Chapter 3

_____ are a class of glial cells that restore the barrier between the brain and blood following injury.

Astrocytes

Which statement characterizes how the body responds to imminent danger?

Both the sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine system cause physiological changes in response to danger.

_____ causes similarly charged ions to spread apart and oppositely charged ions to move toward each other.

Electrostatic pressure

Natasha reaches under her car seat, searching for her umbrella. She pricks her fingertip on something sharp and yanks her hand back before she even realizes what happened. What can we conclude about this reaction?

Her sensory neurons sent a signal to interneurons in her spinal cord, which activated her motor neurons, which then instructed her muscles to contract.

Hiro sticks his hand in a junk drawer to search for a battery. He pricks his fingertip on a sharp tack and pulls his hand back before he realizes what happened. What was the first thing that happened when Hiro pricked his finger?

Hiro's sensory neurons carried a signal from his hand to his spinal cord.

Which statement about the pituitary gland is true?

It regulates the function of other endocrine glands.

Which statement characterizes how hormones differ from neurotransmitters?

Neural impulses can arrive at their destination within fractions of a second, but hormones may take minutes to arrive.

Although not as fast as neurotransmitters, why are the messages of hormones more widely spread?

They are disseminated through the bloodstream.

Which statement about the adrenal glands is true?

They are involved in the regulation of salt balance.

Which phrase accurately describes hormones?

Which phrase accurately describes hormones?

Paola is reading about early techniques for studying the brain. For example, Pierre Flourens would destroy parts of the brain of living animals and then determine when some functioning was lost following this surgery. This technique is called:

ablation

Simon has a brain tumor on his hypothalamus. As a result, it is likely that Simon is experiencing:

abnormal blood pressure and body temperature.

Action potentials are _____, because they either happen or they don't.

all-or-none

Isaiah is scheduled for a medical test. His doctor has told him the test will involve measuring electrical energy in his brain and then displaying that information for interpretation. What type of diagnostic testing did his doctor order?

an electroencephalogram

One characteristic of the glands and organs that are part of the endocrine system is that they:

are involved in the responses to emergencies.

Khloe is drawing a diagram of the human nervous system. She includes the _____, which has two divisions involved in the physiological responses to stressful or crisis situations: the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

autonomic nervous system

Sam has a set of index cards with the various branches and divisions of the nervous system written on them. She is laying them out hierarchically on her desk. What card should she put below "peripheral nervous system" and next to "somatic nervous system"?

autonomic nervous system

Dr. Pearson studies the human nervous system. She has a diagram on her wall that shows the branch of the peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary processes within the body, such as contractions in the digestive tract and activity of glands. Dr. Peterson's diagram is of the:

autonomic nervous system.

Eva is considering which classes she should take next semester. She knows she wants to learn more about how the brain and other systems influence human behavior. Which kind of class should she take?

biological psychology

Niels is trying to imagine what the human nervous system looks like. He knows that the body has neurons that run up and down the spine and branch throughout the body. These neurons provide the connection between the:

brain and body.

Professor Vargas is trying to explain her research on neurotransmitters to a colleague who studies hormones. She tells him that the two are similar in that they are _____ that are used to communicate.

chemicals

Last night, Daron was reviewing how neurons communicate in preparation for an upcoming test. If he were to draw a diagram of the communication process at the synapse, which label would he use for the location of the receptor sites?

dendrite

Dr. Tavarez studies neural communication. In particular, he does research on the processes occurring in the synaptic gap. He has been describing his findings to a neighbor, explaining that neurotransmitters that are not reabsorbed drift out of the synaptic gap because of their natural tendency to spread out or disperse. What is Dr. Tavarez discussing?

diffusion

A(n) _____ signal instructs the neuron to fire.

excitatory

Prior to his hemispherectomy, Brian was extroverted and easygoing, but after his operation he became more introverted and passive. The transformation of his personality may be a result of many influences. However, one factor could be that he lost a considerable amount of brain tissue from his:

frontal lobes.

