Chapter 2

Question 1

a neuron’s often bushy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body

Answer 1

Dendrites

Question 2

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

Answer 2

axon

Question 3

the cell’s life-support center (of a neuron)

Answer 3

Cell Body

Question 4

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

Answer 4

Action Potential

Question 5

a fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next

Answer 5

Myelin Sheath

Question 6

a part of the neuron that forms junctions with other cells

Answer 6

Terminal branches of axon

Question 7

the scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes.

Answer 7

Biological Psychology

Question 8

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

Answer 8

neuron

Question 9

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons; they may also play a role in learning, thinking, and memory

Answer 9

glial cells(glia)

Question 10

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

Answer 10

threshold

Question 11

a brief resting pause that occurs after a neuron has fired; subsequent action potentials cannot occur until the axon returns to its resting state.

Answer 11

refractory period

Question 12

a neuron’s reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not firing

Answer 12

all-or-none response

Question 13

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

Answer 13

synapse

Question 14

a neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron

Answer 14

reuptake

Question 15

“morphine within” – natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure

Answer 15

endorphins

Question 16

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons.

Answer 16

neurotransmitters

Question 17

a molecule that increases a neurotransmitter’s action

Answer 17

agonist

Question 18

a molecule that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter’s action

Answer 18

antagonist

Question 19

the body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous system

Answer 19

nervous system

Question 20

the brain and spinal cord

Answer 20

central nervous system (CNS)

Question 21

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

Answer 21

nerves

Question 22

neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

Answer 22

sensory (afferent) neurons

Question 23

neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands

Answer 23

motor (efferent) neurons

Question 24

neurons within the brain and spinal cord; communicate internally and process information between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

Answer 24

interneurons

Question 25

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles. Also called the skeletal nervous system

Answer 25

somatic nervous system

Question 26

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart) Its sympathetic division arouses; it's parasympathetic division calms.

Answer 26

autonomic nervous system (ANS)

Question 27

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing it's energy

Answer 27

sympathetic nervous system

Question 28

the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

Answer 28

parasympathetic nervous system

Question 29

a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response

Answer 29

reflex

Question 30

the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream

Answer 30

endocrine system

Question 31

chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues

Answer 31

hormones

Question 32

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

Answer 32

adrenal glands

Question 33

the endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, this gland regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands

Answer 33

pituitary gland

Question 34

tissue destruction

Answer 34

lesion

Question 35

an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp

Answer 35

electroencephalogram (EEG)

Question 36

a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a give task

Answer 36

PET scan

Question 37

a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue.

Answer 37

MRI

Question 38

a technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing succesive MRI scans.

Answer 38

fMRI

Question 39

the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; this is responsible for automatic survival functions

Answer 39

brainstem

Question 40

the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

Answer 40

medulla

Question 41

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

Answer 41

thalamus

Question 42

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

Answer 42

reticular formation

Question 43

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

Answer 43

cerebellum

Question 44

neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives

Answer 44

limbic system

Question 45

two lima-bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion

Answer 45

amygdala

Question 46

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

Answer 46

hypothalamus

Question 47

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

Answer 47

hippocampus

Question 48

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

Answer 48

cerebral cortex

Question 49

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position

Answer 49

parietal

Question 50

portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements

Answer 50

frontal lobes

Question 51

portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily form the opposite ear

Answer 51

temporal lobes

Question 52

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

Answer 52

motor cortex

Question 53

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

Answer 53

motor cortex

Question 54

area at the front of parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

Answer 54

somatosensory cortex

Question 55

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

Answer 55

association areas

Question 56

the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

Answer 56

plasticity

Question 57

the formation of new neurons

Answer 57

neurogenesis

Question 58

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

Answer 58

corpus callosum

Question 59

a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers connecting them

Answer 59

split brain

Question 60

theory which held that bumps on the skull revealed mental abilities + character traits

Answer 60

Phrenology

Question 61

sends sensory information from tissue and sensory organs INWARD to the brain and spinal cord

Answer 61

Sensory Neurons

Question 62

work in spinal cord and brain and INTERVENE between sensory and motor neurons

Answer 62

Interneurons

Question 63

sends instructions OUTWARD from the brain and spinal cord

Answer 63

motor neurons