Question 1

The fundamental units of the nervous system are nerve cells, called ______
A) axons
B) glia
C) neurons
D) neurotransmitters

Accepted Answer

Neurons are the fundamental units of the nervous system. Axons are a part of the neuron, but not the unit itself. Glia are supportive cells in the nervous system. Neurotransmitters are chemicals involved in communication between neurons, but not the fundamental unit itself.

Question 2

What type of scientists study brain functionality by investigating patients with brain damage?

Accepted Answer

Neuropsychologists

Question 3

What is the fundamental unit of the nervous system?
A) neuron
B) glia
C) axon
D) nuclei

Accepted Answer

The fundamental unit of the nervous system is the neuron, which is responsible for transmitting and processing information in the brain and throughout the body. Glia are supportive cells that help neurons function properly, but they are not the fundamental unit. Axons are part of a neuron and are responsible for transmitting electrical signals, but they are not the fundamental unit on their own. Nuclei are collections of neuron cell bodies in the brain, but again they do not represent the fundamental unit of the nervous system.

Question 4

According to your text, about how many neurons does the nervous system contain?
A) 1 billion
B) 10 billion
C) 100 billion
D) 1 trillion

Accepted Answer

The text states that the nervous system contains approximately 100 billion neurons.

Question 5

The nervous system contains not only neurons, but also other cells called ___________.
A) axons
B) glia
C) dendrites
D) myelin cells

Accepted Answer

The correct term for the other cells in the nervous system besides neurons is glia or neuroglia. Glia cells include several types of non-neuronal cells that provide support and protection for neurons. Axons and dendrites are both parts of neurons, and myelin cells are a type of glial cell that produce myelin, a substance that helps to insulate nerve fibers.

Question 6

Past researchers avoided analyzing the brain largely for technical reasons.

Accepted Answer

In the past, researchers did not have the technology and tools to properly analyze the brain, so they often focused on other areas of study.

Question 7

What technological advance allows scientists to study brain activity in healthy, awake humans?
A) neuroimaging
B) lesioning
C) autopsy
D) psychoanalysis

Accepted Answer

Neuroimaging allows scientists to study brain activity in healthy, awake humans using non-invasive techniques such as MRI, PET, and fMRI. Lesioning involves damaging a specific part of the brain to observe changes in behavior, but it is not typically used to study brain activity in healthy individuals. Autopsy involves examining the brain post-mortem and psychoanalysis is a therapeutic approach to treating mental illness, neither of which allow for the direct study of brain activity in awake individuals.

Question 8

Which of the following is not a part of the human nervous system?
A) astrocyte
B) astroglia
C) adrenal
D) microglia

Accepted Answer

The adrenal gland is not a part of the human nervous system. It is an endocrine gland that produces hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. The other choices (astrocyte, astroglia, microglia) are all types of glial cells that are present in the nervous system.

Question 9

Describe how messages enter and leave a neuron.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe how messages enter and leave a...

Question 10

What is the primary function of the oligodendroglia?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the primary function of the...

Question 11

Which of the following brain study techniques is CORRECTLY matched with a disadvantage?
A) examining cases of brain damage -- tells little about how brain systems work while in use
B) autopsy study - cannot be used to investigate the human brain
C) EEG - only provides a summary of activity over a large area of tissue
D) lesioning - may not reflect the activity of the intact brain

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following brain study techniques...

Question 12

An __________ measures brain wave activity from the surface of the scalp.

Accepted Answer

The answer of An __________ measures brain wave activity from...

Question 13

Astroglial cells provide neurons with important growth-promoting molecules called __________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Astroglial cells provide neurons with important growth-promoting...

Question 14

Which of the following brain study techniques cannot be used to investigate the human brain?
A) lesioning
B) EEGs
C) autopsy examination
D) the study of brain damage

Accepted Answer

Lesioning involves deliberately damaging specific areas of the brain, which is not ethically permissible in human studies.

Question 15

Which structures are especially important for communication between one neuron and another?
A) axons only
B) dendrites only
C) axons and dendrites
D) axons, dendrites, and glia

Accepted Answer

Both axons and dendrites are important for communication between neurons. Axons carry signals away from the cell body of the neuron, while dendrites receive signals from other neurons and carry them towards the cell body. Therefore, both axons and dendrites are necessary for the transmission of information between neurons. Glia cells, although important for supporting and protecting neurons, are not directly involved in communication between neurons.

Question 16

Approximately how many neurons are housed in the adult, human brain?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Approximately how many neurons are housed in...

Question 17

Which of the following is identified as a neuroimaging technique in your text?
A) autopsy study
B) EEGs
C) lesioning
D) PET

Accepted Answer

PET (positron emission tomography) is a neuroimaging technique that involves injecting a radioactive tracer into the bloodstream to visualize brain activity. Autopsy study is not a neuroimaging technique, but rather involves examining the brain after death. EEGs (electroencephalograms) measure electrical activity in the brain but do not provide images. Lesioning is a technique where specific areas of the brain are intentionally damaged to observe resulting behavior changes, but it does not involve any imaging.

Question 18

There are a greater number of neurons than glial cells in the human nervous system.

Accepted Answer

While the number of neurons in the human nervous system is high (approximately 86 billion), the number of glial cells is even higher (approximately 85-90% of all cells in the nervous system). Therefore, there are more glial cells than neurons in the human nervous system.

Question 19

Which of the following brain study techniques is CORRECTLY matched with a description?
A) EEG - detects uptake of certain molecules in the brain
B) EEG - detects changes in blood flow in the brain
C) PET - detects uptake of certain molecules in the brain
D) fMRI - records brain's electrical activity from the scalp

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following brain study techniques...

Question 20

The branch-like structures that extend away from the cell body to receive impulses from other neurons are called __________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The branch-like structures that extend away from...

Quiz 4: Neuroscience

The fundamental units of the nervous system are nerve cells, called ______

What type of scientists study brain functionality by investigating patients with brain damage?

What is the fundamental unit of the nervous system?

According to your text, about how many neurons does the nervous system contain?

The nervous system contains not only neurons, but also other cells called ___________.

Past researchers avoided analyzing the brain largely for technical reasons.

What technological advance allows scientists to study brain activity in healthy, awake humans?

Which of the following is not a part of the human nervous system?

Describe how messages enter and leave a neuron.

What is the primary function of the oligodendroglia?

Which of the following brain study techniques is CORRECTLY matched with a disadvantage?

An __________ measures brain wave activity from the surface of the scalp.

Astroglial cells provide neurons with important growth-promoting molecules called __________.

Which of the following brain study techniques cannot be used to investigate the human brain?

Which structures are especially important for communication between one neuron and another?

Approximately how many neurons are housed in the adult, human brain?

Which of the following is identified as a neuroimaging technique in your text?

There are a greater number of neurons than glial cells in the human nervous system.

Which of the following brain study techniques is CORRECTLY matched with a description?

The branch-like structures that extend away from the cell body to receive impulses from other neurons are called __________.