Neurobiology unit 3

• What is the process by which information is encoded and stored for later use?

  Memory
• What is the serial position effect?

  It is the tendency to remember the first and last items in a list better than the middle items.
• How can you improve the amount of information short-term memory can hold?

  By using chunking techniques.
• What are the three ways information can be maintained within short-term memory?

  • Rehearsal
  • Organization
  • Elaboration
• What are the two fates of a memory after short-term memory?

  It can either be transferred to long-term memory or discarded.
• True or false: A hypersensitivity is another word for an autoimmune condition?

  False
• What role do B cells play in the immune response?

  B cells cause cells to undergo apoptosis.
• What happens when an adjuvant is added to a vaccine?

  It increases the immune response.
• What is the purpose of a placebo in experiments?

  To reduce bias.
• How does a primary antibody response compare to a secondary response?

  A primary antibody response to a pathogen is less than a secondary response.
• Compare and contrast the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

  Similarities:

  • Both are part of the autonomic nervous system.
  • Both regulate involuntary bodily functions.

  
  

  Differences:

  • Sympathetic system speeds up heart rate and breathing, while parasympathetic slows them down.
  • Sympathetic system inhibits peristalsis and intestinal secretions, while parasympathetic promotes them.
• What is the role of the parasympathetic nervous system?

  It conserves energy and promotes rest and digestion.
• What type of nerve pathway increases sensitivity to excitatory or inhibitory signals?

  Converging neural pathways.
• What does localization of the brain mean?

  It refers to specific functions being associated with specific areas of the brain.
• What is the corpus callosum?

  A structure that connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres.
• How can we improve memory?

  By using techniques such as rehearsal, organization, and elaboration.
• What are the divisions of the nervous system?

  • Central Nervous System (CNS): Brain and spinal cord.
  • Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): Somatic and autonomic nervous systems.
• What does the central nervous system consist of?

  The brain and the spinal cord.
• What does the peripheral nervous system consist of?

  The somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.
• What does the somatic nervous system contain?

  Sensory and motor neurons.
• What do sensory neurons do?

  They take impulses from sense organs to the CNS.
• What do motor neurons do?

  They take impulses from the CNS to muscles and glands.
• What does the autonomic nervous system consist of?

  The sympathetic and parasympathetic systems.
• How do the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems work?

  They work antagonistically.
• What effect does the sympathetic system have on heart rate?

  It speeds up heart rate.
• What effect does the parasympathetic system have on peristalsis?

  It promotes peristalsis.
• What are the types of areas contained in the cerebral cortex?

  Sensory areas, motor areas, and association areas.
• What is the function of the cerebral cortex?

  It is the center of conscious thought and behavior alteration based on experience.
• What is the role of association areas in the cerebral cortex?

  They are involved in language processing, personality, imagination, and intelligence.
• What is sensory memory?

  It retains all visual and auditory input received for a few seconds.
• How does information from one side of the body get processed in the brain?

  It is processed in the opposite side of the cerebrum.