Psychological Biology Midterm Study guide
What is the main source of nutrition for vertebrate neurons? glucose sodium fats complex carbohydrates
glucose
The risk of sleep apnea is increased among which group of people? college students who are in finals week people who work on swing shifts men who are overweight those who are addicted to tranquilizers
men who are overweight
What causes hydrocephalus? poorly developed skull bones in an infant obstruction in the flow of cerebrospinal fluid damage to one of the cranial nerves interruption of blood flow to the brain around the time of birth
obstruction in the flow of cerebrospinal fluid
The action potential of a neuron depends mostly on what movement of ions? sodium ions leaving the cell potassium ions entering the cell potassium ions leaving the cell sodium ions entering the cell
sodium ions entering the cell
Charles S. Sherrington was the first to infer the properties of ____. the refractory period dendrites and axons the sodium-potassium pump synapses
synapses
Substantia nigra gives rise to the dopamine-containing pathway that facilitates readiness for movement. True False
true
What is the function of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase? It synthesizes acetylcholine from the diet. It increases the sensitivity of the postsynaptic cell to acetylcholine. It blocks further release of the transmitter acetylcholine. It breaks acetylcholine down into components for recycling.
It breaks acetylcholine down into components for recycling.
Why does the fovea provide the clearest, most detailed visual information? It has tightly packed receptors. It is closest to the pupil. It contains many blood vessels for supplying energy. It surrounds the optic nerve.
It has tightly packed receptors.
What is the relationship between the motor neuron axons and muscle fibers? The more axons which innervate a single muscle fiber, the more precise the movements. The more muscle fibers a single axon innervates, the more precise the movements. The fewer muscle fibers a single axon innervates, the more precise the movements. Each axon innervates only one muscle fiber.
The fewer muscle fibers a single axon innervates, the more precise the movements.
Bipolar cells send their messages to ____, which are located close to the center of the eye. cornea cells spiny cells bipolar cells ganglion cells
ganglion cells
An EPSP is a(n) ____. graded hyperpolarization graded depolarization depolarization with a rebounding hyperpolarization action potential in a reflex arc
graded depolarization
The ascending portion of the reticular formation ____. controls the motor areas of the spinal cord is responsible for the eye muscles controls the motor areas of the brain increases arousal and attention
increases arousal and attention
The resting potential of a neuron refers to the ____. the net positive charge on the inside of the neuron ions which rest in one place in the cell movement of ions to the outside of the neuron the net negative charge on the inside of the neuron
net negative charge on the inside of the neuron
By both neural and hormonal pathways, the hypothalamus regulates activity of the ____. ventricles retina thalamus pituitary gland
pituitary gland
A boxer's ability to sense the position of his arm and hand before planning a punch is dependent on the sense of ____. somatosensation vision proprioception pain
proprioception
Which widely branching cells are responsible for all of the output from the cerebellar cortex to the nuclei of the cerebellum? putamen cells Purkinje cells saccade cells parallel fibers
Purkinje cells
Parasympathetic neurons use acetylcholine as their neurotransmitter. True False
True
Most of the axons of the medial tract go to which side of the body? contralateral ipsilateral dorsolateral bilateral
bilateral
Dopamine and norepinephrine are classified as ____. proteins catecholamines purines second messengers
catecholamines
Speaking, piano playing, athletic skills, and other rapid movements would be most impaired by damage to which structure? reticular formation ventromedial hypothalamus cerebellum parasympathetic nervous system
cerebellum
A neuron excretes neurotransmitters through its membrane by a process called ____. endocytosis synaptic diffusion reuptake exocytosis
exocytosis
Shapes are more easily identified with peripheral vision than foveal vision. True False
false
People with damage to the parietal cortex appear to lack ____ related to voluntary movements. a feelings of intention muscle strength the ability to make conscious decisions feelings of intention a sense of timing
feelings of intention
Increased permeability to which type of ion would most likely result in an IPSP? bicarbonate potassium calcium sodium
potassium
An afferent axon brings information into a structure. True False
true
What causes potassium ions to leave the axon just after the peak of the action potential? an increased tendency of the sodium-potassium pump to push potassium out binding of potassium ions to proteins that leave at this time a continuing concentration gradient and the opening of the potassium gates an increase in the concentration gradient across the membrane
a continuing concentration gradient and the opening of the potassium gates
The name of the point at which the optic nerve leaves the retina is called the ____. optic chiasm ganglion fovea blind spot
blind spot
Chemicals are released by axons ____. into the junction between neurons to the mitochondria through the efferent terminal into the presynaptic terminal
into the junction between neurons
What is the approximate resting potential of the inside of a neuron's membrane, relative to the outside? -70 millivolts +10 millivolts 0 millivolts +90 millivolts
-70 millivolts
In skeletal muscles, every axon releases dopamine. True False
False
Inhibitory synapses actively suppress excitatory responses. True False
False
Only sensory neurons are found in a reflex arc. True False
False
cells axons make up the optic nerve. Ganglion Amacrine Horizontal Bipolar
Ganglion
Which widely branching cells are responsible for all of the output from the cerebellar cortex to the nuclei of the cerebellum? putamen cells Purkinje cells saccade cells parallel fibers
Purkinje cells
Which statement is TRUE about laminae in the cerebral cortex? Each layer corresponds to a different sensory modality. Odd numbered laminae contain only neurons; even numbered laminae contain only glia. The laminae vary in thickness in different areas. All cortical areas contain six layers.
