Chapter 3 pt.3

Question 1

What is the nervous system?

Answer 1

An interacting network of neurons that conveys electrochemical information throughout the body.

Question 2

What are the two main divisions of the nervous system?

Answer 2

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Question 3

What does the CNS include?

Answer 3

The brain and spinal cord.

Question 4

What does PNS include

Answer 4

All the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord.

Question 5

What are the main functions of the brain?

Answer 5

Supports perception, motor functions, emotion, and cognition (thinking, learning, memory)

Question 6

What is the spinal cord?

Answer 6

A bundle of nerves that branches down from the brain through the spine.

Question 7

What are the three key functions of the spinal cord?

Answer 7

Sensory: Receives information from the external world and sends it to the brain.

Integration: Processes and coordinates this information.

Motor: Sends commands from the brain to control skeletal muscles and movement.

Question 8

What happens if damage occurs higher up on the spinal cord?

Answer 8

The higher the injury, the greater the loss of sensation and motor control, because it disrupts signals to and from all body parts below the injury site.

Question 9

What are the two major subdivisions of the PNS?

Answer 9

Somatic Nervous System

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

Question 10

What does the somatic nervous system control?

Answer 10

Voluntary movements of skeletal muscles.

Question 11

What does somatic nervous system do?

Answer 11

Conveys information between skeletal muscles and the central nervous system.

Question 12

What does the autonomic nervous system control?

Answer 12

Involuntary and automatic functions—blood vessels, organs, and glands.

Question 13

What are the two main divisions of the ANS?

Answer 13

Sympathetic Nervous System

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Question 14

What does the sympathetic nervous system do?

Answer 14

Prepares the body for action in stressful or threatening situations (“fight or flight”).

Question 15

What are some examples of sympathetic activation?

Answer 15

Increases heart rate, dilates pupils, inhibits digestion, and boosts alertness.

Question 16

What does the parasympathetic nervous system do?

Answer 16

Helps the body return to a normal resting state (“rest and digest”).

Question 17

What are spinal reflexes?

Answer 17

Simple neural pathways that produce rapid, automatic muscle contractions without brain involvement.

Question 18

Does the brain control spinal reflexes?

Answer 18

No. They are processed entirely in the spinal cord.

Question 19

Example of a spinal reflex?

Answer 19

Touching a hot stove — sensory neurons send a pain signal to the spinal cord, which immediately activates motor neurons to pull your hand away.

Question 20

What is a reflex arc?

Answer 20

A neural pathway that controls reflex actions.

Question 21

What is the endocrine system?

Answer 21

A network of glands that produce and secrete hormones into the bloodstream, influencing functions like metabolism, growth, and sexual development.

Question 22

Which gland orchestrates the overall functioning of the endocrine system?

Answer 22

The pituitary gland.

Question 23

What are hormones?

Answer 23

Chemical messengers that influence basic bodily functions and regulate the body’s internal environment.

Question 24

What do hormones influence?

Answer 24

Growth, metabolism, stress, sleep, sexual behaviour, and reproduction.

Question 25

what are the 3 main divisions of the brain

Answer 25

midbrain, forebrain, hindbrain

Question 26

What does the hindbrain do?

Answer 26

Coordinates information coming into and out of the spinal cord; controls basic life functions such as respiration, alertness, and motor skills.

Question 27

What structures make up the hindbrain?

Answer 27

Medulla, reticular formation, cerebellum, and pons.

Question 28

What is the function of the brainstem?

Answer 28

Controls vital involuntary functions — breathing, heart rate, and swallowing.

Question 29

How is the spinal cord related to the hindbrain?

Answer 29

It’s continuous with the hindbrain, forming the brainstem that connects to the rest of the brain.

Question 30

What does the cerebellum control?

Answer 30

Fine motor skills, balance, and coordination.

Question 31

What are the two main structures of the midbrain?

Answer 31

Tectum and Tegmentum.

Question 32

What does the Tectum do?

Answer 32

Handles sensory processing and orientation to stimuli

Question 33

What does the Tegmentum do?

Answer 33

motor processing

Question 34

what does the forebrain consist of

Answer 34

thalamus and hypothalamus

Question 35

what does the thalamus do

Answer 35

sort information, processing and interpretation

Question 36

what does the hypothalamus do

Answer 36

regulate homeostasis

Question 37

what does the forebrain consist of

Answer 37

limbic system, amygdala, hippocampus

Question 38

what does the limbic system control

Answer 38

emotions, learning, memory

Question 39

what does the amygdala control

Answer 39

emotional processing, memory, odor perception

Question 40

what does the hippocampus control

Answer 40

memory formation, and spatial navigation

Question 41

what is the corpus callosum

Answer 41

large bundle of myelinated axons connecting the left and right hemispheres

Question 42

what does the corpus callosum do

Answer 42

enables communication between hemispheres

Question 43

who is phineas gage

Answer 43

involved in a traumatic accident allowing researchers to investigate functions of the frontal lobe and its connections with emotion centres in the subcortical structures

Question 44

what is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Answer 44

Can ethically mimic brain damage - temporarily deactivating neurons in the cerebral cortex

Question 45

What is an EEG

Answer 45

device used to record electrical activity in the brain - signal neuron detection