Week 2 Practice Quiz; Chapters 2 & 3
A normal, healthy animal never contracts the flexor muscles and the extensor muscles of the same leg at the same time. Why not?
When the interneuron sends excitatory messages to one, inhibitory messages go to the other.
While it is known for a role in balance and coordination, the _____ is also very important for certain types of learning and conditioning.
cerebellum
An individual has difficulty remembering certain things after brain damage, but all memories stored before the damage are intact. The brain area most likely damaged is the ____.
hippocampus
People with damage of the parietal cortex tend to have trouble ____
locating objects in space
Sophia is not feeling well and has been coughing and sneezing all day. These actions are controlled by her _____.
medulla
The spinal cord communicates with ____.
sense organs and muscles below the level of the head
Hang's doctors would like to get an image of her brain. Her doctors decided that an MRI might be a challenge because ____.
she is afraid of loud, enclosed places
Bonita is learning to speak and process language. She is likely to have increased activity in her _____.
temporal lobe
Which process indicates spatial summation?
Present two or more weak stimuli at the same time.
Which statement is TRUE about laminae in the cerebral cortex?
The laminae vary in thickness in different areas.
Autoreceptors monitor the ____.
amount of neurotransmitter released
Insulin increases the entry of tryptophan into the brain by ____.
causing certain competing amino acids to enter other cells, outside the brain
Releasing hormones are synthesized in the ____ and released in the ____.
hypothalamus; anterior pituitary
The "spontaneous firing rate" of a neuron refers to ____.
its rate of producing action potentials even when it is not stimulated
Which terms refers to a chemical that binds to another chemical?
ligand
In addition to influencing other neurons, ____ increases blood flow to a specific area of the brain.
nitric oxide
You are walking after dark. A sudden noise frightens you. Your heart pounds, your pulse races, and your breathing rate increases. These responses are due to your ____.
sympathetic nervous system
Sherrington found that repeated stimuli within a brief time have a cumulative effect. He referred to this phenomenon as ____.
temporal summation
Which structure provides the main source of input to the cerebral cortex?
thalamus
What is the synaptic cleft?
the gap between the presynaptic neuron and the postsynaptic neuron