The laminae vary in thickness in different areas.
Electrical communication between neurons is faster than chemical communication within neurons. True False
True
The greater the surface area of a dendrite, the more information it can receive from other neurons. True False
True
The motor cortex can become active when imagining movement. True False
True
Avoiding foods with lecithin, such as eggs and peanuts, would affect the levels of which neurotransmitter the most? endorphin serotonin acetylcholine GABA
acetylcholine
Thus far, it appears that the brain feature most strongly correlated with IQ in humans is the ____. amount of gray matter volume of the hippocampus brain weight brain-to-body ratio
amount of gray matter
In comparison to NREM dreams, REM dreams ____. are almost always less than five minutes do not contain violence are more likely to include complicated plots are less likely to include striking visual imagery
are more likely to include complicated plots
Studies on conscious decisions regarding voluntary movements suggest that ____. we are conscious of our decision before brain activity is generated for movement voluntary movements are the result of free will brain activity for the movement begins before we are conscious of our decision we are unable to judge when we make conscious decisions
brain activity for the movement begins before we are conscious of our decision
What type of cell responds to a pattern of light in a particular orientation anywhere within its large receptive field, regardless of the exact location of the stimulus? complex ganglion simple bipolar
complex
Which cell responds most strongly to a stimulus moving perpendicular to its axis? simple ganglion lateral geniculate complex
complex
What is a likely consequence if someone's temperature rhythm is phase-delayed? not breathing during the night waking up frequently during the night having problems going to sleep after losing your job difficulty falling asleep
difficulty falling asleep
Which plane shows brain structures as they would be seen from above? coronal commuter sagittal horizontal
horizontal
A Golgi tendon organ responds to ____. decreases in muscle spindles decreases in muscle tension increases in muscle spindles increases in muscle tension
increases in muscle tension
Based on research, it has been determined that the human circadian rhythm appears to be ____. shorter than 24 hours exactly 24 hours just over 24 hours closer to 28 hours
just over 24 hours
As axons from the spinal cord enter the skull, which structure do they enter? midbrain medulla forebrain cerebellum
medulla
Young adults deprived of a night's sleep show deficits on ____ tasks. verbal motor memory
memory
Glial cells whose function most closely resembles that of the immune system are called ____. oligodendrocytes Schwann cells radial glia microglia
microglia
The resting potential is mainly the result of ____. positively charged proteins inside the cell negatively charged proteins inside the cell positively charged proteins outside the cell negatively charged proteins outside the cell
negatively charged proteins inside the cell
The structure that contains a cell's chromosomes is called the ____. nucleus mitochondrion ribosome endoplasmic reticulum
nucleus
The role of the reticular formation in arousal is that it is ____. only one of several systems involved in arousal the single, critical system in arousing the cortex activated only by external stimuli activated only by internal stimuli
only one of several systems involved in arousal
Which part of the cerebral cortex is most important for the sense of touch? frontal lobe occipital lobe temporal lobe parietal lobe
parietal lobe
Repeated involuntary movements of the arms and legs that may prevent a person from falling asleep are known as ____. night terrors restless legs syndrome REM behavior disorder periodic limb movement disorder
periodic limb movement disorder
Chemicals that release energy when struck by light are called ____. kestrels opsins photopigments photo-optics
photopigments photo-optics
The cerebellum is most important for any process that requires ____. detecting the intensity of a stimulus control of muscle strength comparison between the left and right hemispheres precise timing
precise timing
Damage to the cerebellum is most likely to interfere with ____. the ability to remember a series of events chewing and swallowing lifting weights rapid movements that require timing
rapid movements that require timing
Suppose you fell into a cave and lost your watch. Without any time cues, your circadian rhythm would remain____ relatively stable decrease over time cease to exist increase dramatically over time
remain relatively stable
What is the name of the rapid eye movement occurring when a person moves his or her eyes from one focus point to another? sclerosis saccade slide gyration
saccade
Axons of the lateral corticospinal tract extend to what area? cerebral cortex cerebellum thalamus spinal cord
spinal cord
What causes an EPSP? the deactivation of stress response pathways the opening of sodium channels the opening of potassium channels the deactivation of cytoplasmic enzymes
the opening of sodium channels
Although slower than an action potential, synaptic transmission is still relatively fast because ____. EPSPs travel faster than IPSPs neurotransmitters diffuse faster than electricity sodium ions are transported quickly the synaptic cleft is very narrow
the synaptic cleft is very narrow
The activation-synthesis theory of dreams argues that dreams are the result of random brain activity. True False
true
People with severe spinal cord injury continue to produce normal activity in the motor cortex when they want to move. true False
true
The presynaptic terminal stores high concentrations of neurotransmitter molecules in ____. peptides dendrites vesicles axons
vesicles
How does the method of transcranial magnetic stimulation of brain areas differ from magnetic inactivation? Brain inactivation results as the magnets are simply reversed. Brain activation results from mild, brief magnetic stimulation. Brain activation results from long, intense magnetic stimulation. Brain inactivation results from mild, brief magnetic stimulation.