Arielle is going to have a medical test next week to capture changes in her brain activity. The doctor told her that the technique they will be using reveals patterns of blood flow in particular areas of the brain. Arielle will be undergoing:

functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Rhonda is looking at a depiction of Penfield's map of the motor cortex, which is portrayed as a homunculus. As Rhonda carefully turns the pages, she realizes that the area of her cortex responsible for the fine motor control her fingers need to do this is portrayed as _____ in comparison to the other body parts of the homunculus.

gigantic

Professor Prakash studies the largest structure in the limbic system, which is primarily responsible for processing and forming new memories from experiences. Professor Prakash conducts research on the:

hippocampus.

Eunyoe knows a man who had his brain's left hemisphere removed when he was a child. She is amazed at how well the man speaks. The limited impairment he displays is likely because of:

his young age when the surgery was performed.

Amara notices that she is getting a little hungry. In all likelihood, neurons from her digestive system are sending signals to her _____ saying, "The stomach is empty."

hypothalamus

Lane recently learned she has a brain tumor. Her initial symptoms included fluctuating body temperature, unexplained weight loss, dehydration, and difficulty sleeping. Based on these symptoms, it is likely that her brain tumor is located in or near the:

hypothalamus

Meghan is a researcher who is examining the specialized cells that reside exclusively in the brain and spinal cord. What is she researching?

interneurons

As a study technique, Derek created study sets, which are groups of terms related to specific systems in the body. He is currently reviewing the group "thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus." This group goes with the:

limbic system.

The firing of a neuron is facilitated by the _____, which insulates and protects the tiny voltage changes happening inside the axon.

myelin sheath

Lana has always been fascinated by the complexity of thoughts and feelings that humans are capable of. This semester, she is taking a psychology course on the brain and nervous system, and she now knows that these complex abilities are due to the web of connections among:

nerve cells.

Vivian has been enjoying her psychology class because they are exploring neuroscience. Her instructor explains that they will begin by studying the building blocks of the nervous system:

neurons

Mylie is reading about the brain and how it undergoes constant alteration in response to experiences. As she learns this new information, her own brain is likely growing new connections. This reflects:

neuroplasticity.

A research team has been formed to conduct a study of the brains of individuals who had suffered traumatic injuries. The team's members come from disciplines as diverse as psychology, engineering, and computer science. What is their field of research?

neuroscience

Dr. Jordan has been a researcher studying the brain and nervous system for many years. She collaborates with computer scientists, engineers, and psychologists on a variety of topics. What is her field of study?

neuroscience

Dr. Kleekamp is helping his students understand how neurons communicate. He explains that it is just like a lock needing a specific key to open it. To convey a neuron's message, it is necessary for the right _____ to fit a corresponding _____.

neurotransmitter; receptor site

Adair is learning about how neurons communicate. He decides to use an analogy to explain this process, where _____ are like keys that must fit into the correct locks, which are the receptor sites on the receiving neuron.

neurotransmitters

When faced with imminent danger, activity in the brain triggers the release of _____ that cause increases in heart rate, breathing rate, and metabolism.

neurotransmitters

The action potential "skips" over the segments of myelin, hopping from one _____ to the next.

node of Ranvier

David reports "seeing stars" after being tackled during a game of football. This suggests disruption to activity in his _____ lobes.

occipital

Marta was reading about a study in which researchers removed the eyes of newborn opossums. The goal of the study was to see what happened to brain tissue that would normally be destined to become visual processing centers. Marta learned that the tissue instead became areas that specialize in processing:

other types of sensory stimuli.

