Exam 2: The Biological Basis of Behavior

There are approximately ________ neurons in the brain of an average human being.

Compare and contrast the functions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. What does the current scientific evidence indicate in regard to one's ability to consciously control functions normally controlled by the autonomic nervous system?

Neurons that send messages from the spinal cord to the foot do so through ________ neurons.

If an incoming message is not strong enough to cause a neuron to fire, it may cause a shift in the electrical charge of just a tiny area of the neuron. This shift, which quickly fades away, is called a(n) ________.

Recent evidence suggests that glial cells and astrocytes may play an important role in ________.

Estrogen has been linked to aggressive behavior in both males and females.

Phineas Gage suffered personality changes as a result of damage to his temporal lobes.

The division of the nervous system that connects the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body is the ________ system.

Corey was in an automobile accident that resulted in an injury to her brain. She now has difficulty reading road maps and telling other people how to get somewhere. She has most likely suffered an injury to her ________ lobe.

Darlene just found out that she made the dean's list, and she's in ecstasy -- singing and dancing down the hallway near her dorm room. Which area of the brain is directing her emotional reaction?

A young man reads in a letter that he has just won $1,000 in a statewide lottery and he literally jumps for joy. Which neurons are sending messages from his brain to the muscles in his legs causing him to jump?

The glands that secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream are called ________ glands.

Neurons that carry messages from the spinal cord or the brain to the muscles and glands are called ________ neurons.

A procedure in which some of the cells that the fetus casts off into the fluid surrounding it in the womb are collected and tested for chromosomal or genetic defects is ________.

The toxin produced by the micro-organism that causes botulism prevents the release of ________.

The limbic system is responsible for ________.

Explain the process of how a neural message is transmitted from the end of one neuron to the beginning of another. In your explanation, identify at least two neurotransmitters and describe their functions.

The inner core of the two adrenal glands that releases hormones important for dealing with stress is the adrenal ________.

All nerve cells and fibers that are not in the brain or spinal cord make up the ________ nervous system.

The part of the brain that acts like a "thermostat," regulating hunger, thirst, sexual drive, and body temperature, is the ________.