Midterm 2: Chapter 2

Question 1

The interaction of the signals of many neurons

Answer 1

Neural Processing

Question 2

Electrical signals

Answer 2

Neurons

Question 3

Contain mechanisms to keep the cell alive

Answer 3

Cell body

Question 4

Branches out from the cell body to receive electrical signals from other neurons.

Answer 4

Dendrites

Question 5

Filled with fluid that conducts/sends out electrical signals

Answer 5

Axon

Question 6

Neurons specialized to respond to environmental stimuli.

Answer 6

Sensory receptors

Question 7

Approximately -70 millivolts (mV), meaning the inside of the axon is negatively charged compared to the outside when it is not actively transmitting a signal.

Answer 7

Resting potential

Question 8

Once the response is triggered, it travels all the way down the axon without decreasing in size; it enables neurons to transmit signals over long distances.

Answer 8

Propagated Response

Question 9

What happens to action potentials depending on the intensity of the stimulus?

Answer 9

it remains the same size

Question 10

What does changing the stimulus intensity affect?

Answer 10

the RATE of firing

Question 11

The interval between the time one nerve impulse occurs and the next one can be generated in the axon.

Answer 11

Refractory Period

Question 12

Action potentials that occur in the absence of stimuli from the environment.

Answer 12

Spontaneous Activity

Question 13

Molecules that carry an electrical charge; created when molecules gain or lose electrons.

Answer 13

Ions

Question 14

the ease with which a molecule can pass through the membrane and selective means that the fiber is permeable to one specific type of molecule but not to others.

Answer 14

Permeability

Question 15

An increase in positive charge inside the neuron

Answer 15

Depolarization

Question 16

The quick and steep depolarization from -70mV to +40mV during an action potential

Answer 16

Rising phase of the action potential

Question 17

Small space between neurons

Answer 17

Synapse

Question 18

Chemicals that are stored in structures called synaptic vesicles at the end of the sending neuron.

Answer 18

Neurotransmitters

Question 19

Small areas on the receiving neuron that are sensitive to specific neurotransmitters.

Answer 19

Receptor Sites

Question 20

What causes the triggering of a chemical process that causes a new electrical signal in the receiving neuron?

Answer 20

When an electrical signal reaches the synapse

Question 21

Occurs when the neuron becomes depolarized, and thus, the inside of the neuron becomes more positive.

Answer 21

Excitatory Response

Question 22

Why is depolarization an excitatory response?

Answer 22

It causes the charge to change in the direction that triggers an action potential.

Question 23

Occurs when the inside of the neuron becomes more negative, or hyperpolarized.

Answer 23

Inhibitory Response

Question 24

Why is hyperpolarization an inhibitory response?

Answer 24

It causes the charge inside the axon to move away from the level of depolarization.

Question 25

How does a neuron's firing decrease?

Answer 25

Inhibition becomes stronger, and excitation becomes weaker.

Question 26

Refers to how neurons represent various characteristics of the environment

Answer 26

Sensory Coding

Question 27

The notion of a specialized neuron that responds only to one concept or stimulus.

Answer 27

Specificity Coding

Question 28

Can a particular neuron respond to the CONCEPT of a particular person?

Answer 28

YES

Question 29

Occurs when a particular stimulus is represented by a pattern of firing of only a small group of neurons, with the majority of neurons remaining silent.

Answer 29

Sparse coding

Question 30

Proposed that our experiences are represented by the pattern of firing across a large number of neurons.

Answer 30

Population coding

Question 31

What did Franz Gall claim about the shape of a person's skull?

Answer 31

There is a correlation between the shape of a person's skull and their abilities and traits, which he called "mental faculties": PHRENOLOGY.

Question 32

The idea is that specific brain areas are specialized to respond to specific types of stimuli or functions; each specific area is called a module.

Answer 32

Modularity

Question 33

Area of speech production

Answer 33

Broca's area

Question 34

Area in temporal lobe involved in understanding speech.

Answer 34

Wernicke's area

Question 35

What was Broca's and Wernicke's area evidence for?

Answer 35

Early evidence for modularity

Question 36

What is a more controlled way in which modularity has been studied?

Answer 36

Recording brain responses in neurologically normal humans using brain imaging.

Question 37

- Excellent for revealing brain structures, but doesn't indicate neural activity. - use magnets, radio waves, and a computer to create images of soft tissues in the body, such as organs and muscles.

Answer 37

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

Question 38

- helps researchers determine how various types of cognition, or functions, activate different areas of the brain. - takes advantage of the fact that blood flow increases in activated areas of the brain (hemoglobin). - determines the relative activity of various areas of the brain by detecting changes in the magnetic response of the Hemoglobin. - IT CAN'T RECORD ACTIVITY FROM INDIVIDUAL NEURONS.

Answer 38

fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)

Question 39

An idea proposed by Hinton is that the brain represents information in patterns distributed across the cortex, rather than in one single brain area.

Answer 39

Distributed Representation

Question 40

What is an example of distributed representation?

Answer 40

How the brain responds to pain, you simultaneously experience the sensory component, emotional component, and reflexive motor component.

Question 41

The road map of fibers connecting different areas of the brain.

Answer 41

Structural connectivity

Question 42

The neural activity is associated with a particular function that is flowing through this structural network.

Answer 42

Functional connectivity

Question 43

The structure of the brain is measured using _________.

Answer 43

MRI

Question 44

The function of the brain is measured using _________.

Answer 44

fMRI

Question 45

a technique that measures brain activity in response to experimental circumstances. It's used to identify neural reactions to tasks

Answer 45

task-related fMRI

Question 46

a brain imaging technique that measures spontaneous brain activity while a subject is at rest or sedated

Answer 46

resting-state fMRI

Question 47

a philosophical question that explores the relationship between the mind and the body

Answer 47

Mind-body problem