Deck 2: Brain and Behaviour

Question 1

What is the proper name for nerve cells?

A) somas
B) nuclei
C) neurons
D) neurilemmas

Answer 1

neurons

Question 2

Everything you do, think, or feel originates within which of the following cells?

A) ions
B) somas
C) synapses
D) neurons

Answer 2

neurons

Question 3

What are the major parts of the neuron?

A) dendrites, nucleus, soma, and synapse
B) dendrites, soma, cell body, and neurilemma
C) dendrites, axon, soma, and synapse
D) dendrites, soma, axon, and axon terminal

Answer 3

dendrites, soma, axon, and axon terminal

Question 4

Which part of the neuron transmits (conducts) information?

A) the axon
B) the dendrites
C) the soma
D) the nucleus

Question 5

In what order do signals typically pass through a neuron?

A) soma, axon, dendrite, axon terminal
B) axon, dendrite, soma, axon terminal
C) dendrite, soma, axon, axon terminal
D) dendrite, axon, soma, axon terminal

Question 6

Which part of the neuron is most likely to integrate messages?

A) the soma
B) the axon
C) the axon terminals
D) the dendrites

Question 7

Approximately how many neurons are in the human brain?

A) 1 billion
B) 5 billion
C) 50 billion
D) 100 billion

Question 8

Which part of a neuron receives a signal from another neuron?

A) the dendrites
B) the neurotransmitter
C) the axon
D) the soma

Question 9

Which part of the neuron has branching fibres that link up with the dendrites and somas of adjoining neurons?

A) the neurilemma
B) the ion channels
C) the axon terminals
D) the terminal vesicles

Question 10

An inactive neuron is said to be in which state?

A) resting potential
B) depolarization
C) action potential
D) ionic potential

Question 11

Which of the following occurs when a neuron reaches its threshold?

A) volume potential
B) ion potential
C) action potential
D) dendrite potential

Question 12

During which of the following states does the interior of the axon briefly become positive?

A) the resting potential
B) the action potential
C) the ionic potential
D) the resting polarization

Question 13

What is the name for a nerve impulse that sweeps down the axon at up to 320 kilometres per hour?

A) an action potential
B) a resting potential
C) an ionic potential
D) a synaptic potential

Question 14

During the resting potential, to what is the axon's membrane impermeable?

A) potassium ions
B) chlorine ions
C) sodium ions
D) iodine ions

Question 15

When the neuron is in a resting state, which chemicals lie outside the neuron?

A) sodium ions that haven't picked up a charge
B) chloride ions
C) potassium and chloride ions
D) positive sodium ions

Question 16

When the axon's ion channels open during an action potential, what type of ions rush into the cell?

A) sodium ions
B) potassium ions
C) chlorine ions
D) iodine ions

Question 17

How fast does a nerve impulse sweep through a neuron?

A) at a maximum of 320 kilometres an hour
B) at the speed of light
C) at varying speeds depending on the neuron's myelination
D) at varying speeds depending on the neuron's level of excitation

Question 18

Regarding neuronal firing, what is meant by the "all-or-nothing event"?

A) Nerve cells are continuously active.
B) Action potentials occur completely, or not at all.
C) An action current crosses the synapse completely, or not at all.
D) All of the neurons in the brain fire, or none of them fire.

Question 19

To what part of the neuron does the "all-or-nothing event" apply?

A) the axon
B) the soma
C) the dendrite
D) the synapse

Question 20

What is referred to as the negative after-potential of a neuron?

A) the time when the potential briefly drops below its resting level and becomes less willing to fire
B) the time necessary for transmission across the synapse
C) the length of time a neuron can fire continuously
D) the time necessary for a message to travel from the cell body to the end of the axon

Question 21

A neuron's axon has just fired and released chemicals into the synapse. The action potential drops below its resting level and is therefore less able to fire. Other neurons in the area are asking for more chemicals, but it replies, "I can't right now, I have to take a break." What do we call this "break"?

A) a negative after-potential
B) an action potential
C) a synaptic potential
D) a residual period

Question 22

What is meant by the discharge of a nerve impulse?

