Chapter 2 Test

Which of the following is responsible for the ability to selectively attend to certain kinds of information in one's surroundings and become alert to changes in information?

reticular formation : The reticular formation plays a role in selective attention

Every deliberate action you make, such as pedaling a bike, walking, scratching, or smelling a flower, involves neurons in the ____ nervous system.

somatic: The somatic nervous system controls voluntary muscle movement, whereas the autonomic nervous system consists of nerves that control all of the involuntary muscles, organs, and glands. The sympathetic and parasympathetic systems are merely divisions of the autonomic nervous system.

The central nervous system is made of which two components?

the brain and the spinal cord: The central nervous system is composed of the nerves and neurons in the center of your body. The somatic and autonomic systems, as well as the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions, are components of the peripheral nervous system. Hormones are the chemical messengers for the endocrine system.

Which method would a researcher select if she wanted to determine whether her patient's right hemisphere was the same size as his left hemisphere?

CT scan : A CT scan is the only selection among these options that would allow the researcher to take a picture of the structure of the brain. The other options listed provide information about the function of the brain

Damage to what area of the brain would result in an inability to comprehend language?

Wernicke's area: Wernicke's area is located in the temporal lobe and is important in the comprehension of language. Broca's area is located in the frontal lobe and plays a role in the production of language. The occipital and parietal lobes are not specialized language areas.

Sara has been experiencing a serious memory problem. An interdisciplinary team has ruled out a range of causes and believes that a neurotransmitter is involved. Based on the information presented in Chapter 2, which neurotransmitter is most likely involved in this problem?

acetylcholine: Acetylcholine is found in a part of the brain responsible for forming new memories.

Which endocrine gland regulates your body's response to stress?

adrenal gland: The adrenal glands secrete several hormones in response to stress.

After a brain operation, a laboratory rat no longer displays any fear when placed into a cage with a snake. Which part of the rat's brain was most likely damaged during the operation?

amygdala: The amygdala—located within the limbic system, a part of your brain responsible for regulating emotions and memories—has been found to regulate the fear response.

Which specific event causes the release of chemicals into the synaptic gap?

an action potential reaching the axon terminal : When the electrical signal (called an action potential) reaches the axon terminal, the synaptic vesicles release their contents into the synaptic gap. Agonists binding to dendrites and the reuptake of neurotransmitters are activities that can occur in a neuron, but do not directly result in neurotransmitter release. Glial cells function as a support structure.

Small metal disks are pasted onto Miranda's scalp and they are connected by wire to a machine that translates the electrical energy from her brain into wavy lines on a moving piece of paper. From this description, it is evident that Miranda's brain is being studied through the use of

an electroencephalograph. : An electroencephalograph or EEG records brain wave patterns. CT scans take computer-controlled X-rays of the brain. Microelectrodes were not mentioned in this context in Chapter 2. fMRI does not record electrical activity of the brain.

Neuron A releases a neurotransmitter into the synaptic gap. As a result, the frequency of action potentials in Neuron B (the receptor cell) is reduced. Which of the following neurotransmitters is most likely to have been released by Neuron A?

an inhibitory neurotransmitter: Inhibitory neurotransmitters from Neuron A inhibit the electrical activity of Neuron B (receptor cell). The other answer choices would result in the opposite effect; for example, glutamate is a major excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system

Which part of the nervous system takes the information received from the senses, makes sense out of it, makes decisions, and sends commands out to the muscles and the rest of the body?

brain: The spinal cord carries messages to and from the body to the brain, but it is the job of the brain to make sense of all the information. Reflexes are an action rather than a structure, and interneurons were only discussed in terms of their role in spinal cord reflexes.

When a professional baseball player swings a bat and hits a home run, he is relying on his ________ to coordinate the practiced movements of his body.

cerebellum: The cerebellum is responsible for controlling the movements that you have practiced repeatedly, the movements that you don't have to really "think about."

What type of signal is used to relay a message from one end of a neuron to the other end?

electrical: Neurons use electrical signals to communicate within their own cell. The electrical signal is called an action potential.

The two hemispheres of the brain are identical copies of each other.

false: The left hemisphere is more active during language and math problems, while the right hemisphere appears to play a larger role in nonverbal and perception based tasks.

Eating, drinking, sexual behavior, sleeping, and temperature control are most strongly influenced by the

hypothalamus: The hypothalamus regulates sleep, hunger, thirst, and sex.

Which of the following responses would occur if your sympathetic nervous system has been activated?

increased heart rate: The sympathetic division is responsible for controlling your body's fight-or-flight response, which prepares your body to deal with a potential threat. The responses include increased heart rate and breathing, pupil dilation, decreased digestion, among others

The heart and the intestines are composed of _____muscles and are controlled by _____.

involuntary; the autonomic nervous system: The autonomic nervous system controls involuntary muscles like the heart and intestines. The somatic nervous system controls voluntary muscles. The heart and intestines are involuntary rather than voluntary muscles.

If Darren's brain is like that of most people, then language will be handled by his

left hemisphere: For most people the left hemisphere specializes in language.

Which of the following hormones is released by the pineal gland and prepares you for sleep?

melatonin: The pineal gland secretes melatonin.

Which of the following terms refers to a group of specialized cells that carry information to and from all parts of the body?

nervous system: The nervous system is the correct answer because it is composed of a group of specialized cells that send information to and from all parts of the body. The soma and the synapse are both parts of an individual neuron (not a group of cells), and endorphins are one type of neurotransmitter found in the body.

Located within the nervous system, the function of the _____ is to send and receive messages.

neuron: Neurons are specialized cells within the nervous system that receive and send messages. Glial cells serve as a structure for neurons. Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes are special types of glial cells that generate myelin.

When _______, a chemical found in the synaptic vesicles, is released, it affects the next cell.

neurotransmitter : Neurotransmitters are stored in the synaptic vesicles. The synapse is the space between the synaptic knob of one cell and the dendrites. Glial cells provide structure for neurons, and precursor cells are not relevant to this question.

Darla was in an automobile accident that resulted in an injury to her brain. Her sense of touch has been affected. Which part of the brain is the most likely site of the damage?

parietal lobes: The parietal lobes contain the centers for touch, taste, and temperature.

If an individual damages his occipital lobes, which would be the most likely problem he would report to his doctor?

problems with his vision: The occipital lobes are responsible for processing visual information.