Question 1

As you were riding to school with your roommate one day, a bobble-head doll your roommate had on the dashboard fell when the car stopped suddenly at a red light. Without thinking, you reached out and caught the bobble-head before it fell to the floorboard. When you did so, you were using your:

Accepted Answer

Motor neurons are responsible for carrying signals from the brain and spinal cord to muscles, enabling you to perform actions like catching the bobble-head doll.

Question 2

What is the correct order of electrical activity of a neuron?

Accepted Answer

The correct sequence for the electrical activity of a neuron starts with the resting potential, where the neuron is ready to transmit a signal. This is followed by the action potential, which is the rapid rise and fall in voltage that constitutes the nerve impulse. Finally, the refractory period occurs, during which the neuron cannot fire another action potential immediately, allowing the neuron to reset.

Question 3

A synapse is:

Accepted Answer

A synapse is the gap between neurons, where neurotransmitters are released from one neuron to communicate with another neuron across the synaptic cleft.

Question 4

The threshold of a neuron is the:

Accepted Answer

The threshold of a neuron refers to the specific level of electrical charge required for it to fire an action potential. When this threshold is reached, the neuron becomes activated and transmits an electrical impulse along its axon.

Question 5

After Phineas Gage's brain injury, his basic abilities remained intact but his _____ changed significantly.

Accepted Answer

Phineas Gage's accident resulted in a severe brain injury that notably altered his personality characteristics. While his basic cognitive and physical abilities, such as memory, speech, and coordination, remained largely intact, those who knew him reported significant changes in his temperament and behavior, illustrating the impact of brain injury on personality.

Question 6

Which statement BEST represents how the cerebral hemispheres operate? The _____ side of the brain controls the _____.

Accepted Answer

The right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, and the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body. This is due to the way the brain's neural pathways cross over in the body.

Question 7

_____ is the idea that specific parts of the brain are responsible for specific behaviors or abilities.

Accepted Answer

Localization is the concept that different areas of the brain are responsible for specific functions or behaviors, a fundamental principle in neuroscience and psychology.

Question 8

The soma of a neuron:

Accepted Answer

The soma, or cell body, of a neuron performs basic cellular activities such as protein synthesis and energy production. It does not directly carry, receive, or form connections for information transmission; those functions are primarily performed by axons, dendrites, and synapses respectively.

Question 9

_____ are the building blocks of the brain.

Accepted Answer

Neurons are the fundamental units of the brain and nervous system, responsible for receiving sensory input from the external world, sending motor commands to our muscles, and transforming and relaying the electrical signals at every step in between.

Question 10

When he was small, Lucas had a very high fever that caused damage to part of his brain. Since then, Lucas has had difficulty understanding speech. This suggests that the damage to Lucas' brain was MOST likely to the _____ lobe.

Accepted Answer

The temporal lobe of the brain is primarily responsible for processing auditory information and is involved in the comprehension of language. Damage to this area can lead to difficulties in understanding speech, as described in Lucas' case.

Question 11

Impairment in the ability to understand speech is called:

Accepted Answer

Wernicke's aphasia is characterized by impairment in the ability to understand speech, while individuals can still produce fluent, but often meaningless, language.

Question 12

_____ is a technique in which sensors are placed on the scalp to record activity in the brain.

Accepted Answer

Electroencephalography (EEG) is the technique where sensors are placed on the scalp to record electrical activity in the brain. This method is widely used for diagnosing epilepsy, sleep disorders, and other neurological conditions.

Question 13

At a busy intersection, a police officer directs traffic. The movement of the cars is controlled by the police officer, who is responsible for communicating to drivers how to proceed. The role of the police officer is MOST similar to the role of _____ in brain functioning.

Accepted Answer

The police officer directing traffic is similar to neurons in the brain, which are responsible for transmitting signals and controlling the flow of information, much like how the officer controls the flow of cars.

Question 14

When Shana listens to a symphony at the opera house, neurons send that information to her thalamus, where it is processed before traveling onward to her auditory cortex and hippocampus. This processing of information within Shana's thalamus is MOST likely due to the activity of:

Accepted Answer

The thalamus processes sensory information, which involves the activity of interneurons. Interneurons connect sensory and motor neurons within the brain and spinal cord, facilitating the processing and relay of information.

Question 15

You are watching TV with a friend. Your friend asks you for the remote for the TV. You pick up the remote and hand it to your friend with your left hand. The use of your left hand is controlled to complete these actions by the _____ of your brain.

Accepted Answer

The right hemisphere of the brain controls the motor functions of the left side of the body. Therefore, when you use your left hand, it is the right hemisphere that is controlling that action.

Question 16

In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease), the cells that send messages from the brain to muscles, also known as _____, begin to break down, resulting in progressive movement impairments.

Accepted Answer

In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the primary cells affected are the efferent neurons, which are responsible for sending signals from the brain and spinal cord to muscles, initiating movement. This leads to the progressive movement impairments seen in the disease.

Question 17

Which neurotransmitter is most involved in sleep?

Accepted Answer

Serotonin plays a crucial role in sleep regulation, mood, and alertness among other functions. It is involved in the initiation of sleep and is found in various parts of the brain that are related to sleep and wakefulness.

Question 18

Wade has difficulty understanding what others are saying. Even though Wade can speak, his sentences are often incoherent and make little sense. Wade most likely has _____ aphasia.

Accepted Answer

Wade's symptoms of difficulty understanding speech and producing incoherent sentences are characteristic of Wernicke's aphasia, which affects language comprehension and the production of meaningful speech.

Question 19

The _____ is the part of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body once a stressor has been removed.

Accepted Answer

The parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system is responsible for calming the body and conserving energy once a stressor has been removed, often referred to as the "rest and digest" system.

Question 20

Which function would be performed by an association area?

Accepted Answer

Association areas of the brain are responsible for integrating information from different sensory modalities, making them crucial for complex processes such as understanding and decision making. Understanding to pick up the phone when it rings involves integrating auditory information with learned social behaviors, a task suited for an association area.

Quiz 2: Brain and Behavior