potentiation of neurons and neuronal pathways in the brain. "It is likely that Kristi injured her cerebellum in the accident in some way. It says that she injured the back of her brain, where the cerebellum is located, and that she is having a hard time dancing because she keeps losing her balance. The cerebellum is the part of the brain that is responsible for voluntary movement, balance, and posture—all of which are important to ballet." the role that the cerebellum plays in voluntary movements of the body, including balance After her accident, it is possible that Kristi's medical team prescribed that she undergo an MRI of her brain, especially since she was having balance problems. This type of brain imaging would have helped the doctors know that the area of her brain that was damaged in the accident was close to the back of her head." Kristi might have had an MRI done after her accident to ascertain where the damage to her brain was located. "Although Kristi might be having difficulty with her dancing right after the accident, she should gain some of that ability back because of the brain's ability to make new connections after an injury (neuroplasticity). If she sticks with her training and does not injure her brain again, she will be able to make new connections among her neurons that will allow her to dance again." the brain has the ability to recover after an injury through the reestablishment of neuronal connections, especially through repetition of certain movement or activities.

Which of the following is classified as an antagonist?

A tricyclic antidepressant, because they block serotonin and norepinephrine transporters. Antagonists are drugs that block receptors

Researchers looking to create a drug to reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease would most likely focus their efforts on which of the following neurotransmitters?

Acetylcholine

A certain drug reduces the activity of the central nervous system, including the hippocampus and cerebellum. It affects several neurotransmitters, most notably gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Which of the following is most like the drug in question ?

Alcohol

Which of the following correctly pairs subdivisions within the major divisions of the human nervous system?

Autonomic . . sympathetic and parasympathetic

Which of the following will NOT increase behavioral and mental activity?

Barbiturates

A person with damage to Broca's area would most likely demonstrate which of the following symptoms?

Difficulty with speech production

Cocaine blocks the reuptake of which neurotransmitter?

Dopamine

Which of the following is true about the pons?

It is the region of the brain that is most closely associated with sleep and arousal, and acts as a bridge between other areas of the brain.

Juana accidentally touched a hot iron. She immediately drew back her hand. Which of the following is true about the withdrawal of her hand?

It was initiated in the spinal cord.

Which of the following is brain-imaging technique that produces the most detailed picture of brain structure?

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Lucid dreaming occurs when people

have dreams in which they are aware that they are dreaming

It is well established that certain autonomic responses such as heart rate, perspiration, and respiration change under stress. In view of the fact that people generally have stronger autonomic responses when lying than when telling the truth, it follows that the polygraph would be a foolproof approach to lie detection. Which statement best explains why the polygraph is not more widely used in courtrooms and in testing of job applicants?

Physiological arousal is much the same for several emotions, so the polygraph cannot always reliably distinguish guilt from other reactions.

Which of the following provides information regarding brain function by monitoring the brain at work through metabolism of glucose?

Positron emission tomography (PET)

Which of the following is the correct sequence of the neural chain of events set in motion by an environmental stimulus?

Receptors, afferent neurons, interneurons, efferent neurons, effectors

Significant damage to which of the following parts of the brain will most likely cause a person to fall into a deep coma from which the person will be unable to awaken?

Reticular formation, responsible for the sleep-wake cycle, thus mediating various levels of alertness. This part of the reticular system projects to the mid-line group of the thalamus, which also plays a role in wakefulness.

In right-handed individuals, which of the following abilities is predominantly a function of the right hemisphere of the brain?

Spatial reasoning

Joel's pupils become dilated, his digestion is reduced, and his skin becomes cold. Which system is controlling his bodily changes?

Sympathetic

Which of the following characteristics is generally associated with the use of hallucinogens?

The experience of vivid, distorted images that are not based on sensory input

Professor Janeja is studying which brain regions are involved in learning to correctly navigate a maze task. She randomly assigns half of a group of mice to get a lesion in one area of the brain. The other half does not get a lesion. Where in the brain is the most likely site of the lesion?

The hippocampus because it is associated with spatial learning and navigation, so lesioning it would cause difficulties with navigation.

Which of the following assertions is best supported by empirical evidence?

The two cerebral hemispheres are specialized to process different types of cognitive tasks.

The sequence of shifts in the electrical charge of a neuron is called

action potential

Information is relayed to the spinal cord or the brain by (sensory neurons)

afferent neurons

Damage to which of the following brain structures may cause the inability to detect the emotional significance of facial expressions, especially those demonstrating fear?

amygdala

A drug that has the effect of intensifying or mimicking a particular neurotransmitter can be characterized as

an agonist, because it intensifies the effects of a particular neurotransmitter

Difficulty in typing smoothly on a keyboard would most likely result from damage to the

cerebellum

An individual with damage to Wernicke's area is most likely to have difficulty

comprehending a spoken request for information

Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system results in which of the following?

decrease in heart rate

The autonomic nervous system is most directly involved in?

digesting food; the automatic nervous system controls internal activities of organs such as digestion

Which of the following neurotransmitters is most closely associated with schizophrenia?

dopamine

what is another way to say motor neurons that carry neural impulses away from the central nervous system and towards muscles to cause movement

efferent neurons

A participant in a study of music perception listens to music with electrodes attached to her scalp while data are collected on the activity of her brain. This technique is called

electroencephalography (EEG)

When people consume large amounts of alcohol, they are often unable to recall what they did and said while they were drinking. This occurs because alcohol interferes with the brain's ability to form new memories in the

hippocampus

Which of the following brain structures has the strongest influence on hunger and satiety?

hypothalamus

After an electrode implanted in a cat's brain stimulates the cat's amygdala, the cat will most likely do which of the following?

immediately withdraw in fear

Mary participates in an exercise program because she experiences an increase in energy and feelings of well-being at the end of each exercise session. The best explanation for Mary's perseverance in the program is that exercise

increases her level of endorphins. That natural high is caused by chemicals released in the brain called endorphins. Endorphins are the body's very own natural analgesics, or painkillers. They are released during times of stress and pain and function in the brain similarly to opium-based drugs, such as morphine.

For most people, speech functions are primarily localized in the

left cerebral area

People who have experienced severe damage to the frontal lobe of the brain seldom regain their ability to

make and carry out plans

The area of the brain stem that is important in controlling breathing is the

medulla

George was involved in an accident and experienced head trauma. Although his eyes were functioning normally, he was unable to see. Which area of the brain was most likely affected by the accident?

occipital lobe

The brain's ability to adapt after it is damaged is known as

plasticity

The time shortly after a neuron fires is referred to as

refractory period,which is the brief period after firing when a neuron cannot fire again.

The process by which neurotransmitters are reabsorbed into the neuron after it fires is called

reuptake

The right occipital lobe receives visual information from the

right half of both retinas

Damage to Wernicke's area is most likely to be associated with difficulty in

understanding language

Damage to the occipital lobe would most likely affect a person's

vision

The occipital lobe of the human brain contains the centers for

vision

Damage to a small part of the occipital lobe would most likely result in a

visual deficit