Exam 4: The Brain and Nervous System

Illiterate individuals tend to have less white matter in a part of the parietal cortex when compared with literate people.

In individuals with multiple sclerosis, dense build-ups of myelin on the axon cause erratic nerve signals.

The cerebral cortex in humans is less crumbled than in other mammals.

What can be learned by studying patients who have had a part of the brain damaged because of disease or injury? What can be learned by studying individuals whose disorders have required surgical lesions? What are the drawbacks of the case study method? Include in your essay an evaluation of the case studies of Phineas Gage and split-brain patients.

Neurogenesis is the process by which dopamine molecules cross the blood-brain barrier.

The thalamus is a brain structure involved in emotions and drives that are vital for survival.

Adrenal hormones are produced by the pineal gland.

Many axons, especially the larger ones, are insulated with a myelin sheath. Write an essay on the importance of the myelin sheath, making sure to incorporate the following information: -What kind of cells make up the myelin sheath? -What does the myelin sheath look like? -What are two purposes of the myelin sheath? -What happens when a person experiences the loss of myelin?

On each cerebral hemisphere, deep fissures divide the cortex into four distinct lobes. Name each of the four lobes and describe the location of each lobe.

The _______________ is the most recently evolved part of our brains and is associated with such complex abilities as reasoning, decision making, and planning.

The best split-brain researchers would agree that:

The levels of the neurotransmitter _______________ will decrease in the human body after having a protein-rich meal.

Which part of the brain is located at the base of the skull and looks like a stalk rising out of the spinal cord?

Most endorphins act by limiting or prolonging the effects of neurotransmitters.

The human body has _______________ pairs of cranial nerves in the head, connecting directly to the brain.

Spinal reflexes are automatic and cannot be influenced by thoughts and emotions.

When you feel a bug on your arm, your somatic nervous system is critical to the sensation.

A collection of neurons and supportive tissue running from the base of the brain down the center of the back, protected by a column of bones is called the:

Erection in men is a spinal reflex.

In _______________, brain cells are stimulated using a powerful magnetic field produced by a wire coil placed on a person's head that temporarily inactivates neural circuits.