Neuroscience and Behavior Review

Question 1

What is the function of neurons?

Answer 1

neurons process info received from stimul, communicate with each other, and send messages to the body’s muscles / organs

Question 2

What are the 3 major parts of a neuron?

Answer 2

1. cell body soma
2. dendrites
   *receives sensory signals from other neurons and transmits info to the cell body
3. axons: carry signals from cell body to other neurons / muscles / organs

Question 3

What is the role of glial cells in neurons?

Answer 3

glial cells provide support for neurons, usually in the form of the myelin sheath, which coats the axons to facilitate the transmission of information

Question 4

what are the 3 major types of neurons?

Answer 4

1. sensory
2. motor
3. interneurons

Question 5

What causes a neuron’s resting potential?

Answer 5

the neuron’s resting potential is due to differences in concentrations of ions inside / outside the cell membrane

Question 6

What happens when electric signals reach a threshold inside a neuron?

Answer 6

it initiates an action potential, an all-or-nothing signal that moves down the entire length of the axon

Question 7

Where does communication between neurons take place?

Answer 7

communication between neurons takes place thru synaptic transmission, when an action potential triggers release of neurotransmitters that travel across the synpase to bind with receptors on the receiving neuron’s dendrite

Question 8

What are some of the major neurotransmitters?

Answer 8

1. acetylcholine (ACh)
2. dopamine
3. glutamate
4. GABA
5. norepinephine
6. serotonin
7. endorphins

Question 9

How do drugs affect behavior?

Answer 9

by acting as agonists that facilitate the actions increase of neurotransmitters

or

as antagonists that block or diminish the action of neurotransmitters

Question 10

What are the two divisions of the nervous system?

Answer 10

1. Central (CNS)
2. Peripheral (PNS)

Question 11

What makes up the central nervous system?

Answer 11

1. brain
2. spinal cord

Question 12

What is the role of the peripheral nervous system?

Answer 12

the PNS connects the CNS with the rest of the body

Question 13

How is the PNS divided?

Answer 13

1. somatic (voluntary muscles)
2. autonomic (involuntary muscles)

Question 14

How is the autonomic (involuntary) system divided?

Answer 14

1. sympathetic *arousal
2. parasympathetic *calming

Question 15

How does the spinal cord influence behavior?

Answer 15

the spinal cord can control basic behaviors, such as spinal reflexes, without input from the pain

ex: pulling hand away from a flame

Question 16

What 3 parts is the brain divided into?

Answer 16

1. hindbrain
2. midbrain
3. forebrain

Question 17

What is the function of the hindbrain?

Answer 17

the hindbrain coordinates information coming into and out of the spinal cord with the following structures:

1. medula: breathing/heart rate
2. reticular formation: sleep/arousal
3. cerebellum: fine motor skills
4. pons: communication from cerebellum to cerebral cortex

Question 18

What is the function of the structures without the midbrain?

Answer 18

the structures of the midbrain coordinate functions such as orientation to the environment and movement toward sensory stimuli

Question 19

What are the subcortical structures of the forebrain?

Answer 19

1. thalamus
2. hypothalamus
3. limbic system (hippocampus/ amygdala)
4. basal ganglia

Question 20

How does the endocrine system interact with the nervous system?

Answer 20

the endocrine system works closely with the nervous system to regulate thoughts, emotions, behaviors thru the release of hormones

Question 21

What is the cerebral cortex / its structure

Answer 21

the cerebral cortex is part of the forebrain and is composed of two hemispheres with four lobes

Question 22

What are the four lobes of the cerebral cortex?

Answer 22

1. frontal
2. parietal
3. temporal
4. occipital

Question 23

How did the nervous system evolve?

Answer 23

nervous systems evolved from simple collections of sensory + motor neurons in simple animals to elaborate centralized nervous systems found in mammals

Question 24

What’s the difference between monozygotic/ dizygotic twins?

Answer 24

1. monozygotic twins share 100% of their genes
2. dizygotic twins share 50% of their genes

Question 25

What is epigenetics?

Answer 25

epigenetics refers to the study of environmental influences that determine whether genes are expressed, without altering the basic DNA sequences that constitute the genes themselves

Question 26

How can the brain be studied?

Answer 26

The brain can be studied by observing how perceptual, motor, intellectual, and emotional capacities are affected after brain damage in particular areas of the brain

Question 27

how is an EEG used to study the brain?

Answer 27

patterns of electrical activity in large brain areas can be examined from outside the skull, using EEG single-cell recordings can indicate which neurons represent particular kinds of stimuli or control particular aspects of behavior

Question 28

How is functional brain imaging used to study the brain? PET/ fMRI

Answer 28

PET/ fMRI can be used to scan the brain as people perform different perceptual or intellectual tasks, helping to identity which brain areas are involved in specific types of processes

Question 29

What part of the brain is involved in movement and arousal?

Answer 29

the midbrain

Question 30

The _ regulates body temperature, hunger, thirst, and sexual behavior

Answer 30

hypothalamus

Question 31

What explains the beneficial effects of exercise on aspects of brain function/ cognitive performance?

Answer 31

neuron plasticity

Question 32

Using _ researchers can observe relationships between energy consumption in certain brain areas and specific cognitive and behavioral events

Answer 32

functional brain imaging

Question 33

What is the role of interneurons?

Answer 33

interneurons connect sensory neurons, motor neurons, or other interneurons