The Brain
Which part of the brain is responsible for balance, coordination, and helping control voluntary movement?
Cerebellum
What two major structures make up the central nervous system?
Brain and spinal cord
What is the basic building block of the nervous system?
Neuron
What are the chemical messengers released by endocrine glands called?
Hormones
You walk into a room wearing a strong perfume. After several minutes, you barely notice the smell anymore. What concept explains this?
Sensory Adaptation
Which brain structure acts as a major relay station, sorting and sending sensory information to the appropriate areas of the brain?
Thalamus
What is the main communication role of the spinal cord?
It carries information between the brain and the rest of the body
Which part of a neuron receives information from other neurons?
Dendrites
Which gland is often called the "master gland"?
Pituitary gland
You practice a new skill repeatedly and gradually become better at it. What brain concept helps explain this?
Neuroplasticity
Which part of the brainstem helps control breathing, movement, walking, sleeping, and dreaming?
Pons
Which part of the brain helps control automatic functions such as breathing and heartbeat?
Medulla
Which part of a neuron carries the neural message away from the cell body?
Axon
Which hormone produced by the pineal gland helps regulate the sleep cycle?
Melatonin
A person suddenly loses the ability to move the right side of their body after a brain injury. Which hemisphere of the brain is most likely damaged, and why?
The left hemisphere, because each hemisphere generally controls movement on the opposite side of the body.
The brainstem, midbrain, and forebrain each have different roles. Which part contains the limbic system, and name two structures found within it.
Forebrain; examples include the amygdala, hypothalamus, thalamus, and hippocampus.
Someone suffers damage to their spinal cord. They can still think and remember normally, but they have difficulty receiving information from and sending commands to parts of their body. Why might this happen?
The spinal cord carries messages between the brain and the rest of the body, so damage can interrupt that communication.
A neuron receives a very weak signal and then a much stronger signal. If both signals reach the threshold, how will the two action potentials compare? Explain using the all-or-nothing principle.
They will be the same size because once a neuron reaches its threshold, it fires a full action potential. A stronger stimulus does not create a stronger action potential.
Imagine you are about to give a speech in front of the entire school. Your heart rate increases, you become more alert, and your body prepares for stress. Which endocrine glands are especially important in this response, and why?
The adrenal glands, because they release hormones involved in arousal and the body's stress response
Imagine you could remove one of these from the human body: the hippocampus, cerebellum, or medulla. Which loss would create the most immediate danger to survival? Defend your answer using what each structure does.
The medulla, because it helps control automatic functions such as breathing and heartbeat. Damage to the hippocampus or cerebellum could seriously affect functioning, but would not be as immediately necessary for basic survival.
A person experiences problems with memory, emotional responses, and regulating basic body functions after a brain injury. Which three limbic system structures could be involved, and what does each one normally do?
Hippocampus—memory; amygdala—emotion/fear; hypothalamus—regulates internal body functions such as hunger, temperature, and other basic needs.
A person touches something extremely hot and immediately pulls their hand away before consciously thinking about it. Explain how the nervous system can produce such a fast response
The spinal cord can process a reflex response without waiting for the brain to consciously process the information first, allowing the body to react quickly.
Explain how nuerons communicate to/with other neurons.
The information reaches the terminal buttons, causing neurotransmitters to be released. The neurotransmitters cross the synapse and bind to receptors on the next neuron.
The nervous system can communicate very quickly, while hormones often have effects that last longer. Why would it be useful for the human body to have both systems instead of relying on only one?
The nervous system allows for fast, targeted communication, while the endocrine system can produce slower, longer-lasting effects throughout the body. Together, they allow the body to respond quickly while also maintaining longer-term changes.
A student says, "The brain controls everything, so the endocrine system isn't really necessary." Use at least two examples from biopsychology to explain why this statement is incorrect.
The endocrine system releases hormones that influence functions such as sleep, growth, metabolism, stress, mood, and reproduction. The brain and endocrine system also work together to regulate the body's responses and behavior.