Behavioral Neuroscience Exam 1

Cell body (soma) - collects information

What is the part of the neuron labeled in red and what is its function?

dendrites - receives information

What is the part of the neuron labeled in red and what is its function?

axon - transmits an electrical signal to the terminal

What is the part of the neuron labeled in red and what is its function?

terminal - receives the electrical signal

What is the part of the neuron labeled in red and what is its function?

chemicals released from the axon terminal to help neurons communicate with one another

neurotransmitter

tiny gap where neurotransmitters cross

synaptic cleft

where neurotransmitters bind

receptors

axon

A signal moves down the ______ of the neuron.

glutamate and gaba

What are the most prevalent neurotransmitters?

excitatory neurotransmitter

glutamate

inhibitory neurotransmitter (more gaba means slower neuron firing)

gaba

neurotransmitter

The axon terminal releases a _____ into the synaptic cleft.

Neurons send a signal along the axon to the spinal cord and release an excitatory neurotransmitter which activates a neuron in the spinal cord and then the brain related to skin sensation.

How does touch information reach your brain?

carries information about environmental stimuli

sensory neuron

travel from one neuron to another

signals

causes muscles to contract

motor neuron

c) The brain recognizes that the cup is expensive and sends a signal (purple) that inhibits the spinal cord neuron.

If the hot cup is very expensive, can you hold onto it, at least for a while?
a) The sensory neuron responds to the heat of the cup
b) It sends a signal that excites the spinal cord neuron.
c) The brain recognizes that the cup is expensive and sends a signal (purple) that inhibits the spinal cord neuron.
d) The inhibitory signal from the brain cancels out the heat signal from the sensory neuron.

neurotransmitter, synaptic cleft, receptors

When a _____ (chemical) is released from a neuron's axon terminal, it crosses a ______ (tiny gap) and binds to ______ located on other neurons, muscles, or organs.

corpus callosum

What is the place labeled called?

bundle of fibers that cross between the left and right hemispheres of the brain

corpus callosum

language, interprets speech

left hemisphere of the brain specializes in?

right

What side of the body does the left hemisphere control?

The right hemisphere can still play a role in communication due to the corpus callosum

What happens if the left hemisphere of the brain is damaged?

crosses from one side of brain to contralateral (opposite) side of the body

movement information

crosses from one side of the body to the contralateral (opposite) side of the brain

tactile (touch) information

left

The right hemisphere receives most of its tactile information from what hand?

left

The right hemisphere of the brain predominantly controls movement of what arm?

A) the left hemisphere

Bob suffered a stroke and can no longer speak, write, or understand language. The chances are high that the stroke caused severe damage to ____ of his brain.
A) the left hemisphere
B) the right hemisphere
C) both hemispheres
D) the corpus callosum

A) left hemisphere, speak

Bob receives an injection of an anesthetic into the blood supply serving the _____, and can no longer ____.
A) left hemisphere, speak
B) right hemisphere, speak
C) left hemisphere, access memories
D) right hemisphere, access memories

analytically/verbally

The left hemisphere processes information _______. It notices details.

holistically

The right hemisphere processes information _______. It notices the "big picture"/overall pattern.

intonation/melodies, recognizing faces

specializations of the right hemisphere

problem recognizing faces (issue with right hemisphere of brain)

prosopagnosia

right

Which hemisphere is active when we listen to music?

yes

If you were to meet a split-brain patient, would you be able to tell the two sides of the brain were divided?

right, left, corpus callosum

You pick up a pencil with your left hand; the tactile information about the shape of the pencil in your hand goes primarily to which hemisphere of your brain? ____ You are asked "what is in your hand?" Language is in the ____ hemisphere of your brain. In order to answer, the pencil information must be transferred from your right to left hemispheres via the _______.

right, I don't know, corpus callosum cannot transfer information from right hemisphere of brain to the left

You are a split-brain patient: You pick up a pencil with your left hand; the tactile pencil information goes primarily to your _____ hemisphere. You are asked "What is in your hand?" You answer ____. Why?

left, pencil

You are a split-brain patient: You pick up a pencil with your right hand; the tactile pencil information goes primarily to your _____ hemisphere. You are asked "What is in your hand?" You answer ____.

left

The right visual field goes to which hemisphere of the brain?

portion of the nervous system consisting of neurons in the brain and spinal cord

central nervous system (CNS)

section of nervous system lying outside of the brain and spinal cord (cranial and spinal nerves, autonomic nerves)

peripheral nervous system (PNS)

allow CNS to communicate with the periphery of the body

role of PNS

allow brain to communicate with the arms, legs, and other body parts

spinal nerves

muscles

Some spinal nerves originate in the spinal cord and send signals to the _____ of body parts, allowing us to move our body parts

spinal cord

Other spinal nerves originate in the body parts and send signals to the _____.

