Chapter 2

Which of the following is true of macroelectrode recording techniques?

They are used to study brain waves.

What makes neurons different from other cells?

They have dendrites and axons.

Which of the following is true about dendrites?

They pick up incoming messages and transmit them to the cell body.

Alex's elderly father has been having problems with memory and speech, and Alex suspects he may have Alzheimer's disease. This diagnosis is later confirmed by his father's doctor, who explains to Alex that Alzheimer's has been linked to degradation of the brain cells that produce and respond to --.

acetylcholine

Odessa is 37 and is pregnant with her third child. Her obstetrician tells her that her pregnancy is high risk because of her age and suggests she undergo a test to screen her for genetic defects. She explains that the test involves harvesting cells from the fluid in which the fetus grows. Odessa's doctor is referring to --.

amniocentesis

The -- is the part of the peripheral nervous system that carries messages between the central nervous system and the internal organs.

autonomic nervous system

A chromosome is to a necklace cord like genes are to the --.

beads

Why do left-hemisphere strokes typically lead to aphasias?

because language is primarily controlled by the left cerebral hemisphere

Why do people from different cultures develop different neural networks?

because people from different cultures often have very different experiences

Suppose we assume that brown eyes are dominant and blue eyes are recessive. If a child inherits the blue-eye gene from one parent and the brown-eye gene from the other, what color eyes will the child have?

brown

The -- includes the brain and the spinal cord, which together contain more than 90% of the body's neurons.

central nervous system

Jasper is late for work and decides to skip breakfast. As lunchtime draws near, he begins to feel shaky and weak, and when he gets up to go to the cafeteria for lunch, he faints. His coworkers call an ambulance, and at the hospital, tests reveal there is an unusually low amount of sugar in his blood and urine. Jasper is suffering from --

hypoglycemia

Neurons belonging to the somatic nervous system are involved in which of the following?

making voluntary movements of the skeletal muscles

Dr. Skalski wants to study the effects of drugs and toxins on single neurons. She researches what types of recording techniques have been utilized to study the functions of single neurons and finds she would be best served by using --.

microelectrode techniques

Eva has been unable to sleep lately, and she notices that her attention span has decreased significantly. She has also noticed that she seems to become overstimulated and overexcited in certain situations. After explaining these symptoms to her primary care physician, he suggests she might be suffering from an --.

overactive thyroid gland

A recessive gene can control the appearance of a certain trait only if it is --

paired with another recessive

Which of the following secretes insulin and glucagon to regulate blood sugar levels?

pancreas

Which of the following releases melatonin, which helps regulate sleep-wake cycles?

pineal gland

Located on the underside of the brain and often called the "master gland", the -- gland is connected to the hypothalamus and produces the largest number of different hormones.

pituitary

If a person's cerebellum were damaged, it would most likely lead to --

problems in movement

The human genome, or sum total of all the genes necessary to build a human being, contains approximately --.

20,000 to 25,000

-- are impairments of the ability to use or understand language.

Aphasias

Which of the following is true about the spinal cord?

It contains two major neural pathways.

Which of the following illustrates resting potential in a neuron?

The neuron has a slightly higher concentration of negative ions inside than there are outside of it.

Damage to the hypothalamus might result in which of the following problems?

difficulty controlling emotions

In psychology, the idea that adaptive traits increase survival chances will become more common in a species, is known as:

evolutionary psychology

Natural selection is a concept from:

evolutionary psychology

Which type of study assesses heritability in animals and helps determine the degree to which a trait is inherited?

selection

Fiona's brain is getting information about her movements and her external environment, The part of the central nervous system that is communicating this is called the -- nervous system.

somatic

Francesca is studying behavior genetics with mice that have been bred to be genetically similar to each other. This type of research is called a -- study

strain

Glutamate enhances learning and memory by --.

strengthening synaptic connections between neurons

Dilated pupils and bronchi, a relaxed bladder, an accelerated heart rate would all be attributed to the stimulation of the --.

sympathetic division

The area comprising one neuron's axon terminal, the synaptic space, and the dendrite or cell body of the next neuron is called the:

synapse

The -- is the tiny gap between the axon terminal of one neuron and the dendrites or cell body of the next neuron.

synaptic cleft

Behavioral genetics focus on which of the following?

the extent to which heredity accounts for individual differences in behavior and thinking

Juanita walks out to the garage to get something out of her car. Suddenly a possum scurries out from behind an old carpet, and Juanita tenses, screams, and jumps back. Her heart is racing, and she is breathing rapidly. Once the possum scurries away and Juanita realizes she isn't in danger, her heart begins to slow, and her breathing begins to return to normal. This calming effect is promoted by which of the following?

the parasympathetic division

Which branch of the autonomic nervous system prepares the body for quick action in an emergency?

the sympathetic division

The -- is the level an impulse must exceed to cause a neuron to fire.

threshold of excitation

What is the primary responsibility of the parathyroid glands?

to balance levels of calcium and phosphate in the body

What is the main function of the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system?

to calm and relax the body after intense arousal