Question 1

Briefly describe the somatic division of the peripheral nervous system.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Briefly describe the somatic division of the...

Question 2

Axons are small branches of a neuron that extend out from the cell body and receive information.

Accepted Answer

Axons are not branches that receive information, but rather they are slender extensions that transmit information away from the cell body to other neurons or cells. Dendrites are the branches that receive information from other neurons.

Question 3

Explain the difference between genotype and phenotype. Be sure to mention how both relate to the nature-nurture debate and the role of environmental influences.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain the difference between genotype and phenotype....

Question 4

While both hemispheres provide many similar functions in the brain, discuss one important function attributed to each of the right and left hemisphere.

Accepted Answer

The answer of While both hemispheres provide many similar functions...

Question 5

The medulla helps to regulate our reflexes.

Accepted Answer

The medulla is responsible for regulating many vital involuntary functions such as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and reflexes such as swallowing, coughing, and sneezing.

Question 6

A patient with forebrain damage has problems with awareness and expression of emotions, and also with consciously remembering events that have occurred since the injury. You deduce that the parts of the forebrain where the damage was sustained are in the limbic system.

Accepted Answer

The limbic system is involved in emotions, memory, and awareness, so damage to this region could cause problems with all of these functions.

Question 7

If you were displaying symptoms a doctor suspected were neurological in origin, and the doctor said she wanted to do some diagnostic brain imaging, one technique she might order would be an electroencephalograph.

Accepted Answer

An electroencephalograph (EEG) records electrical activity in the brain but is not an imaging technique. Imaging techniques include MRI or CT scans.

Question 8

In the nervous system, neurotransmitters are stored in the dendrites.

Accepted Answer

Neurotransmitters are stored in synaptic vesicles, which are located in the axon terminals.

Question 9

Briefly explain how one neuron sends a message to another neuron.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Briefly explain how one neuron sends a...

Question 10

Explain how a farmer might use selective breeding to increase his crop size.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain how a farmer might use selective...

Question 11

The small space between two neurons is called the synaptic gap.

Accepted Answer

The small space between two neurons is indeed called the synaptic gap.

Question 12

Briefly describe the autonomic division of the peripheral nervous system.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Briefly describe the autonomic division of the...

Question 13

Briefly describe the major functions of the occipital, temporal, and frontal lobes.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Briefly describe the major functions of the...

Question 14

Identify the major functions of one of these three brain structures: hypothalamus, cerebellum, or the reticular formation. Give examples of functions in terms of real behaviors.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Identify the major functions of one of...

Question 15

You are driving down the highway when your tire blows, immediately you swerve several times and end up on the side of the road. Explain how the endocrine system assisted your reaction.

Accepted Answer

The answer of You are driving down the highway when...

Question 16

Transcranial magnetic stimulation allows researchers to draw cause and effect conclusions.

Accepted Answer

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a technique that uses a magnetic field to stimulate nerve cells in the brain. By selectively targeting different brain regions with TMS, researchers can investigate the cause-and-effect relationships between neural activity and behavior. TMS can be used to temporarily disrupt or enhance brain function in a controlled way, allowing researchers to draw conclusions about the necessity or sufficiency of specific brain regions for different cognitive or motor tasks. Therefore, TMS can be a valuable tool for establishing causal relationships between brain activity and behavior.

Question 17

Kathy has some nerve damage, but her central nervous system is intact. She has some muscular weakness and poor coordination. The damage must be in her peripheral nervous system.

Accepted Answer

Since Kathy's central nervous system is intact, the damage causing her muscular weakness and poor coordination must be in her peripheral nervous system, which includes the nerves that branch out from the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body.

Question 18

Your friend was in an accident and suffered head trauma. She can remember everything up until the accident, but since it happened, she cannot retain any new memories. She probably has damage to her hypothalamus.

Accepted Answer

The hypothalamus is primarily involved in regulating basic bodily functions such as temperature, hunger, and thirst. Damage to the hippocampus, however, can result in anterograde amnesia, which is the inability to form new memories after an event such as an accident.

Question 19

A co-worker has recently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She appears to be still functioning normally at this time, but as the disease causes scar tissue to overtake the myelin sheath, it will slow the transmission of nerve impulses.

Accepted Answer

Multiple sclerosis is a progressive disease that affects the nervous system, specifically the myelin sheath that surrounds and protects nerve fibers. As the disease progresses, scar tissue can overtake the myelin sheath, which slows down the transmission of nerve impulses. However, the severity and progression of the disease varies from person to person.

Question 20

Discuss the extent to which the brain has the capacity for repair. Include concepts such as plasticity, collateral sprouting, substitution of function, and neurogenesis.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss the extent to which the brain...

Quiz 3: Biological Foundations of Behavior