Exam 2: The Biological Basis of Behavior

Corey was in an automobile accident that resulted in an injury to her brain. She now has difficulty with her hearing and her ability to recognize faces. The part of her brain most likely injured was her ________ lobe.

Gloria's friends have recently noticed a startling change in her behavior. She eats everything in sight but gains little, if any, weight. She speeds around the room as if she were taking amphetamines. She seems constantly tense and agitated, and has trouble sleeping. She has become impulsive and lately she seems to be upset by even the slightest stress. The source of Gloria's problems is probably an ________ gland.

An elderly male is diagnosed as having Alzheimer's disease. His physician tells him the disorder involves a deficiency of ________.

The only known molecule that can replicate or reproduce itself is ________.

Oversecretion of insulin by the pancreas results in ________.

Neurons that carry messages from one neuron to another are called ________.

The neuron cannot fire during the absolute refractory period.

Because they have similar chemical structures, morphine and other narcotics are able to lock into receptor sites for ________.

The cerebellum ________.

Males are ________ likely than females to be left-handed.

The two hormones which keep the blood-sugar level properly balanced are ________.

Explain what plasticity and neurogenesis are. Briefly summarize the research regarding stem cells and the possibility of growing new neurons in the human brain.

When a neural impulse reaches the end of an axon, it causes tiny oval sacs at the end of the axon to release chemicals called ________.

The field of psychobiology explores the ________.

Breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure are controlled by the medulla.

The limbic system is important to motivation.

________ has long been linked to aggressive behavior.

A young woman returns from a day at the beach to find she has developed severe sunburn. Which neurons are sending messages from her burned skin to her brain informing her of the pain from the burn?

The tiny fibers branching out from the cell body of a neuron are called axons.

An imaging technique that has been useful in helping researchers discover the biological origins of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is ________.