Exam 4: The Biological Mind: the Physical Basis of Behavior

Washington State is one of several states that actively tracks and investigates pesticide-related illnesses. In an attempt to understand how to minimize the devastating effects of these illnesses, the state initiated a research program to study the relationship between pesticides and the neurotransmitter ____.

What distinguishes a neuron from most other cell types?

Why is the primary motor cortex important for the control of movement?

Which is an accurate statement regarding the generation of an action potential?

Hal meets some friends at a local sports bar. After drinking several beers, Hal picks a fight with someone that he thinks is giving him "dirty" looks. Normally very mellow and calm, the alcohol has interfered with Hal's judgment, causing him to lose control. Which theory best explains Hal's behavior?

Parkinson's disease, characterized by difficulties in initiating voluntary movements, is caused by degeneration of the ____.

____ is a neurotransmitter that contributes to arousal and vigilance.

Police Officer Amy Randall suspects that the driver of a car in front of her is driving under the influence of alcohol. She pulls the driver over and administers a field sobriety test. She asks the driver to stand on one leg so that she can evaluate the driver's balance. This test is performed because the ____ is one of the first structures in the brain to be affected by alcohol.

Which of the following is an accurate match between a division of the autonomic nervous system and a bodily function or state?

Neuronal communication is a two-step process. In the second step, which takes place between two neurons, what does the arrival of an action potential at the axon terminal of the first neuron signal?

Marcus is excited to be working in the laboratory of Dr. Flores, an expert on electrical signaling in neurons. However, he is surprised to learn that the research is done on squid axons placed in sea water. He asks Dr. Flores the reasons for this. Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons that Dr. Flores provides?

The endocrine system responds to input from the nervous system, particularly from the ____.

The ____ is a subcortical structure that participates in the regulation of thirst, temperature, hunger, sexual behavior, and aggression.

What is an accurate statement regarding interneurons found in the central nervous system?

Melanie, a graduate student working in a neuroscience lab, grows neurons in a petri dish to study the effects of environmental toxins on neuronal communication. During one of Melanie's experiments, she accidentally damages the axon of a neuron. What will be an immediate consequence of this mishap?

Before contemporary research methods were available, ____ provided significant advancements in our understanding of the nervous system.

Which of the following is the strongest analogy to explain the relationship between receptors and neurotransmitters?

The ____ lobe is the most forward of the four lobes of the cerebral cortex. It is the location of the primary motor cortex and some of the most complex cognitive processes.

Rima washes her hands repeatedly, unable to find relief from the thought that they are dirty or contaminated. This obsessive behavior may be related to a disorder of the ____.

The depolarizing or hyperpolarizing current that results from neurotransmitter activity at the synapses of the receiving neuron drifts to the junction of the ____.