Lydia's heart starts to race and her breathing increases when she hears a loud sound outside. She realizes quickly that there is nothing to worry about. Her body is brought back to noncrisis mode by her _____nervous system.

parasympathetic

While reading a scholarly article, Dr. Feinbaum sees a recently discovered photo of Einstein's brain, which shows a visual-spatial processing area about 15% larger than the brains from a control group. He reads on and learns that some researchers have suggested that the greater size of this region in his brain may explain some of his spectacular mathematical and visuospatial abilities. Dr. Feinbaum wonders if the opposite may be true: perhaps Einstein's mathematical activities caused changes to his:

parietal lobes.

Dr. Schmidt studies the communication pathway between the central nervous system and the rest of the body. She studies the:

peripheral nervous system.

Which gland-hormone pair is correct?

pineal-melatonin

Naomi has been scheduled for a medical test for next week. Her doctor told her that he will inject a tracer into her bloodstream and track brain activity while she performs a task. Naomi has been scheduled for:

positron emission tomography.

Niesha is learning about how neurons communicate. Today in class, her instructor was discussing how neurotransmitters drift across the synaptic gap and eventually bind to a specific part of the receiving neuron. As an analogy, her instructor compares the neurotransmitter to a key and the _____ it binds to as the correct lock for it.

receptor site

Every time a segment of an axon fires, the positive sodium ions flood in from the outside of the cell, while the prior segment returns to its:

resting potential.

Monica just finished watching a short video on neurotransmitters. She learned that neurotransmitters can be reabsorbed by the sending axon terminal through the _____ process, which the video compared to uneaten food being put back into the refrigerator for later use.

reuptake

Oscar is learning about antidepressants. In order to understand how they work, he needs to know what happens without them. Normally, neurotransmitters that do not connect with receptor sites can be reabsorbed by the sending axon terminal in the _____, but some antidepressants prevent this from happening.

reuptake process

How does the thyroid gland regulate the rate of metabolism?

secreting thyroxin

As Ken is cooking dinner, he accidentally touches a hot pan with his hand. This immediately activates his:

sensory receptors.

Someone with insufficient levels of melatonin would likely experience problems related to:

sleeping

Adler is preparing for a presentation he is giving and is designing some slides to project onto the screen. His first slide includes a drawing of two large sticks coming out of a tree trunk. The trunk represents the peripheral nervous system and the two large sticks represent the:

somatic and autonomic nervous systems.

Alicia is describing the branch of the peripheral nervous system that includes sensory nerves and motor nerves. She is describing the:

somatic nervous system.

Kitane is talking to a classmate about the peripheral nervous system. She says she thinks of it as a trunk of a large tree that splits off into two branches. The _____ nervous system is the branch that includes the sensory and motor nerves, whereas the _____ nervous system controls involuntary processes within the body.

somatic; autonomic

Jemele is researching the central nervous system. Which structure is part of Jemele's research?

spinal cord

A person sustains a gunshot injury. This person has strong cognitive functions but is paralyzed. This person likely sustained an injury to the:

spinal cord.

Dr. Murphy studies the central nervous system. Her work focuses on the brain and the:

spinal cord.

Professor Walsh says to her class, "You can think of this as a highway of neurons that shuttle information back and forth between the brain and the peripheral nervous system." Professor Walsh is describing the:

spinal cord.

Corey lost neurons in his spine after a car accident. Based on promising new research, he asks his physician whether _____ can be used to replenish the neurons he lost.

stem cells

Olivia was amazed to hear about researchers who were able to replenish neurons of the spine in mice. Because _____ are responsible for producing new neurons, Olivia understands why the researchers used them in this experiment.

stem cells

Professor Dlamini is a research psychologist who studies neurogenesis. She is interested in exploring the repair of tissue that has been damaged or destroyed. What is her research on?

stem cells

Charles is learning about the fight-or-flight and rest-and-digest responses. He is learning about the:

sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

Flannery is just about to give a speech to her class on the fight-or-flight response. The irony is that she is pretty anxious about talking in front of the class, so her breathing has increased and her heart is racing. Flannery is going to use herself as an example of someone whose _____ is triggering this fight-or-flight response.

sympathetic nervous system

The _____ is the tiny gap between an axon terminal and a neighboring dendrite of the next neuron.

synapse

Last night, Quinn studied hard for her psychology quiz. She feels especially confident today about being able to describe the processes of diffusion and reuptake. Based on this, which part of the neural communication pathway is Quinn most familiar with?

synaptic

Katja is suddenly frightened by a loud sound she heard. Her first response is to grab her daughter and hold her tightly. She also quickly texts a neighbor. This is indicative of the:

tend-and-befriend response.

