NEUROBIOLOGY UPDATED EXAM SCRIPT QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔dendrite - ✔✔Branch-like extension of the soma that receives incoming signals from
other neurons
✔✔depressants - ✔✔Drugs that decrease neuron firing
✔✔deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) - ✔✔A molecule made up of nucleotide base pairs
arranged in two strands that form a double helix
✔✔dopamine - ✔✔Neurotransmitter involved with motor control and motivation
✔✔electrocorticography (ECOG) - ✔✔Measures electrical potentials on and inside the
brain; provides fast signals and high resolution but is very invasive (requires open-brain
surgery)
✔✔electroencephalography (EEG) - ✔✔Records the electrical activity of the brain via
electrodes on the scalp
✔✔endocrine system - ✔✔Consists of a series of glands that produce chemical
substances known as hormones
✔✔endorphin - ✔✔Neurotransmitter involved with pain and emotion
✔✔epigenetics - ✔✔The study of gene-environment interactions, such as how the same
genotype leads to different phenotypes
✔✔equilibrium - ✔✔A state in which both sides are equal
✔✔evolutionary psychology - ✔✔Study of how universal patterns of behavior and
cognitive processes have evolved over time
✔✔excitatory neurotransmitter - ✔✔A neurotransmitter that increases the likelihood that
a neuron will have an action potential
✔✔fight or flight response - ✔✔Activation of the sympathetic division of the autonomic
nervous system, allowing access to energy reserves and heightened sensory capacity
so that we might fight off a given threat or run away to safety
✔✔fraternal twins - ✔✔Twins who develop from two different eggs fertilized by different
sperm; their genetic material varies as much as non-twin siblings
, ✔✔functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) - ✔✔A type of MRI that shows
changes in metabolic activity over time; measures oxygen-rich blood flow inside brain
✔✔gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) - ✔✔An all-purpose inhibitory neurotransmitter
✔✔gene - ✔✔Sequence of DNA that controls or partially controls physical
characteristics
✔✔genetic environmental correlation - ✔✔View of gene-environment interaction that
asserts that our genes affect our environment, and our environment influences the
expression of our genes
✔✔genotype - ✔✔The genetic makeup of an individual
✔✔glial cells - ✔✔A nervous system cell that provides physical and metabolic support to
neurons, including neuronal insulation and communication, and nutrient and waste
transport
✔✔glutamate - ✔✔An all-purpose excitatory neurotransmitter
✔✔gonad - ✔✔Secretes sexual hormones, which are important in reproduction;
mediates both sexual motivation and behavior
✔✔heterozygous - ✔✔Consisting of two different alleles
✔✔homozygous - ✔✔Consisting of two identical alleles
✔✔hormone - ✔✔Chemical messenger released by endocrine glands
✔✔identical twins - ✔✔Twins that develop from the same sperm and egg
✔✔inhibitory neurotransmitter - ✔✔A neurotransmitter that decreases the likelihood that
a neuron will have an action potential
✔✔ion pumps - ✔✔Doors in the cell membrane that maintain resting potential
✔✔ions - ✔✔Electrically charged particles; can be positive or negative
✔✔lesion studies - ✔✔A method of studying the brain by observing changes in behavior
that are associated with specific locations of brain damage
✔✔magnetoencephalography (MEG) - ✔✔A neuroimaging technique that involves
measuring, via the scalp, the magnetic fields produced by electric currents in the brain
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔dendrite - ✔✔Branch-like extension of the soma that receives incoming signals from
other neurons
✔✔depressants - ✔✔Drugs that decrease neuron firing
✔✔deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) - ✔✔A molecule made up of nucleotide base pairs
arranged in two strands that form a double helix
✔✔dopamine - ✔✔Neurotransmitter involved with motor control and motivation
✔✔electrocorticography (ECOG) - ✔✔Measures electrical potentials on and inside the
brain; provides fast signals and high resolution but is very invasive (requires open-brain
surgery)
✔✔electroencephalography (EEG) - ✔✔Records the electrical activity of the brain via
electrodes on the scalp
✔✔endocrine system - ✔✔Consists of a series of glands that produce chemical
substances known as hormones
✔✔endorphin - ✔✔Neurotransmitter involved with pain and emotion
✔✔epigenetics - ✔✔The study of gene-environment interactions, such as how the same
genotype leads to different phenotypes
✔✔equilibrium - ✔✔A state in which both sides are equal
✔✔evolutionary psychology - ✔✔Study of how universal patterns of behavior and
cognitive processes have evolved over time
✔✔excitatory neurotransmitter - ✔✔A neurotransmitter that increases the likelihood that
a neuron will have an action potential
✔✔fight or flight response - ✔✔Activation of the sympathetic division of the autonomic
nervous system, allowing access to energy reserves and heightened sensory capacity
so that we might fight off a given threat or run away to safety
✔✔fraternal twins - ✔✔Twins who develop from two different eggs fertilized by different
sperm; their genetic material varies as much as non-twin siblings
, ✔✔functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) - ✔✔A type of MRI that shows
changes in metabolic activity over time; measures oxygen-rich blood flow inside brain
✔✔gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) - ✔✔An all-purpose inhibitory neurotransmitter
✔✔gene - ✔✔Sequence of DNA that controls or partially controls physical
characteristics
✔✔genetic environmental correlation - ✔✔View of gene-environment interaction that
asserts that our genes affect our environment, and our environment influences the
expression of our genes
✔✔genotype - ✔✔The genetic makeup of an individual
✔✔glial cells - ✔✔A nervous system cell that provides physical and metabolic support to
neurons, including neuronal insulation and communication, and nutrient and waste
transport
✔✔glutamate - ✔✔An all-purpose excitatory neurotransmitter
✔✔gonad - ✔✔Secretes sexual hormones, which are important in reproduction;
mediates both sexual motivation and behavior
✔✔heterozygous - ✔✔Consisting of two different alleles
✔✔homozygous - ✔✔Consisting of two identical alleles
✔✔hormone - ✔✔Chemical messenger released by endocrine glands
✔✔identical twins - ✔✔Twins that develop from the same sperm and egg
✔✔inhibitory neurotransmitter - ✔✔A neurotransmitter that decreases the likelihood that
a neuron will have an action potential
✔✔ion pumps - ✔✔Doors in the cell membrane that maintain resting potential
✔✔ions - ✔✔Electrically charged particles; can be positive or negative
✔✔lesion studies - ✔✔A method of studying the brain by observing changes in behavior
that are associated with specific locations of brain damage
✔✔magnetoencephalography (MEG) - ✔✔A neuroimaging technique that involves
measuring, via the scalp, the magnetic fields produced by electric currents in the brain