A) It refers to neurotransmitters becoming stuck within the axon.
B) It is the same process as an "all-or-nothing event."
C) It refers to neurotransmitters entering the axon.
D) It is the same process as a synaptic potential

Question 23

What do we call the tiny gaps that separate neurons from one another?

A) synapses
B) synaptic vesicles
C) axonic junctions
D) ionic junctions

Question 24

What is the name of the microscopic space between two neurons?

A) ionic gap
B) encephalin
C) axon terminal
D) synapse

Question 25

What do neurotransmitters have to travel across in order to travel between cells?

A) receptors
B) synapses
C) cell bodies
D) axonic junctions

Question 26

What is the name for chemicals that are stored within vesicles and either excite or inhibit other neurons?

A) synapses
B) somas
C) inhibitors
D) neurotransmitters

Question 27

What is the term for the tiny areas on the cell membrane that are sensitive to neurotransmitters?

A) receptor sites
B) synaptic sites
C) axonic sites
D) ionic sites

Question 28

Chemical communication between neurons involves the release of which of the following?

A) neurilemmas
B) neurotransmitters
C) somas
D) telodendrias

Question 29

Curare causes paralysis by attaching to receptor sites on muscles, competing with a type of neurotransmitter. With which type of neurotransmitter does curare compete?

A) dopamine
B) acetylcholine
C) serotonin
D) enkephalins

Question 30

In helping to relieve pain and stress, the brain produces opiate-like neural regulators. What are these regulators called?

A) dopamine
B) neural networks
C) enkephalins
D) norepinephrine

Question 31

What is the function of neuropeptides?

A) Neuropeptides carry messages across synapses, as do neurotransmitters.
B) Neuropeptides regulate the activity of neurotransmitters.
C) Neuropeptides are essential in activating muscles.
D) Neuropeptides increase the speed of the action potential.

Question 32

Which neurotransmitter seems to facilitate the "runner's high," acupuncture, and the euphoria sometimes associated with childbirth?

A) acetylcholine
B) serotonin
C) endorphins
D) dopamine

Question 33

Which of the following is involved in regulating the activity of neurons?

A) neuropeptides
B) acetylcholine
C) reflex arcs
D) resting potentials

Question 34

What is the name for the fatty substance wrapped around axons?

A) myelin
B) neurilemma
C) soma
D) nodes of Ranvier

Question 35

What is the function of the myelin that is wrapped around the axon?

A) Myelin helps nerve cells remain continuously active.
B) Myelin helps electrical currents cross the synapse.
C) Neurons need myelin to fire.
D) Myelin protects, insulates, and speeds the transmission of a nerve impulse.

Question 36

Adriana suffers from a degenerative disorder that is causing the myelin in her brain to disintegrate. How will this affect transmission of neural information?

A) Transmission is likely to slow down.
B) Transmission is likely to speed up.
C) There will be no effect on transmission.
D) The effect will depend on Adriana's diet.

Question 37

Multiple sclerosis is a disease in which the immune system attacks and destroys myelin. Which neuronal structure is being attacked by this disease?

A) synapses
B) axons
C) dendrites
D) mitochondria

Question 38

Which of the following is a recent development in the understanding of the brain's neurobiology?

A) the sympathetic syndrome
B) neurogenesis
C) the role of connector neurons
D) neurilemmic tunnels

Question 39

What do we call the production of new brain cells?

A) fluidgenesis
B) resiliency
C) neurogenesis
D) brain plasticity

Question 40

What is the name for immature cells that, after being injected into damaged areas of the brain, mature into the necessary types of missing or damaged cells?

A) motor neurons
B) neural regulators
C) sensory neurons
D) stem cells

Question 41

In a general sense, what is neuroplasticity?

A) the growth of new nervous systems
B) the reconnection of old synapses
C) the structural changes in response to complex or demanding environments
D) the destruction of synaptic connections

Question 42

What are the two major components of the nervous system?

