VOCAB QUIZ TERMS UNIT 3

Question 1

What is a neuron?

Answer 1

bundled axons that form brain cables connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs.

Question 2

What is the Central Nervous System?

Answer 2

brain + spinal cord

Question 3

What is the cerebral cortex

Answer 3

the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body’s ultimate control and information-processing center

Question 4

What is a dendrite?

Answer 4

the neurons branches that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body

Question 5

What is a MRI Scan?

Answer 5

Shows brain anatomy

Question 6

Define corpus callosum

Answer 6

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

Question 7

What is an axon?

Answer 7

the neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands

Question 8

What are neurotransmitters?

Answer 8

Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse.

Question 9

What are pons?

Answer 9

a structure on the brain stem that lies above the medulla and regulates sleep, arousal, consciousness, and sensory processes.

Question 10

What is Wernicke’s Area?

Answer 10

controls language reception- a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe

Question 11

What is Broca’s Area?

Answer 11

controls language expression- an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech

Question 12

What is the medulla?

Answer 12

the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

Question 13

What is the synapse?

Answer 13

The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The gap of this junction is called the synaptic gap or the synaptic cleft.

Question 14

Define reticular formation

Answer 14

a nerve network that travels through the brainstem and thalamus and plays an important role in controlling arousal.

Question 15

What is the occipital lobe

Answer 15

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields

Question 16

What is action potential

Answer 16

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

Question 17

Define thalamus

Answer 17

the brain’s sensory control center, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.

Question 18

What is the endocrine system?

Answer 18

the body’s “slow” chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.

Question 19

What is acetylcholine

Answer 19

enables muscle action, learning, and memory

Question 20

Define hypothalamus

Answer 20

a neural structure lying below the thalamus; directs several maintenance activities (eating, body temperature), helps govern system via pituitary gland, linked to emotion and reward

Question 21

What are adrenal glands?

Answer 21

a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress

Question 22

Describe dopamine

Answer 22

neurotransmitter. low levels are associated with Parkinson’s disease. high levels are associated with schizophrenia.

Question 23

What is the hippocampus?

Answer 23

a neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage

Question 24

What is the cerebellum?

Answer 24

the “little brain” at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input, coordinating movement output and balance, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory

Question 25

What is the Peripheral Nervous System

Answer 25

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body