Download Unit 2 The Brain

Partner Activity
• With a partner answer each practice AP
question to the best of your ability. (no book,
no notes, and no phone).
Question 1
• The basic building block of the nervous system
is the:
– A. Neurotransmitter
– B. Brain
– C. Synapse
– D. Neuron
– E. Dendrite
Answer
• D. Neuron
– There are three types of neurons you need to
know for the test.
• Sensory
• Interneurons
• Motor
Question 2
• The process of a neuron firing is called?
– A. Action Potential
– B. Inhibitory Potential
– C. Excitatory Potential
– D. Graded Potential
– E. Neuron Potential
Answer
• A. Action potential
Question 3
• The chemical messengers that cross synapse
to “send a message” from one neuron to the
next are called?
– A. Action potentials
– B. Hormones
– C. Neurotransmitters
– D. Genes
– E. Chromosomes
Answer
• C. Neurotransmitters
Question 4
• An individual is having trouble with cognitive
tasks related to learning and memory. Which
of the following neurotransmitters is most
likely to be involved with the problem?
– A. Acetylcholine
– B. Dopamine
– C. Serotonin
– D. Endorphins
– E. GABA
Answer
• A. Acetylcholine
Question 5
• If an axon of a neuron is covered with myelin,
which of the following is TRUE?
– A. the action potential will move much slower
down the axon
– B. The action potential will move much faster
down the axon
– C. The neuron must be a sensory neuron
– D. The threshold of excitation will increase
– E. the threshold of excitation will decrease
Answer
• B. the action potential will move much faster
down the axon
– To get this question right you must know what the
myelin sheath does.
Question 6
• The part of the neuron that receives
information from neighboring cells is called
the:
– A. membrane
– B. axon
– C. Vesicles
– D. Nucleus
– E. Dendrites
Answer
• E. Dendrites
– The dendrites are the branches of the neuron that
bring in information.
Question 7
• The part of the neuron that sends information
to neighboring cells is called the:
– A. Membrane
– B. Terminal Buttons
– C. Vesicles
– D. Nucleus
– E. Dendrites
Answer
• B. Terminal Buttons
Question 8
• Which is the correct path that the action
potential moves across the neuron?
– A. Axon-Cell Body-Dendrite
– B. Dendrite – Axon – Cell Body
– C. Cell Body – Axon – Dendrite
– D. Dendrite – Cell Body – Axon
– E. Axon – Dendrite - Axon
Answer
• D. Dendrite – Cell Body – Axon
Question 9
• Of the following, which are located exclusively
in the central nervous system?
– A. Motor Neurons
– B. Interneurons
– C. Sensory Neurons
– D. Glial Cells
– E. Thyroid
Answer
• B. Interneurons
– The central nervous system makes up the spinal
cord and the brain. Interneurons are only found in
the brain.
Question 10
• Loss of the ability of the brain to produce
adequate levels of dopamine often leads to:
– A. Aphasia
– B. Alzheimer’s Disease
– C. Parkinson’s Disease
– D. Bipolar Disorder
– E. Amnesia
Answer
• C. Parkinson’s Disease
– Lack of dopamine is going to impact your motion
control.
History of Neuroscience
• Earliest accounts of human interaction with
the brain go back to Ancient Egypt. Was
regarded as a “cranial stuffing.”
• By the Renaissance thinkers of the time period
began to try and determine the function of
the brain.
• Early 1800’s in England and America focused
on head shape and intelligence.
• Brainstem
– Oldest part of the brain. Responsible for automatic
functions.
• Cerebellum
– “little brain” responsible for processing sensory input
and coordinating movement and balance.
• Limbic System
– Doughnut- shaped neural system. Associated with
emotions and drives.
• Cerebral Cortex
– The lobes of the brain. The ultimate control center for
the brain.
The Brainstem
Brainstem Functions
• Medulla
– Base of the brainstem, controls heartbeat and
breathing.
• Pons
– Helps to coordinate movement.
• Reticular formation
– Nerve network plays an important role in arousal.
• Thalamus
– Sensory switchboard. Directs messages to the sensory
receiving areas of the cortex.
Cerebellum
Functions of the Cerebellum
• Helps us judge time
• Regulates emotions
• Discriminates sounds and textures
• Coordinates voluntary movement
Limbic System
Functions of the Limbic System
• Amygdala
– Linked to emotion and long term memory.
• Hypothalamus
– Directs maintenance activities, eating and drinking
and controls the endocrine system through the
pituitary gland.
• Hippocampus
– Linked to processing memories (long term
memory)
The Cerebral Cortex
Functions of the Cerebral Cortex
• Frontal Lobe
– Working brain. Responsible for speaking, muscle movements and
judgments.
– Motor Cortex: Area in the frontal lobes that controls voluntary
movement.
• Parietal Lobe
– Responsible for processing sensory input for touch and body
position.
– Sensory Cortex: area that registers and processes body touch and
movement.
• Occipital Lobe
– Responsible for processing visual sensory information.
• Temporal Lobe
– Responsible for processing sound.
• Glial Cells
– Cells that protect neurons.
Functions of Broca’s and Wernicke’s
Areas
• Broca’s Area:
– Controls language expression. Usually in the left
frontal lope.
• Wernicke’s Area:
– Controls language comprehension. Usually in the
left temporal lobe.
Brain Challenge
Parts of the Brain and Function
• List the functions for as many parts of the brain as you can: (No notes)
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Frontal lobe
Parietal Lobe
Occipital Lobe
Temporal Lobe
Cerebellum
Reticular Formation
Amygdala
Pons
Medulla
Hypothalamus
Hippocampus