A) the somatic and autonomic nervous systems
B) the central and somatic nervous systems
C) the central and peripheral nervous systems
D) the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems

Question 43

Anna was in a car accident and received extensive head injuries that impaired her ability to speak. Which component of her nervous system was most likely damaged?

A) sympathetic nervous system
B) peripheral nervous system
C) central nervous system
D) autonomic nervous system

Question 44

What is the main component of the nervous system?

A) the central nervous system
B) the peripheral nervous system
C) the somatic nervous system
D) the autonomic nervous system

Question 45

Which of the following comprises the peripheral nervous system?

A) the brain
B) the brain and spinal cord
C) components that lie outside the brain and spinal cord
D) sensory neurons

Question 46

What are the main divisions of the peripheral nervous system?

A) somatic and autonomic systems
B) sympathetic and parasympathetic systems
C) afferent and efferent systems
D) reticular and limbic systems

Question 47

Steve raises his hand in class to answer a question. Going from the spinal cord to the arm muscles, this command would travel through which nervous system?

A) the somatic system
B) the autonomic system
C) the sympathetic system
D) the parasympathetic system

Question 48

Which system controls food digestion?

A) the autonomic nervous system
B) the central nervous system
C) the somatic nervous system
D) the endocrine system

Question 49

Which of the following is a division of the peripheral nervous system?

A) the spinal cord
B) the sympathetic nervous system
C) the parasomatic nervous system
D) the central nervous system

Question 50

Which of the following is known as the "fight or flight" response system, because of its importance in preparing us to respond to stressful events?

A) the somatic system
B) the peripheral system
C) the sympathetic system
D) the parasympathetic system

Question 51

When a big, nasty, dog is chasing you, which nervous system is directly responsible for producing the"fight or flight" response?

A) the somatic system
B) the autonomic system
C) the sympathetic system
D) the parasympathetic system

Question 52

Which nervous system's role is to relax the body, returning it to a lower level of arousal?

A) the sympathetic system
B) the parasympathetic system
C) the somatic system
D) the autonomic system

Question 53

What three types of cells are involved in a reflex arc?

A) sensory neuron, motor neuron, and the nodes of Ranvier
B) dendrite, axon, axon terminal
C) sensory neuron, motor neuron, and connector neuron
D) dendrite, soma, axon

Question 54

Which type of neurons pick up information from the environment through specialized receptor organs, and then carry this information to the brain?

A) sensory neurons
B) motor neurons
C) connector neurons
D) dendritic neurons

Question 55

Which neurons take information away from the brain, and toward muscles and glands?

A) connector neurons
B) motor neurons
C) sensory neurons
D) dendrite neurons

Question 56

What is a basic response pattern, organized in the spinal cord?

A) an autonomic reflex
B) a cranial arc
C) an effector reflex
D) a reflex arc

Question 57

A barefoot girl steps on a nail, then jerks her foot back in response to the pain. Which component of the nervous system is involved in this response?

A) the brain
B) the spinal cord
C) sensory neurons
D) sympathetic neurons

Question 58

Which of the following statements briefly describes reflexes?

A) Reflexes take place in the muscles.
B) Reflexes occur without instructions from the brain.
C) Reflexes are voluntary.
D) Reflexes send information or signals to the brain.

Question 59

What is the name for the approach used to assess changes in how we behave, think, and take in various sensory information?

A) ablations
B) clinical studies
C) deep lesionings
D) ESB (electrical stimulation of the brain)

Question 60

Electrodes have been used in a variety of ways to investigate the function of the brain. Which of the following involves the use of electrodes?

A) deep lesioning
B) ablation
C) electrical stimulation of muscles
D) recording the simultaneous activity of millions of neurons

Question 61

Steve is using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine if there are any structural abnormalities in the brains of people who suffer from Parkinson's disease. What type of scientist is Steve?

A) a biopsychologist
B) a developmental psychologist
C) a cognitive psychologist
D) a pharmacologist

Question 62

If researchers wished to study the response of an individual neuron in the brain to a particular sensory stimulus, what would they most likely use?

A) deep lesioning
B) a micro-electrode
C) an electroencephalograph (EEG)
D) computed tomography scanning (CT)

Question 63

Which technique measures the electrical activity of the brain?

A) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
B) computed tomography scanning (CT)
C) positron emission tomography (PET)
D) electroencephalogram (EEG)

Question 64

Clarence was in a car accident, and the doctor suspects that he may have suffered structural damage to the brain. Which of the following tests would give us a three-dimensional model of Clarence's brain?

A) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
B) positron emission tomography (PET)
C) computed tomography scanning (CT)
D) electroencephalogram (EEG)

Question 65

Which brain-imaging equipment would most likely be used to assess the pleasure felt from eating, using drugs, or feeling love for another person?

A) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
B) computed tomography scanning (CT)
C) positron emission tomography (PET)
D) micro-electrode recording

Question 66

Derrick was a subject in a study in which the glucose in his brain was marked with a radioactive substance, identifying especially active brain areas. Derrick participated in a study that employed what imaging technique?

A) electroencephalogram (EEG)
B) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
C) computed tomography scanning (CT)
D) positron emission tomography (PET)

Question 67

Which of the following instruments produces a colour-coded image of the brain's activity?

A) computed tomography scanning (CT)
B) electroencephalogram (EEG)
C) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
D) positron emission tomography (PET)

Question 68

What part of the brain is only 3 millimetres thick, yet contains 70 percent of the neurons of the central nervous system?

A) the cerebral cortex
B) the cerebrum
C) the cerebellum
D) the corpus callosum

Question 69

What is the largest brain area in humans?

A) the cerebellum
B) the cerebrum
C) the frontal lobes
D) the grey matter of the corpus callosum

Question 70

Within higher-order animals, what do we call the increased size and wrinkling of the cerebral cortex?

A) cerebralization
B) hemispherization
C) corticalization
D) reticulation

Question 71

What have positron emission tomography images (PET scans) revealed to us about the connection between our brains and problem-solving abilities?

A) We use less than 10 percent of our brains when we try to solve problems.
B) Smarter problem solvers' brains use more energy than poorer problem solvers' brains.
C) Poorer problem solvers' brains use more energy than smarter problem solvers' brains.
D) There are no specific areas of the brain dedicated to problem solving.

Question 72

Which of the following is a common effect of having a stroke?

A) positive speech effects
B) motor neglect
C) the experience of an "alien" arm
D) having a split brain experience

Question 73

A stroke causes damage to the motor area of a woman's left hemisphere. What part of her body would be impaired?

A) the right side
B) the left side
C) the right cerebral cortex
D) the left cerebral cortex

Question 74

As a result of a stroke, a person has damage to the right hemisphere of the somatosensory area. This would cause a loss of which ability?

A) movement on the left side of the body
B) movement on the right side of the body
C) feeling on the left side of the body
D) feeling on the right side of the body

Question 75

Henry, a stroke victim, displays spatial neglect. Which of the following would he be most likely to do?

A) ignore the side of the body on the same side as the cerebral damage
B) ignore his own paralyzed arm or leg
C) draw a picture with the upper half missing
D) ignore the side of the body opposite to the cerebral damage

Question 76

In split-brain surgery, a surgeon disconnects the two hemispheres by severing which of the following?

A) the cerebellum
B) the hypothalamus
C) the corpus callosum
D) the pituitary gland

Question 77

Velishea has severe epileptic seizures that cannot be controlled by medication. Therefore, her doctor suggests a surgery that might help. What would this surgery involve?

A) cutting the corpus callosum
B) removing the hippocampus
C) stimulating the brain's pleasure centres
D) severing Broca's area

Question 78

Based on research with people with split brain, we know that humans have which of the following?

A) hemispheric specialization
B) cross lateralization
C) corticalization
D) pleasure centres

Question 79

Based on research with patients with split brain, we know that the right hemisphere is specialized for which of the following?

A) spatial abilities
B) facial recognition
C) language and speech
D) dance, movement, and musical appreciation

Question 80

According to hemispheric specialization theory, for which of the following is the average person's left hemisphere specialized?

A) drawing pictures
B) musical talent
C) speech
D) recognizing and identifying faces