Question 1

____ can range in length from 1/32 of an inch to more than three feet.

Accepted Answer

Axons can vary significantly in length, from as short as 1/32 of an inch in some neurons to over three feet long in others, such as those running from the spinal cord to the toes.

Question 2

The function of dendrites is to ____.

Accepted Answer

Dendrites are specialized structures in neurons designed to receive electrical signals from other neurons and convey this information to the soma, or cell body, of the neuron.

Question 3

The central part of the neuron is known as the ____.

Accepted Answer

The central part of the neuron is known as the soma, also referred to as the cell body. It contains the nucleus and is essential for the neuron's metabolic activities.

Question 4

Which part of a neuron would be expected to show damage in a disease such as multiple sclerosis,which results in loss of muscle control due to impairment in brain to muscle communication?

Accepted Answer

Multiple sclerosis is characterized by damage to the myelin sheath, the protective covering that surrounds nerve fibers in the central nervous system. This damage disrupts the efficient transmission of nerve impulses, leading to the symptoms associated with the disease, including loss of muscle control.

Question 5

The area in which communication between two neurons occurs is known as ____.

Accepted Answer

The area where communication between two neurons occurs is known as a synapse. This is where neurotransmitters are released from one neuron to transmit a signal to the next neuron.

Question 6

What is one of the most important functions of the interneuron?

Accepted Answer

Interneurons play a crucial role in the central nervous system by connecting sensory neurons, which detect stimuli, to motor neurons, which carry out responses. This allows for the processing and integration of sensory input into appropriate responses.

Question 7

Specialized cells in the nervous system that send and receive information throughout the body are referred to as ____.

Accepted Answer

Neurons are the specialized cells in the nervous system responsible for sending and receiving information throughout the body. Axons, dendrites, and terminal buttons are parts of a neuron, not types of cells.

Question 8

This organ of our body,which comprises only about 2 percent of our total body weight,controls most of the complex aspects of our behavior and mental life.Which organ are we talking about?

Accepted Answer

The brain is responsible for controlling most of the complex aspects of behavior and mental life, despite making up only about 2% of the body's total weight.

Question 9

What makes the impulse faster?

Accepted Answer

Larger diameter axons and more myelin sheath increase the speed of nerve impulse conduction by reducing electrical resistance and allowing for saltatory conduction, respectively.

Question 10

When depolarization occurs in a part of the axon,the resting potential is eliminated and a brief electrochemical charge is sent to the next section far away from the soma.This electrical disturbance is called ____.

Accepted Answer

Action potential is the correct term for the brief electrochemical charge that is sent along the axon when depolarization occurs. It is the process by which neurons send information over distances within the body.

Question 11

An extension of the soma which carries information from the soma to the other end of itself is called the ____.

Accepted Answer

The axon is the part of a neuron that extends from the soma (cell body) and carries information (in the form of electrical impulses) away from the soma to other neurons, muscles, or glands.

Question 12

Who discovered that the brain and spinal cord are not solid masses of neurons?

Accepted Answer

Santiago Cajal is known for his pioneering work in neuroscience, particularly for his discovery that the brain and spinal cord are made up of individual cells or neurons, rather than being solid masses. This foundational insight helped establish the neuron doctrine, which is the basis for much of modern neuroscience.

Question 13

He was one of the first persons to discover that neurons were separate and distinct units.He made this discovery while working in a makeshift laboratory in his attic with a $25 microscope and a single box of slides! His resulting theory on how the brain processes information earned him the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 1906.Who is he?

Accepted Answer

Santiago Ramón y Cajal is renowned for his pioneering work in neuroscience, particularly his discovery that neurons are separate and distinct units, which was a fundamental contribution to the understanding of the nervous system. His groundbreaking research led to the formulation of the neuron doctrine, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1906, alongside Camillo Golgi.

Question 14

What makes up the synapse of a neuron?

Accepted Answer

The synapse of a neuron includes the synaptic cleft (the gap between neurons), the terminal button (the end part of an axon that releases neurotransmitters), and the dendrite of another neuron (which receives the neurotransmitter signals), making all of the options correct components of a synapse.

Question 15

Dendrites receive information,the soma then transmits it to the axon to be sent to the other end of the axon in the form of an electrochemical impulse.Which of the following questions is being answered here?

Accepted Answer

The description outlines the basic process of neuronal communication, explaining how signals are received by dendrites, processed in the soma, and then transmitted along the axon as electrochemical impulses. This directly answers the question of how neurons communicate with each other.

Question 16

The transmission of electrochemical impulses are hastened by which part of the neuron?

Accepted Answer

The myelin sheath, which covers the axon of some neurons, acts as an insulator and increases the speed at which electrical impulses (action potentials) are passed along the axon.

Question 17

Which type of neuron sends commands from the brain to glands,muscles,and organs to commence,cease,or inhibit something?

Accepted Answer

Motor neurons are responsible for sending commands from the brain and spinal cord to muscles, glands, and organs to initiate or inhibit actions.

Question 18

Which of the following is not a primary component of a neuron?

Accepted Answer

Glial cells are not a primary component of a neuron; they are support cells in the nervous system, not part of the neuron's main structure, which includes the soma (cell body), dendrites, and axon.

Question 19

Doctors know that the hippocampus is part of the limbic system and is central in the acquisition and consolidation of new information in memory.But in the case of Henry Molaison,this part of the brain was surgically removed to control his epileptic seizures.His seizures stopped but he was unable to form new memories in his brain.Then why did the doctors remove this important part of the brain in 1953,the year of Henry's brain surgery?

Accepted Answer

In the 1950s, the specific role of the hippocampus in memory formation was not well understood by doctors, which is why they proceeded with the surgery to control seizures without fully knowing the consequences on memory.

Question 20

Why is the neuron sometimes called the workhorse of the nervous system?

Accepted Answer

Neurons are considered the workhorses of the nervous system because they perform all three critical functions: receiving, integrating, and transmitting neural information, enabling the nervous system to function effectively.

Quiz 2: Neural and Genetic Bases of Behavior