lesson 4

Question 1

Neurons

Answer 1

Cells in the nervous system that communicate with one another to perform information‐processing tasks

Question 2

Cell body

Answer 2

Coordinates information‐ processing tasks and keeps the cell alive

Question 3

Dendrite

Answer 3

Receives information from other neurons and relays it to the cell body

Question 4

Axon

Answer 4

Transmits information to other neurons, muscles, or glands

Question 5

Myelin Sheath

Answer 5

Provides insulating layer of fatty material

Question 6

Glial cells

Answer 6

Support cells found in the nervous system

Question 7

Synapse

Answer 7

Junction or region between the axon of one neuron and the dendrites or cell body of another

Question 8

Sensory neurons

Answer 8

Receive information from the external world and convey this information to the brain via the spinal cord

Question 9

Motor neurons

Answer 9

Carry signals from the spinal cord to the muscles to produce movement

Question 10

Interneurons

Answer 10

Connect sensory neurons, motor neurons, or other interneurons

Question 11

Communication of information within and between neurons proceeds in two stages

Answer 11

Conduction and transmission

Question 12

Conduction and transmission together are referred to as

Answer 12

electrochemical action

Question 13

Resting potential

Answer 13

Difference in electric charge between the inside and outside of a neuron’s cell membrane

Question 14

Action potential

Answer 14

Electric signal that is conducted along a neuron’s axon to a synapse

Question 15

refractory period

Answer 15

A refractory period is the time following an action potential
Another action potential can’t occur during the refractory period

Question 16

what mv is resting potential

Answer 16

-70

Question 17

Breaks in the myelin sheath are called

Answer 17

the nodes of Ranvier

Question 18

nodes of ranvier

Answer 18

The electric impulse jumps from node to node, thereby speeding the conduction of information down the axon

Question 19

Neurotransmitters

Answer 19

Chemicals that transmit information across the

synapse to a receiving neuron’s dendrites

Question 20

Terminal buttons

Answer 20

Knob like structures that branch out from an axon

Question 21

Receptors

Answer 21

Parts of the cell membrane that receive the neurotransmitter and initiate or prevent a new electric signal

Question 22

Agonists

Answer 22

Drugs that increase the action of a neurotransmitter

Question 23

Antagonists

Answer 23

Drugs that block the function of a neurotransmitter

Question 24

Nervous system

Answer 24

Interacting network of neurons that conveys electrochemical information throughout the body

Question 25

Central nervous system (CNS)

Answer 25

Composed of the brain and the spinal cord

Question 26

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Answer 26

Connects the CNS to the body’s organs and | muscles

Question 27

Spinal reflexes

Answer 27

Simple pathways in the nervous system that rapidly generate muscle contractions

Question 28

spinal cords four main parts

Answer 28

Cervical Nerves, Thoracic Nerves, Lumbar Nerves, Sacral Nerves

Question 29

Hindbrain

Answer 29

Coordinates information coming into and out of the spinal cord, and controls the basic functions of life

Question 30

Midbrain

Answer 30

Important for orientation and movement

Question 31

Forebrain

Answer 31

Highest level of brain; critical for complex cognitive, emotional, sensory, and motor functions

Question 32

Thalamus

Answer 32

Relays and filters information from the senses and transmits the information to the cerebral cortex

Question 33

Hypothalamus

Answer 33

Regulates body temperature, hunger, thirst, and sexual behaviour; also part of the limbic system

Question 34

Pituitary gland

Answer 34

“Master gland” of the body’s hormone‐producing system, which releases hormones that direct the functions of many other glands in the body

Question 35

Basal ganglia

Answer 35

Set of subcortical structures that directs intentional movements

Question 36

Limbic system

Answer 36

Group of forebrain structures involved in motivation, emotion, learning, and memory

Question 37

Hippocampus

Answer 37

Critical for creating new memories and integrating them into a network of knowledge so that they can be stored indefinitely in other parts of the cerebral cortex

Question 38

Amygdala

Answer 38

Plays a central role in many emotional processes, particularly the formation of emotional memories

Question 39

Occipital lobe

Answer 39

Processes visual information

Question 40

Parietal lobe

Answer 40

Processes information about touch

Question 41

Temporal lobe

Answer 41

Responsible for hearing and language

Question 42

Frontal lobe

Answer 42

Specialized areas for movement, abstract thinking, planning, memory, and judgment

Question 43

Somatosensory cortex

Answer 43

Represents skin areas on contralateral surface of body

Question 44

Homunculus

Answer 44

Rendering of the body in which each part is shown in proportion to show how much of the somatosensory cortex is devoted to it

Question 45

Association areas

Answer 45

Composed of neurons that help provide sense and meaning to information registered in the cortex

Question 46

Gene

Answer 46

Unit of hereditary transmission; sections on strands of DNA organized into chromosomes

Question 47

Chromosomes

Answer 47

Strands of DNA wound around each other in a double‐helix configuration

Question 48

Degree of relatedness

Answer 48

Monozygotic versus dizygotic twins

Question 49

Heritability

Answer 49

Measure of the variability of behavioural traits among individuals that can be accounted for by genetic factors

Question 50

Electroencephalograph (EEG)

Answer 50

Device used to record electrical activity in the brain

Question 51

Hubel and Wiesel

Answer 51

Inserted electrodes into the brains of anesthetized cats; discovery of feature detectors by mapping visual cortex