Chapter 2

Question 1

How are messages transmitted through the Nervous system?

Answer 1

Neurons or nerve cells

Question 2

What is a Neuron?

Answer 2

A nerve cell, the basic building block of the nervous system.

Question 3

What are the three main components in Neurons?

Answer 3

Dendrites
Cell body
Axon

Question 4

What is a Dendrites?

Answer 4

Branched fibers that receive signals from other neurons.

Question 5

What is a Neurons cell body?

Answer 5

The part that contains the nucleus and is responsible for maintaining the neurons health and functionality.

Question 6

What is an Axon?

Answer 6

A long thin fiber that transmits electrical impulses away from the cell body to other neurons or muscles.

Question 7

What is a Myelin Sheath?

Answer 7

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.

Question 8

What do you call a brief electrical charge that travels down its axon?

Answer 8

Action Potential or a Neural Impulse

Question 9

What is a Synapse?

Answer 9

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.

Question 10

What are Neurotransmitters?

Answer 10

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 weather that neuron will generate a neural impulse.

Question 11

What is a Reputake?

Answer 11

A Neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron.

Question 12

List some major neurotransmitters.

Answer 12

Dopamine
Serotonin
GABA
Glutamate
Acetylcholine (ACh)

Question 13

What is the Central nervous system or CNS?

Answer 13

The brain and spinal cord.

Question 14

What does the Neurotransmitter Acetylcholine (ACh) do?

Answer 14

Enables muscle action, learning and memory.

Question 15

What is the Nervous system?

Answer 15

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

Question 16

What is the Peripheral Nervous System or (PNS)?

Answer 16

The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body

Question 17

What are Nerves?

Answer 17

Bundled Axons that form neural “cables” connecting the Central nervous system CNS with muscles, glands and sense organs.

Question 18

What are the three types of neurons that carry information in the nervous system?

Answer 18

Sensory Neurons
Motor Neurons
Interneurons

Question 19

What is a sensory neuron?

Answer 19

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

Question 20

What is a Motor Neuron?

Answer 20

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

Question 21

What are Interneurons?

Answer 21

Neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.

Question 22

What are the two parts of the Peripheral nervous system?

Answer 22

Somatic and Autonomic

Question 23

What system enables voluntary control of our skeletal muscles?

Answer 23

Somatic Nervous System

Question 24

What system controls our glands and the muscles of our internal organs?

Answer 24

Autonomic Nervous System

Question 25

What does the Sympathetic Nervous System do?

Answer 25

The division of the Autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing it’s energy in stressful situations.

Question 26

What does the Parasympathetic Nervous System do?

Answer 26

The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving it’s energy

Question 27

What are hormones?

Answer 27

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

Question 28

In a moment of danger the ANS orders the __________ on top of the kidneys to release Epinephrine and Norepinephrine to increase heart rate and blood pressure to give us a surge of energy.

Answer 28

Adrenal Glands

Question 29

What are Adrenal Glands?

Answer 29

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

Question 30

What is the most influential endocrine gland?

Answer 30

Pituitary gland

Question 31

What is the Pituitary gland?

Answer 31

The endocrine systems most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.

Question 32

What is the Brainstem?

Answer 32

The oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull.

Question 33

What is the Brainstem responsible for?

Answer 33

Automatic survival functions

Question 34

What is the Medulla?

Answer 34

The base of the Brainstem, controls heartbeat and breathing.

Question 35

What is the Thalamus?

Answer 35

The brains sensory switchboard, 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 36

What is the Reticular Formation?

Answer 36

A nerve network that travels through the Brainstem and plays an important role in controlling arousal.

Question 37

What is the Cerebellum?

Answer 37

The “little brain” at the rear of the Brainstem. It processes sensory input and coordinates movement output and balance

Question 38

What are the three key structures of the Limbic system?

Answer 38

Amygdala Hypothalamus Hippocampus

Question 39

What are the four major lobes of the brain?

Answer 39

Frontal Lobe Parietal Lobe Temporal Lobe Occipital Lobe

Question 40

What is the Cerebral Cortex?

Answer 40

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

Question 41

Which part of the human brain distinguishes us most from less complex animals?

Answer 41

The Cerebral Cortex. Higher thinking fr

Question 42

What is a sensory cortex

Answer 42

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

Question 43

What are Association Areas?

Answer 43

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

Question 44

What is the brains plasticity?

Answer 44

The brains ability to change especially during childhood by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

Question 45

What are the vast majority of neurons in the body’s information system called?

Answer 45

Interneurons

Question 46

Natural, opiate like neurotransmitters linked to pain control are called?

Answer 46

Endorphins

Question 47

Drugs that block the reputake of serotonin will thereby increase the concentration of serotonin molecules in the

Answer 47

Synaptic gaps

Question 48

Botox injections smooth facial wrinkles because botulin is a

Answer 48

ACh antagonist

Question 49

In stressful situations the sympathetic system _____ blood sugar levels and _____ the pupils of the eyes

Answer 49

Raises, dilates

Question 50

While listening to operatic solos, musicians process the lyrics and the tunes in separate brain areas, this most clearly illustrates the functioning of different

Answer 50

Neural networks

Question 51

The limbic system structure that regulates hunger is called the

Answer 51

Hypothalamus

Question 52

What portion of the cerebral cortex is most directly involved in making plans and formulating moral judgement?

Answer 52

Frontal lobes

Question 53

A drug that blocks the reputake of a particular neurotransmitter is called a

Answer 53

Agonist

Question 54

The peripheral nervous system consists of

Answer 54

Sensory and motor neurons

Question 55

The autonomic nervous system most directly controls

Answer 55

Bladder contractions

Question 56

The release of epinephrine and norepinephrine ______ blood pressure and ____ blood sugar levels

Answer 56

Raises; raises

Question 57

Which lobe of the cerebral cortex is most directly involved in speaking?

Answer 57

Frontal lobe

Question 58

The visual cortex is located in the

Answer 58

Occipital lobes