Chap 2

Question 1

Characteristics of the Nervous System

Answer 1

Several characteristics allow the nervous system to direct behavior.
These characteristics include: (1) complexity, (2) integration, (3) adaptability, and (4) electro-chemical
transmission.

Question 2

Complexity

Answer 2

The brain is made up of billions of nerve cells, the orchestration of which allows a person to carry out a variety of activities.

Question 3

Integration

Answer 3

The brain integrates information from the environment so that people can function in the world. Each nerve cell in the brain communicates with some 10,000 other nerve cells.

Question 4

Adaptability

Answer 4

As the world constantly changes, the brain and nervous system allow a person to adjust to those changes. The brain has a lot of plasticity, meaning it has a vast capacity for modification and change.

Question 5

Electrochemical Transmission

Answer 5

Electrical impulses and chemical messenger systems allow the brain and nervous system to work as an information-processing system

Question 6

Acetylcholine

Answer 6

Acetylcholine sets the firing of neurons into motion and is involved in muscle action, learning, and memory.

Question 7

Glutamate

Answer 7

Glutamate has a key role in exciting many neurons to fire and it is
involved in learning and memory. GABA keeps many neurons from firing. Low levels of GABA are involved in anxiety.

Question 8

Norepinephrine

Answer 8

Norepinephrine inhibits the firing of neurons in the CNS, but it excites the heart muscle, intestines, and urogenital tract. Stress stimulates the
release of norepinephrine.

Question 9

Dopamine

Answer 9

Dopamine helps to control voluntary movement and also affects sleep, mood, attention, learning, and the ability to recognize rewards. Low levels of dopamine are associated with Parkinson’s discasc.

Question 10

Serotonin

Answer 10

Serotonin is involved in sleep
regulation, mood attention, and learning.

Question 11

Endorphins

Answer 11

Endorphins stimulate neuron firing. Endorphins alleviate pain and elevate feelings of pleasure.

Question 12

Oxytocin

Answer 12

Oxytocin plays a role in the feelings of
love and human bonding.

Question 13

How Researchers Study the Brain and Nervous System

Answer 13

Much of the brain imaging available today has come from studies on patients with brain damage or injury from disease.

Question 14

Brain Lesioning

Answer 14

Brain lesions can be the result of injury or disease. Neuroscientists sometimes create lesions in the brains of animals to see the effect on the animal’s behavior. Brain lesions can be made by removing brain tissue, destroying tissue with a laser, or eliminating tissue by injection with a drug.

Question 15

Electrical Recording

Answer 15

The electroencephalograph (EEG) records the electrical activity in the brain. When electrodes are placed on a person’s scalp, they detect brain-wave activity, which is recorded on a chart. The EEG is used to assess brain damage, epilepsy, and other problems. Single-unit recording is used when a probe is inserted in or near an individual
neuron. The probe transmits the electrical activity to an amplifier so that researchers can see the activity.

Question 16

Brain Imaging
CAT or CT

Answer 16

A computerized arial tomography (CAT scan or CT scan) produces a three-dimensional image obtained through X-rays of the head.

Question 17

PET (brain imaging

Answer 17

A positron-emission tomography or PET
scan measures the amount of glucose in various areas of the brain, and then sends this information to a computer, where it is analyzed.

Question 18

MRI (brain imaging)

Answer 18

A magnetic resonance image (MRI)
creates a magnetic field around a person’s body and uses radio waves to construct images of the person’s tissuc and biochemical activitics.

Question 19

FMRI (brain imaging)

Answer 19

A newer method of the MRI is the
functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI), which allows researchers to see what is happening in the brain while it is working.

Question 20

TMS (brain imaging)

Answer 20

An additional method for studying brain
functioning, and one that does allow for causal inferences, is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). In the TMS procedure, magnetic coils are placed over the person’s head and directed at a particular brain area. TMS uses a rapidly changing maynetic field to induce brief clectric current pulses in the brain, and these pulses trigger action
potentials in neurons.

Question 21

How the Brain Is Organized

Answer 21

The nervous system starts out as a long, hollow tube. Then, three weeks after conception, cells making up the tube start to differentiate into neurons. These neurons begin to develop into the three major parts of the brain: the hindbrain, the midbrain, and the forebrain.

Question 22

Hindbrain

medulla

cerehellum

pons

brain stem

Answer 22

The hindbrain is the lowest portion of the brain.

The medulla helps in controlling
breathing and heart rate. It also regulates our reflexes.

The cerehellum plays an important role in motor coordination. For example, it controls leg and arm movements. The pons is
involved in slecp and arousal.

The brain stem (the oldest part of the brain) includes much of the hindbrain except the cerebellum and the midbrain. The brain stem determines alertness and regulates such basic survival functions as breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.

Question 23

Midbrain

reticular formation

Answer 23

The midbrain is located between the hindbrain and the forebrain. The midbrain communicates information between the brain and the eyes and ears.

