Chapter 1: Brain Basics

Question 1

The largest part of the human brain; associated with higher order functioning, including the control of voluntary behavior.

Answer 1

Cerebrum

Question 2

Area that controls thinking, perceiving, planning, and understanding language.

Answer 2

Cerebrum

Question 3

Area of the brain that is divided into two hemispheres: right and left.

Answer 3

Cerebrum.

Question 4

Bundle of fibers that bridge the two hemispheres and help them communicate.

Answer 4

Corpus callosum

Question 5

Sheet of tissue covering the outermost layer of the cerebrum.

Answer 5

Cerebral cortex

Question 6

Because of its gray color, the cerebral cortex is often referred to as…

Answer 6

gray matter

Question 7

Area of the brain responsible for initiating and coordinating motor movements; higher cognitive skills, such as problem solving, thinking, planning, and organizing; and for many aspects of personality and emotional makeup.

Answer 7

Frontal lobe

Question 8

Area of the brain involved with sensory processes, attention, and language. Damage to the right side of this area can result in difficulty navigating spaces, even familiar ones. If the left side is injured, the ability to understand spoken and/or written language may be impaired.

Answer 8

Parietal lobe

Question 9

Area of the brain that helps process visual information, including recognition of shapes and colors

Answer 9

Occipital lobe

Question 10

Area of the brain that helps process auditory information and integrate information from the other senses.

Answer 10

Temporal lobe

Question 11

Neuroscientists also believe that this lobe has a role to play in short-term memory through its hippocampal formation, and in learned emotional responses through its amygdala.

Answer 11

Temporal lobe

Question 12

Area of the brain consisting of the cerebrum, amygdala, basal ganglia, hippocampus, thalamus, and hypothalamus.

Answer 12

Forebrain

Question 13

Cerebral nuclei located deep in the cerebral cortex that help coordinate muscle movements and reward useful behaviors.

Answer 13

basal ganglia

Question 14

Area of the brain that passes most sensory information on to the cerebral cortex after helping to prioritize it

Answer 14

thalamus

Question 15

Area of the brain that is the control center for appetites, defensive and reproductive behaviors, and sleep-wakefulness

Answer 15

Hypothalamus

Question 16

Area of the brain that consists of two pairs of small hills called colliculi. These collections of neurons play a critical role in visual and auditory reflexes and in relaying this type of information to the thalamus. This area of the brain also has clusters of neurons that regulate activity in widespread parts of the central nervous system and are thought to be important for reward mechanisms and mood.

Answer 16

Midbrain

Question 17

Area of the brain that includes the pons and the medulla oblongata, which control respiration, heart rhythms, and blood glucose levels.

Answer 17

Hindbrain

Question 18

Area of the brain with two hemispheres that help control movement and cognitive processes that require precise timing, and also play an important role in Pavlovian learning.

Answer 18

Cerebellum

Question 19

An extension of the brain through the vertebral column. It uses information from outside sources as reflex responses to pain, for example, and it also relays the sensory information to the brain and its cerebral cortex. It also generates nerve impulses in nerves that control the muscles and the viscera, both through reflex activities and through voluntary commands from the cerebrum.

Answer 19

Spinal cord

Question 20

Overall the nervous system is a vast biological computing device formed by a network of gray matter regions interconnected by what kind of tracts?

Answer 20

White matter tracts

Question 21

How does the brain send messages to the spinal cord?

Answer 21

Through peripheral nerves throughout the body that serve to control the muscles and internal organs

Question 22

The forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain, and spinal cord form this structure.

Answer 22

The central nervous system (CNS)

Question 23

The brain is protected by the ____, while the spinal cord, which is about 17 inches (43 cm) long, is protected by the _____ ______

Answer 23

Skull; vertebral column

Question 24

Names of the body’s two nervous systems

Answer 24

Central and Peripheral Nervous System

Question 25

Nervous system that consists of nerves and small concentrations of gray matter called ganglia, a term specifically used to describe structures in this system.

Answer 25

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Question 26

Which kind of nervous system is made up of neurons connecting the CNS with the parts of the body that interact with the outside world?

Answer 26

Somatic nervous system

Question 27

_____ nerves in the cervical region are related to the neck and arms; those in the thoracic region serve the chest; and those in the lumbar and sacral regions interact with the legs.

Answer 27

Somatic

Question 28

This nervous system is made of neurons connecting the CNS with internal organs.

Answer 28

Automatic nervous system

Question 29

Two parts of the automatic nervous system:

Answer 29

sympathetic and parasympathetic

Question 30

This system mobilizes energy and resources during times of stress and arousal.

Answer 30

Sympathetic nervous system

Question 31

This system conserves energy and resources during relaxed states, including sleep

Answer 31

Parasympathetic nervous system

Question 32

How are messages are carried throughout the nervous | system?

Answer 32

Neurons