Physiological Psych. Module 6.2 Quiz

An individual with damage to the primary somatosensory cortex would most have problems with ____.​

ability to locate where they are being touched

What is a dermatome?​

an area of the skin innervated by a given spinal nerve

Each spinal nerve has ____.​

both a sensory and a motor component

Large-diameter pain axons ____.​

carry sharp pain information

Along each strip of somatosensory cortex, different sub-areas respond to ____.

different areas of the body

A mild degree of pain releases the neurotransmitter ____. A more intense pain also releases ____.​

glutamate; substance P

Itching is primarily the result of ____.​

histamine release

Somatosensory information travels from the thalamus to which area of the cortex?​

parietal lobe

The sensory aspect of pain activates the ____ cortex, whereas the emotional aspect activates the ____ cortex.​

somatosensory; cingulate

What neurotransmitter is released by axons that carry pain information to the brain?​

substance P

The somatosensory system involves sensation of ____.​

the body and its movements

The eighth cranial nerve contains both a(n) ____ component and a ____ component.​

auditory; vestibular

Studies with placebos and studies using hypnotism suggest that much of the reduction in pain is the result of decreased activation in the ____.​

emotion areas of the brain

Morphine and other opiate drugs decrease sensitivity to pain by ____.​

mimicking the effects of endorphins at the synapses

What does the vestibular system detect?​

movement of the head

What process is predicted by the gate theory of pain?​

non-pain information can inhibit pain information

The brain chemicals known as endorphins produce effects similar to which substance?​

opiates

In the otolith organs, the otoliths are calcium carbonate particles that ____.​

push against hair cells when moved

Pacinian corpuscles respond best to ____.​

rapid mechanical pressure

Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, relieve pain by ____.​

reducing the release of chemicals from damaged tissues

Which two structures provide information about vestibular sensation?​

semicircular canals and otolith organs

Pain receptors of the skin are ____.​

simple, bare neuron endings

Morphine is effective in relieving ____.​

slow, dull pain

An acceleration of the head at any angle causes ____.​

the jelly-like substance in one of the semicircular canals to push against hair cells

When mechanical pressure bends the membrane of a Pacinian corpuscle, ____.​

the membrane's resistance to the flow of sodium ions decreases

Which statement is TRUE of various types of somatosensation?​

they are at least partly distinct all the way from the receptors to the cerebral cortex

A distinctive feature of itch is that it relies on ____.​

unusually slow axons

The ____ nucleus of the thalamus is associated with pain perception of the body.​

ventral posterior

Which ability would be most impaired with damage to the vestibular senses?​

visually tracking an object while dancing