The Brain and Nervous System

According to the text, what are the three main components of a neuron?

What is the primary function of the dendrites in a neuron?

What is the term for the long tail of a neuron that leads away from the cell body and transmits an electrical signal?

Approximately how many neurons are there in the human brain?

The Central Nervous System (CNS) is comprised of which two parts?

What is the function of the myelin sheath?

Despite making up only about 2 percent of our overall weight, the brain consumes what percentage of the total oxygen and calories we consume?

Which part of the brain is considered the 'oldest' part and is in charge of basic 'life support' functions like breathing and digestion?

What is the primary function of the cerebellum?

The thick bundle of neurons that connects the two cerebral hemispheres and allows them to communicate is called the:

The concept that the left side of the brain controls sensory and motor functions for the right side of the body, and vice versa, is known as being:

A split-brain patient is shown a car key in their left visual field. According to the text, what is the most likely outcome when they are asked what they saw?

Which lobe of the cerebral cortex is located at the back of the brain and houses the visual area?

The processing of sounds and smells primarily occurs in which lobe of the cerebral cortex?

Which lobe of the cerebral cortex processes touch and taste?

Highly complicated processes such as creative problem solving, planning, and organization occur in which lobe of the cerebral cortex?

The 'motor strip,' which is in charge of voluntary movements, is located in which lobe?

The Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) carries signals for which types of actions?

How did the surgeon Paul Broca identify the function of what is now called 'Broca's Area'?

Which neuroimaging technique records metabolic activity by detecting radioactive substances injected into the bloodstream?

Both PET and fMRI scans are described as having poor temporal resolution. What does this mean?

Which neuroimaging technique has better temporal resolution but poor spatial resolution because it measures electrical activity from the scalp?

What is the function of the limbic system?

According to the text, what is the chemical part of the electro-chemical signal that travels from one neuron to another?

By what day of gestation are the spinal cord, hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain all visibly distinct in a developing human?

Neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine are associated with which functions, respectively?

The cerebrum, also called the cerebral cortex, is described as the 'newest' part of the brain and is in charge of what types of processes?

Which neuroimaging technique works by shining infrared light into the brain and measuring how the light properties change?

The main difference in brain development between humans and other animals, as mentioned in the text, is that humans have a much more developed:

The portion of the nervous system that is encased in bone is known as the:

What term refers to the space between two neurons where chemical communication occurs?

In a split-brain patient, if they see a car key with their right visual field, why can they say 'I see a car key'?

How much dedicated brain space on the motor strip is required for the lips compared to other body parts?

The term for the electrical part of the signal that shoots down the axon is called:

What is the key difference between the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)?

Which part of the brain is associated with higher, less primal functions like planning and self-awareness, and is more developed in humans than in animals like rats?

What does a Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scan measure to infer brain activity?

Which of the following is NOT listed as a structure within the limbic system?

The term 'soma' refers to what part of a neuron?

Broca's Area, implicated in language production, is located in which part of the brain?

Anatomists and neuroscientists often divide the brain into which three basic portions?

EEG is known to have poor spatial resolution. What does this mean?

The cerebrum is made up of two cerebral hemispheres that are in charge of processes associated with:

What does it mean that the nervous system communicates using an 'electro-chemical signal'?

The Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) is divided into which two major subsystems in the provided diagram?

According to the text, the Autonomic Nervous System is responsible for:

Which part of the brain did Aristotle refer to as the 'small brain'?

When people talk about 'nerves' in the nervous system, what does this typically refer to?

The text mentions that a key advantage of modern neuroimaging techniques over early methods is that:

The text compares the thickness of a synaptic gap to what common object to give a sense of scale?