BRAINS, BODIES, AND BEHAVIOUR

Question 1

Nervous System

Answer 1

Information highway, a collection of hundreds of billions of specialized and interconnected cells through which messages are sent between the brain and the rest of the body

Question 2

Central Nervous System

Answer 2

Made up of the brain and the spinal cord

Question 3

Peripheral Nervous System

Answer 3

The neurone that link the CNS to our skin, muscles, and glands

Question 4

Endocrine system

Answer 4

The chemical regulator of the body that consists of glands that secrete hormones and largely influence behaviour

Question 5

Electrochemical process

Answer 5

An electrical charge moves through the neutron itself and chemicals are used to transmit information between neurons

Question 6

Action potential

Answer 6

The change in electrical charge that occurs in a neuron when a nerve impulse is transmitted - all-or-nothing (the neuron either fires completely or it does not fire at all)

Question 7

Refractory Period

Answer 7

A brief time after the firing of the axon in which the axon cannot fire again because the neuron has not yet returned to its resting potential

Question 8

Synapses

Answer 8

Areas which the terminal buttons at the end of each axon of one neuron nearly touch the dendrites of another

Question 9

Neurotransmitter

Answer 9

Chemical that relays signals across the synapses between neurons

Question 10

Excitatory

Answer 10

Make the cell more likely to fire

Question 11

Inhibitory

Answer 11

Make the cell less likely to fire

Question 12

Reuptake

Answer 12

A process in which neurotransmitters that are in the synapse are reabsorbed into the transmitting terminal buttons, ready to again be released after the neuron fires

Question 13

What do neurotransmitters regulate?

Answer 13

Appetite, memory, emotions, as well as our muscle action and movement

Question 14

Agonist

Answer 14

A drug that has chemical properties similar to a particular neurotransmitter and thus mimics the effects of the neurotransmitter - increase activity at receptor sites

Question 15

Antagonist

Answer 15

A drug that reduces or stops the normal effects of a neurotransmitter - decrease activity at receptor sites

Question 16

Brain stem

Answer 16

The oldest and innermost region of the brain - regulates breathing, attention, and motor responses

Question 17

Reticular formation

Answer 17

Long narrow network of neurons running through the medulla and the pons - filter out stimuli and relay the remainder of the signals to other areas of the brain

Question 18

Limbic system

Answer 18

Brain area located between the brain stem and the two cerebral hemispheres, that governs emotion and memory. It includes the amygdala, the hypothalamus and the hippocampus

Question 19

Cerebral cortex

Answer 19

The outer bark-like layer of our brain that allows us to successfully use language, acquire complex skills, create tools, and live in social groups

Question 20

Corticalization

Answer 20

The folding of the cerebral cortex

Question 21

Glial cells (glia)

Answer 21

Cells that surround and link to the neurons, protecting them, providing them with nutrients and absorbing unused neurotransmitters - cannot survive/function without

Question 22

Contralateral control

Answer 22

Brain is wired such that in most cases the left hemisphere receives sensations from and controls the right side of body and vice versa

Question 23

Motor cortex

Answer 23

Controls and executes movements by sending signals to the cerebellum and the spinal cord

Question 24

Somatosensory cortex

Answer 24

Receives info from the skins sensory receptors and the movements of different body parts

Question 25

Visual cortex

Answer 25

Processes visual information

Question 26

Auditory cortex

Answer 26

Hearing and language

Question 27

Association areas

Answer 27

Sensory and motor information is combined and associated with our stored knowledge - learning, thinking, planning, etc.

Question 28

Neuroplasticity

Answer 28

Refers to the brains ability to change its structure and function in response to experience or damage - enables us to learn and remember new things and adjust to new experiences

Question 29

Neurogenesis

Answer 29

The forming of new neurons - originate deep in the brain and may migrate to other Brian areas where they form new connections with other neurons

Question 30

Brain lateralization

Answer 30

The idea that the left and the right hemispheres of the brain are specialized to perform different functions

Question 31

Corpus callosum

Answer 31

The region that connects the two halves of the brain and supports communication between the hemispheres

Question 32

Sensory (afferent) neuron

Answer 32

Carries information from the sensory receptors

Question 33

Motor (efferent) neuron

Answer 33

Transmits information to the muscles and glands

Question 34

Interneuron

Answer 34

Common neuron, responsible for communicating among the neurons

Question 35

Spinal cord

Answer 35

Long, thin, tubular bundle of nerves and supporting cells that extends down from the brain

Question 36

Reflex

Answer 36

Involuntary and instantaneous movement in response to a stimulus

Question 37

Autonomic Nervous System

Answer 37

Regulates heart rate, breathing, and digestion (internal)

Question 38

Somatic Nervous System

Answer 38

Controls external aspects

Question 39

Sympathetic Nervous System

Answer 39

Fight-flight responses

Question 40

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Answer 40

Brings the body back to its normal state

Question 41

Homeostasis

Answer 41

The natural balance in the body's systems

Question 42

Gland

Answer 42

Group of cells that function to secrete hormones

Question 43

Hormone

Answer 43

Chemical that moves throughout the body to help regulate emotions and behaviours

Question 44

Pituitary Gland

Answer 44

Regulates growth and secretes hormones that affect other glands (master gland)

Question 45

Pancreas

Answer 45

Fuel to produce and maintain stores of energy (blood sugar)

Question 46

Pineal gland

Answer 46

Secretes melatonin, wake-sleep cycle

Question 47

Thyroid and parathyroid gland

Answer 47

Determining how quickly the body uses energy and hormones, and controlling the amount of calcium in the blood and bones

Question 48

Adrenal glands

Answer 48

Regulate salt and water balance in the body, metabolism, the immune system and sexual development and function.

Question 49

Lesions

Answer 49

Allow the scientist to oversee any loss of brain function

Question 50

EEG

Answer 50

Records electrical activity produced by neurons, participant can move around and can observe changes over very fast time periods

Question 51

fMRI

Answer 51

Indicator of neural activity, pictures, associations, noninvasive

Question 52

TMS

Answer 52

First fMRI, deactivating a small brain region, causal conclusions

Question 53

Cadaver

Answer 53

Studying dead brains, structure not function

Question 54

Basal ganglia

Answer 54

Under the cortex, controls movement, issues with the basal ganglia can result in Huntington's disease, Tourette's syndrome, Parkinson's disease

Question 55

Phrenology

Answer 55

The belief that the bumps on the top of your head mean that there is more brain there and therefore the traits that are attributed there are more prominent. This theory is garbage btw

Question 56

Left hemisphere of the brain

Answer 56

Verbal processing, speech, reading, writing - thicker

Question 57

Right hemisphere of the brain

Answer 57

Nonverbal processing, spatial tasks, musical, visual recognition - heavier and longer

Question 58

Primary Visual Cortex V1

Answer 58

Receives input from the thalamus

Question 59

Primary Visual Cortex V2

Answer 59

Processes and projects to other regions of the occipital lobe

Question 60

PVC dorsal stream

Answer 60

Guidance of movement

Question 61

PVC ventral stream

Answer 61

Object perception

Question 62

Synaptic consolidation

Answer 62

Structural changes in synaptic connection (can take hours to days)

Question 63

Systemic consolidation

Answer 63

Changes in the hippocampus (years?)