7, Biological Bases: The Brain and Nervous System Flashcards
physiological psychology
study of behavior as influenced by biology
EEG (electroencephalogram)
measures subtle changes in electrical brain activity through electrode on the head
CAT scan (computerized axial tomography scan)
Cross-sectional X-ray images stacked to make a 3D model
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
uses very powerful electromagnets and radio waves to generate 3D structural information about the brain
only one snapshot - does not model movement in the brain
Functional MRI (fMRI)
rapid sequencing of MRI scans, allows for MRI technology to see brain activity instead of just a snapshot
PET scan (positron emission tomography)
provides images via diffusion of radioactive glucose in the brain
more glucose present = more work being done in that part of the brain
central nervous system (CNS)
the brain and the spinal cord
peripheral nervous system (PNS)
all nerves in the body outside of brain and spinal cord
- Somatic nervous system
- Autonomic nervous system
somatic nervous system
controls voluntary movement of large skeletal muscles
autonomic nervous system
controls nonskeletal (smooth) muscles, such as the heart and digestive tract
- sympathetic nervous system
- parasympathetic nervous system
sympathetic nervous system
- associated with energy-burning processes
- responsible for fight-or-flight reaction
parasympathetic nervous system
- responsible for conserving energy
- counteracts the sympathetic nervous system when not needed anymore
fight-or-flight response
increase in heart rate and respiration, decreased digestion and salivation
hindbrain
- oldest part of brain evolutionarily
- cerebellum
- medulla oblongata
- reticular activating system (RAS)
- pons
cerebellum
controls muscle tone and balance
medulla oblongata
controls involuntary action
- breathing, digestion, heart rate, structural
- basic life functions
reticular activating system (RAS)
- controls wakefulness and alertness
- also called reticular formation
pons
- Latin for bridge
- passes neural information from one brain region to another
- involved in REM sleep
midbrain
main components are tectum and tegmentum
tectum
- roof of the brain
- governs visual and auditory reflexes along with tegmentum
tegmentum
- floor of the brain
- governs visual and auditory reflexes along with tegmentum
forebrain
- contains limbic system
- cerebral cortex
limbic system
- emotional center of the brain
- thalamus
- hippocampus
- amygdala
- hypothalamus
thalamus
- relays sensory information
- receives and directs sensory information from auditory and visual systems
hippocampus
- processes and integrates memories
anterograde amnesia
damage to hippocampus, does not invoke memory loss because memories are stored elsewhere, but prevents formation of new memories
amygdala
implicated in expression of anger, frustration, fear
hypothalamus
controls:
- temperature and water balance of the body
- hunger and sex drive
- activation of sympathetic nervous system and
endocrine system
divided into lateral and ventromedial hypothalami, the combination of which regulates eating behavior
lateral hypothalamus
the ‘on switch’ for eating
ventromedial hypothalamus
the ‘off switch’ for eating
cerebral cortex
wrinkled outer layer of the brain
- sensory and motor cortexes
- left and right cerebral hemispheres
- corpus callosum
- Broca’s area
- Wernicke’s area
- split-brain
- contralateral processing
- association areas
sensory cortex
receives sensory input
motor cortex
sends out motor information (movement)
left cerebral hemisphere
concerned with logic, language processing, control of right side of the body
right cerebral hemisphere
concerned with creativity, learning, controls left side of the body
corpus callosum
band of connective nerve fiber between the left and right cerebral hemispheres
Paul Broca
Broca’s area