In her presentation, Maya says, "Everything you feel, hear, and see when interacting with others is processed here first and then sent to the appropriate area of the brain for additional processing." Maya is describing the:

thalamus

Omar is listening to one of his favorite podcasts while jogging through the park. While he is doing this, all of the data being picked up by his sensory systems, aside from smells, are passing through the _____ before moving to the cortex for processing.

thalamus

Marco is a visually impaired student who reads braille. As he is reading, the region of the brain that normally specializes in handling visual information becomes activated. This is because:

that brain region has been repurposed to process touch sensations.

Quincy is so mad he can't think straight. He paid a contractor to remodel his kitchen, but the contractor hasn't finished the job and hasn't shown up for weeks. He texts a threatening message to the contractor demanding that he finish the job or else. Which part of his brain is responsible for processing his aggressive behavior?

the amygdala

Professor Westerhold's research focuses on the branch of the peripheral nervous system that works behind the scenes, regulating involuntary activity, such as pumping of the heart. Which is her area of research?

the autonomic nervous system

At the start of class, Haru's psychology professor announces that she will be discussing the structure that orchestrates behavior and houses thoughts, emotions, and personality. What will be the focus of the lecture?

the brain

Grayson had always thought that adults couldn't grow new brain cells. However, his psychology professor described research on the limbic system that has shown that _____ is one of the few places in the brain known to produce new neurons throughout life.

the hippocampus

Diego is studying to be a nurse. Today he was reading about the limbic system and its involvement in regulating sleep-wake cycles and appetite. Which structure of the limbic system was the focus of his reading?

the hypothalamus

Anupama had an emotionally draining experience with her father at the hospital last month. She remembers what they said to each other, and a variety of other details of the experience. Which area of Anupama's brain played an important role in the experience of these emotions and the memories associated with them?

the limbic system

Dr. Califiore studies an area of the brain that is buried beneath the cortex. It includes a group of interconnected structures that play an important role in the experience of emotion, motivation, and memory. What area of the brain does Dr. Califiore study?

the limbic system

Imani is learning about the history of psychology and early techniques for studying the brain. She realizes that although there are more modern ways for exploring the activity of the brain, the work of Gall and Flourens did make important contributions relating to:

the localization of function.the localization of function.

Ciara is reading about the occipital lobes and the area within them that processes sensory information. Which area of the brain is she reading about?

the primary visual cortex

Morgan says, "The reason we don't hold onto a hot pan to the point of sustaining a significant injury is because the brain isn't involved in that specific pathway." What is Morgan discussing?

the reflex arc

While putting a pizza in the oven, Remy accidentally touches the hot oven rack. Before fully processing what has happened, Remy yanks his hand out of the oven. What does this scenario represent?

the reflex arc

Radha is studying how the limbic system works. As she reads her textbook, her brain continues to take in the marks on the page as sensory information. Where is this information processed and relayed to the appropriate parts of her cortex to be processed into words and meaning?

the thalamus

For an action potential to occur, there have to be more excitatory than inhibitory signals, and the difference between the two has to meet the _____ of -55 mV.

threshold potential

Professor Wú is trying to help her students understand how neurotransmitters communicate between neurons. If a student were to ask where neurotransmitters are stored until they are released, what would be her answer?

vesicles

In which situation does the sympathetic nervous system respond almost instantaneously?

when faced with imminent danger