Week 2

Question 1

Define: dendrites

Answer 1

receive and transmit messages

Question 2

Define: cell body

Answer 2

holds nucleus and genetic material

Question 3

Define: axon

Answer 3

transports messages from head to tail

Question 4

Define: axon terminal

Answer 4

bulb-like extensions that hold vesicles

Question 5

Define: Neurotransmitters

Answer 5

allow neurons to communicate

Question 6

Define: Sensory Neurons

Answer 6

Neural impulses go from body to brain

Question 7

Define: Motor Neurons

Answer 7

Neural impulses that go from the brain to the body

Question 8

What are glial cells?

Answer 8

specialized cells that mount immune responses in the brain, remove waste, and synchronize the activity of billions of neurons

Question 9

What is the value for resting potential?

Answer 9

-70 mV

Question 10

What is the refractory period?

Answer 10

the time where no neurons are firing in between action potentials

Question 11

Describe the neurotransmitter glutamate.

Answer 11

excitatory neurotransmitter found in brains of vertebrates, regulates and autonomic nervous system reactions, and abnormal function can result in seizures

Question 12

Describe the neurotransmitter GABA.

Answer 12

inhibits ability to generate action potentials, lowers arousal, anxiety and excitation, low levels result in epilepsy

Question 13

Describe the neurotransmitter Acetylcholine.

Answer 13

important for voluntary movement and attention, change of ach. can result in alzheimers

Question 14

Describe the function of the neurotransmitter Dopamine.

Answer 14

controls movement, reward seeking behaviour, cognition and attention

Question 15

Describe the function of norepinephrine.

Answer 15

Regulates stress response; increases arousal, attention and heart rate, often used with epinephrine

Question 16

Describe the function serotonin

Answer 16

regulates sleep, appetite, and mood; blocking serotonin reuptake decreases anxiety and depressionp

Question 17

What are agonists?

Answer 17

drugs that mimic effects of a neurotransmitter

Question 18

What are antagonists?

Answer 18

inhibits neurotransmitter activity

Question 19

What is the function of the hypothalamus?

Answer 19

to regulate basic biological needs and motivational systems

Question 20

What is the function of the pituitary gland?

Answer 20

to produce hormone and send commands about hormone production

Question 21

What is the function of the adrenal gland?

Answer 21

to release stress hormones

Question 22

What is the location and function of the brainstem?

Answer 22

located in the hindbrain, consists of the medulla and the pons and regulates breathing, heart rate and wake/sleep

Question 23

What is the location and function of the cerebellum?

Answer 23

located in the hindbrain, monitors movement, maintains balance, and regulates emotional response

Question 24

What is the location and function of the superior colliculus?

Answer 24

midbrain; orients visual attention

Question 25

What is the location and function of the interior colliculus?

Answer 25

midbrain; orients auditory attention

Question 26

What is the location and function of the basil ganglia?

Answer 26

forebrain; regulates movements and reward processing

Question 27

What is the location and function of the amygdala?

Answer 27

forebrain; regulates emotion

Question 28

What is the location and function of the thalamus?

Answer 28

forebrain; relays sensory information to different areas of the brain

Question 29

What is the location and function of the occipital lobe?

Answer 29

cerebral cortex; visual processing

Question 30

What is the location and function of the parietal lobe?

Answer 30

cerebral cortex; sensory and bodily processing

Question 31

What is the location and function of the temporal lobe?

Answer 31

cerebral cortex; hearing, object recognition, language and emotion

Question 32

What is the location and function of the frontal lobe?

Answer 32

cerebral cortex; regulates thought, planning, language and movement

Question 33

Define: Neuroplasticity?

Answer 33

the capacity of the brain to change and rewire itself based on individual experience

Question 34

What is diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)?

Answer 34

measure white matter pathway in the brain

Question 35

What is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)?

Answer 35

a procedure in which an electromagnetic pulse is delivered to a target region of the brain

Question 36

What is an electroencephalogram (EEG)?

Answer 36

a procedure that measures brain activity using electrodes attached to the brain

Question 37

What is a magnetoencephalography (MEG)?

Answer 37

a neuroimaging technique that measures the tiny magnetic fields created by the electrical activity of the nerve cells in the brain

Question 38

What is a positron emission tomography (PET)?

Answer 38

a low level of a radioisotope is injected into the blood and its movement to areas of the brain is measured

Question 39

What is a presynaptic cell?

Answer 39

a neuron that releases its neurotransmitter into the synapse

Question 40

What is a postsynaptic cell?

Answer 40

a neuron that receives neurotransmitters from the presynaptic cell

Question 41

What is the synaptic cleft?

Answer 41

the space between the axon terminal and the dendrite

Question 42

What is reuptake?

Answer 42

a process whereby neurotransmitter molecules that have been released into the synapse are reabsorbed into the axon terminals of the presynaptic neuron

Question 43

What is the reticular formation and where is it located?

Answer 43

it is involved with attention and alertness and is located in the hindbrain medulla area

Question 44

What is the main function of the hindbrain?

Answer 44

facilitates basic, life-supporting processes

Question 45

What is the main function of the midbrain?

Answer 45

regulates sensory and motor attention

Question 46

What is the main function of the forebrain?

Answer 46

controls emotion, memory, thinking and reasoning

Question 47

What is the main function of the cerebral cortex?

Answer 47

monitors language and personality