The reticular formation is involved in walking, sleeping, or turning to attend to a noise. It uses the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.

Question 24

forebrain

Answer 24

The forebrain is the brain’s largest division and its most forward part. The most important structures are the (1) limbic system, (2) thalamus, (3) basal ganglia, and (4) hypothalamus.

Question 25

Limbic System amygdala hippocampus

Answer 25

The limbic system is important in both memory and emotion. The amygdala is somewhat like an awareness center. It fires selectively at the sight of appropriate food, mates, and social rivals. The amygdala is also involved in emotional awareness and expression. The hippocampus is involved in the formation and storage of memories. People who have hippocampus damage cannot retain new memories after the damage.

Question 26

thalamus

Answer 26

An important function of the thalamus is to sort through information and send it to the appropriate place in the forebrain for further integration and interpretation

Question 27

Basal Ganglia

Answer 27

The basal ganglia works with the cerebellum and the cerebral cortex in coordinating voluntary movements.

Question 28

Hypothalamus

Answer 28

The hypothalamus monitors eating, drinking, and sexual behavior, along with emotion, stress, and reward.

Question 29

The Cerebral Cortex

Answer 29

The cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain, controls some of the highest mental functions, such as thinking and planning. The neocortex, the outermost part of the brain. makes up 80 percent of the cerebral cortex

Question 30

Lobes

Answer 30

The lobes are divided into two hemispheres. Each hemisphere is divided into four lobes: the occipital lobe, the temporal lobe, the frontal lobe, and the parictal lobe.

Question 31

The occipital lobes

Answer 31

The occipital lobes, in the back of the head, responds to visual stimuli.

Question 32

temporal lobes

Answer 32

The temporal lobes, in the cerebral cortex just above the cars, are involved in hearing, language processing, and memory.

Question 33

Frontal lobe

Answer 33

The frontal lobes, behind the forehead, is involved in the control of voluntary muscles, intelligence, and personality. A fascinating case study illustrating how damage to the frontal lobes can significantly alter personality is the story of Phincas Gage, a 19th-century railroad worker. During an accident, an iron rod went through his face, up into his brain, and damaged his frontal lobe. After the accident, Phincas's personality changed dramatically. He became obstinate, moody, irresponsible, selfish, and incapable of taking part in planned activities.

Question 34

prefrontal cortex

Answer 34

The prefrontal cortex, an important part of the frontal lobes, is at the front of the motor cortex. It is involved in higher cognitive functions such as planning, reasoning, and self-control.

Question 35

The parietal lobes

Answer 35

The parietal lobes, at the top and toward the rear of the head, involves registering spatial location, attention, and motor control.

Question 36

somatosensory cortex

Answer 36

The somatosensory cortex processes information about body sensations. The somatosensory and motor areas are associated with different parts of the body.

Question 37

The motor cortex

Answer 37

The motor cortex processes information about voluntary movements. The somatosensory and motor areas are associated with different parts of the body.

Question 38

Association Cortex

Answer 38

The association cortex processes information about sensory input and motor output. The association cortex is involved in thinking and problem solving

Question 39

The endocrine system

Answer 39

The endocrine system consists of glands that regulate certain organs by releasing their chemical products into the bloodstream.

Question 40

Hormones

Answer 40

Hormones are chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine system.

Question 41

pituitary gland

Answer 41

The pituitary gland involves growth and regulates other glands.

Question 42

adrenal glands

Answer 42

The adrenal glands are involved in regulating mood, energy level, and the ability to cope with stress. The adrenal glands secrete both epinephrine and norepinephrine.

Question 43

pancreas

Answer 43

The pancreas is involved in the digestive and endocrine functions. It secretes insulin, which controls blood sugar, which itself is implicated in metabolism and weight and obesity.

Question 44

ovaries and testes

Answer 44

The ovaries in females and the testes in males are involved in sexual development, reproduction, and sexual characteristics.

Question 45

central nervous system

Answer 45

The central nervous system (CNS) is comprised of the brain and spinal cord.

Question 46

peripheral nervous system

Answer 46

The peripheral nervous system (PS) consists of the nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body. The function of the PNS is to direct information to and from the brain and spinal cord. It also carries out the commands of the CNS . The PNS is comprised of the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system

Question 47

somatic nervous system

Answer 47

The function of the somatic nervous system is to convey information from the skin and muscles to the CNS. It regulates information such as signals about pain and temperature.

Question 48

autonomic nervous system's

Answer 48

The autonomic nervous system's function is to take messages to and from the body's internal organs, thus regulating breathing, heart rate, and digestion. The autonomic nervous system is comprised of both the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.

Question 49

sympathetic nervous system

Answer 49

The sympathetic nervous system prepares a person for a stressful situation

Question 50

parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 50

the parasympathetic nervous system calms the body down after the stressful situation.