Brain activation results from mild, brief magnetic stimulation.
An electroencephalograph displays ____. a net average of all the neurons' potentials the electrical resistance of the scalp the rate of glucose uptake in active regions of the brain action potentials of individual neurons
a net average of all the neurons' potentials
Once within the cerebral cortex, a mixed pathway of magnocellular and parvocellular cells is important for ____brightness and color integrating vision with action details of shape distinguishing facial feature
brightness and color
If suprachiasmatic nucleus neurons are disconnected from the rest of the brain, they ____. produce spontaneous bursts of activity, but on no rhythmic pattern continue to produce activity that follows a circadian rhythm no longer produce any activity produce a 20-hour rhythm
continue to produce activity that follows a circadian rhythm
Cell bodies of sensory neurons are located in the ____. spinal cord white matter ventral roots dorsal root ganglia
dorsal root ganglia
The one additional feature that hypercomplex cells have that complex cells do not is that hypercomplex cells ____. have receptive fields that are triangular respond to bars of light in more than one orientation have a strong inhibitory area at one end of its receptive field respond to their receptive field faster
have a strong inhibitory area at one end of its receptive field
Which event will increase the concentration gradient of sodium? decreasing permeability to potassium ions increasing membrane permeability to sodium ions increasing activity of the sodium potassium pump increasing membrane permeability to chloride ions
increasing activity of the sodium potassium pump
The large-scale integration problem is the difficulty of ____. understanding how neurons work knowing how the areas of your brain work together to create a combined perception how more than one person can perceive the same object at the same time getting the different parts of the brain to physically connect during development
knowing how the areas of your brain work together to create a combined perception
A group of forebrain structures is important for motivated and emotional behavior. What term refers to this group of structures? tegmentum basal ganglia reticular formation limbic system
limbic system
Once within the cerebral cortex, the magnocellular pathway continues, with a ventral branch sensitive to ____. details of shape brightness movement facial features
movement
Receptor molecules for neurotransmitters that exert metabotropic effects are proteins that bind to ____ outside the membrane, and attach to ____ inside the membrane. adenosine; nitric oxide neurotransmitters; G-proteins calcium; potassium neurotransmitters; nicotine
neurotransmitters; G-proteins
In response to emotionally arousing events, the locus coeruleus releases ____. dopamine acetyl norepinephrine
norepinephrine
The optic nerves from the right and left eye initially meet at the ____. optic chiasm hypothalamus cerebral cortex lateral geniculate nucleus
optic chiasm
Chemicals that release energy when struck by light are called ____. kestrels opsins photopigments photo-optics
photopigments
One part of the reticular formation that contributes to cortical arousal is known as the ____. corticomesencephalon pontomesencephalon tectomesencephalon rubromesencephalon
pontomesencephalon
Damage to the ventral stream may interfere with ____. perceiving whether the lights are on or off the ability to describe the shape or size of an object walking toward something seen reaching to grasp an object
reaching to grasp an object
According to the trichromatic theory of color vision, the most important factor in determining the color we see is the ____. velocity of the action potential absolute activity of a single cone difference between cone and rod activity relative activity of short, medium, and long wavelengths
relative activity of short, medium, and long wavelengths
Alpha waves are characteristic of what type of activity? NREM sleep relaxed wakefulness periods of great excitement nightmares
relaxed wakefulness
What term describes the difference in voltage that typically exists between the inside and the outside of a neuron? shock gradient resting potential concentration gradient generator potential
resting potential
Hormones exert their effects ____. similarly to metabotropic neurotransmitters by attaching to special receptors on muscle fibers similarly to ionotropic neurotransmitters by being metabolized and converted via presynaptic cells
similarly to metabotropic neurotransmitters
In the normal course of an action potential, ____. sodium channel remain open for long periods of time the concentration of sodium equalizes across the membrane subthreshold stimulation intensifies the action potential sodium remains much more concentrated outside than inside the neuron
sodium remains much more concentrated outside than inside the neuron
The concentration gradient refers to the ____. negatively charged proteins inside the cell the difference in distribution for various ions between the inside and outside of the membrane fact that the concentration of ions is greater on the outside of a neuron fact that the concentration of ions is greater on the inside of a neuron
the difference in distribution for various ions between the inside and outside of the membrane
Acetylcholine is the only neurotransmitter released by ____. intrinsic neurons of the hippocampus intrinsic neurons in the spinal cord the sympathetic nervous system's postganglionic synapses the parasympathetic nervous system's postganglionic axons
the parasympathetic nervous system's postganglionic axons
What would be the likely outcome of a person who was blind at birth, and had vision restored later in life by the removal of cataracts (clouded lenses)? inability to use touch and sound cues to maneuver around in a building trouble identifying the location of light quick development of normal vision trouble describing the shapes of objects
trouble describing the shapes of objects