Exam 4: The Brain and Nervous System

How can scientists study the living brain if it is protected by the skull? The textbook notes several methods for this type of study. Describe the different techniques that have been used to explore the workings of the brain.

The _______________ is sometimes called "the emotional brain," although researchers have discovered it has functions unrelated to emotions.

The right hemisphere of the brain:

Hazel is exceedingly clumsy and uncoordinated. She has difficulty using a pencil or threading a needle. It is most likely that Hazel's _______________ has been damaged.

Which of the following is true of spinal reflexes?

Endorphin levels can shoot up when an animal or a person is afraid or under stress. Explain why this is adaptive through the development of your own example.

Why is transcranial magnetic stimulation essentially a virtual lesion method?

Which of the following regions in the brain is involved in the ability to make plans, think creatively, and take initiative?

Describe three tasks of the amygdala.

Which of the following sex hormones brings on physical changes in females at puberty, such as breast development and the onset of menstruation?

In general, the function of hormones is to:

Name two hormones discussed in the textbook and explain some of the tasks that these hormones perform.

Positron-emission tomography is a method for analyzing the biochemical activity in the brain.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation uses a powerful magnetic field in order to temporarily inactivate neural circuits in the brain.

Central nervous system cells cannot be produced after infancy.

The _______________ is a structure in the brain stem that is involved in activities like sleeping, waking, and dreaming.

In myelinated axons, the action potential appears to "hop" from one node to the next.

Hormones are chemical substances secreted by glands that affect the functioning of organs.

Generally speaking, the _______________ hemisphere in the brain is in charge of the left side of the body.

Why is the sympathetic nervous system compared to the accelerator of a car?