CNS

If a whole neuron is in the CNS, is it part of the CNS or PNS?

PNS

If a neuron starts in the CNS and ends in the PNS, what is it a part of?

allow the brain to communicate with the mouth, eyes, and other parts of the face

cranial nerves

muscles

Some cranial nerves originate in the brain and send signals to the _____ of the face (say the mouth), allowing us to move that part of the face,

brain

Some cranial nerves originate in the face (say the cheek or mouth) and send signals to the ____ allowing us to experience sensations (e.g., touch to cheek or taste in the mouth)

body parts, face

PNS:
spinal nerves to and from _____.
cranial nerves to and from the ____.

move muscles and sense our environment

Cranial and spinal nerves allow us to _____ and to ________.

nerves that connect to the heart, lungs, and other organs

autonomic nerves

autonomic nerves, arousal: speeds up the heart, rate, respiration

sympathetic nervous system

relaxation: slows down heart rate, respiration

parasympathetic nervous system

CNS, organs

sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves communicate between the ____ (brain and spinal cord) and ____.

heart, lungs, liver, stomach

Autonomic nerves communicate with many organs such as ______.

relaxation

parasympathetic nerves relate to _____.

arousal (fight-or-flight)

sympathetic nerves relate to _____.

peripheral

autonomic nervous system is part of the ____ nervous system.

autonomic nerves that communicate with organs

autonomic division of PNS

cranial and spinal nerves that communicate with the face and body parts

somatic division of PNS

2

Which is posterior?

occipital lobe

What is this part of the brain called?

vision

The occipital lobe is associated with ____.

touch, anterior

The parietal lobe is associated with ____. It is ____ to the occipital lobe.

thalamus

The optic nerve sends visual information to the ____, which in turns send visual information to the occipital lobe.

thalamus

Touch information (from hands, arms, legs, and so on) enters the brain and first arrives to the ___.

parietal

Neurons in the thalamus send touch information to the ____ lobe.

peripheral

Tactile stimulation of the fingers activates nerves of the ____ nervous system.

thalamus

Neurons "originating" in the spinal cord carry the tactile (touch) information to the brain, specifically to the _____.

parietal

Neurons in the thalamus send the tactile information to the ____ lobe.

peripheral

The neurons (nerves) that carry touch sensation from your fingers to the central nervous system are in the ____ nervous system.

anterior

Sensory strip is in the most ___ part of the parietal lobe

different parts of the sensory strip correspond to different parts of the body

sensory strip

gyri

bulges between sulci are called

sulci

grooves in the cortex are called

sensory strip

post central gyrus is also called the

hearing/auditory

temporal lobe is associated with _____.

thalamus

Sound activates the auditory nerve (in the ear). Auditory information reaches the _____ before it reaches the auditory areas of the temporal lobe.

primary auditory cortex in the temporal lobe

From the auditory part of the thalamus, the sound information reaches the ________.

posterior

The motor strip is in the most ____ part of the frontal lobe.

can cause muscles to move

motor strip

anterior

the frontal lobe is ____ to the parietal lobe

ventral

the temporal lobe is ____ to the frontal and parietal lobes

- movement coordination
- contributes to movement control

cerebellum

outer surface of the brain

cerebral cortex

relay station

thalamus

associate with memory of past events/episodes

hippocampus

associated with fear learning

amygdala

active when you feel hungry, thirsty, cold, etc. (drives, basic motivations)

hypothalamus

midbrain (top), pons (middle), medulla (bottom)
oldest part of brain

the brainstem is composed of what 3 parts?

neurons in brainstem activate the higher brain regions to produce arousal/alertness

reticular activating system

fluid filled sacs contains cerebro spinal fluid

ventricles

protect spinal cord

meninges

neuron that makes synaptic contact with a muscle

spinal cord motor neuron

neuromuscular junction

The synapase (gap) between a motor neuron and a muscle is the _____.

muscle

The motor neuron makes synaptic contact with a _____.

neuromuscular junction, motor, muscle

Say a spinal cord motor neuron becomes activated. It releases its neurotransmitter into the _____ junction, i.e., into the synapse between the _____ neuron and the _____.

muscle

The neurotransmitter excites the ____ causing it to contract and move the limb