AP PSYCH UNIT 3 BIOLOGICAL BASES OF BEHAVIOR Flashcards
what part of the nerve cell is implicated in the disease MS
Myelin sheath
what are nerves
A bundle of axons outside the central nervous system. enclosed in a sheath of connective tissue to form a cordlike structure
What is the term for the cell’s resting state
Resting potential
What is threshold
The lowest point at which a particular stimulus will cause a response in a organism
Explain action potential in general terms
A rapid sequence of changes in the voltage across the membrane (rises and falls)
How is neural transmission an all or none response
This depends on if the stimulus input is strong enough to reach the threshold (the strength of a threshold won’t respond if thresholds are not met)
Explain how nerve cells transmit information between cells
Electrical signals are converted into chemical signals conveyed by small messenger molecules call neurotransmitters
What is the synapse
The junction between two neurons (gap) between
What is the role of neurotransmitters
They have an important role in boosting and balancing signals in the brain (keeps the brain functioning)
What happens to neurotransmitters after they are finished doing their job
They have two fates. destruction or reuptake.
Acetylcholine
Critical to motor movement (muscle contractions in the heart) learning and memory
Deficits - Alzheimer’s
Endorphins
Pain control. stress reduction. feelings of pleasure, natural opiates
Deficits- addiction
Ephinephrine
Metabolism, attention, focus, panic. and excitement
Deficits- Anxiety. hypoglycemia
Serotonin
Mood regulation. hunger. sleep. arousal. pain sensitivity
Deficits- Depression and OCD
Dopamine
Stimulates hypothalamus. motor Movement, Alertness. attention. Rewards
Deficits- Parkinson’s. schizophrenia
How do drugs affect neurotransmissions? What parts of the brain contribute to our craving for drugs?
Drugs interfere with the way neurons send, receive, and process signals. The part of the brain that causes addiction is dopamine
Motor neurons (efferent neurons)
Neurons carry impulse’s away from the Cns effectors such as muscles or glands
[away from the central point] {Efferent Exits}
Sensory neurons (afferent neurons)
Carries nerve impulses From receptors or sense organs toward the nervous system
[Towards the central point] {Afferent Arrives}
Interneurons
Relay connector association or local circuits neuron (sends back to your muscles) forms a connection between other neurons
What are the two major divisions of the nervous systems
The central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system
In the peripheral nervous system. what is the somatic NS responsible for? What is the autonomic NS responsible for?
-Somatic NS—- Voluntary movement ( moving muscles throughout the body)
-Autonomic NS—- Involuntary responses (your breathing heart. the widening or narrowing of the blood vessels
what phycological changes occur in the body during a stress response
Behavior changes, depression, insomnia, anti-socialness, and a hard time controlling emotions
Explain the function of the sympathetic and parasympathetic NS and explain how they are complimentary
The sympathetic system controls the “Flight or flight” response
The parasympathetic controls the “rest and digest” response
Complements each other by being opposites , work together to balance the body
What are reflexes and where are they located
Reflexes- Involuntary activity arising from an afferent input and a subsequent efferent response. located in the spinal chord
What are neural networks and how do they form
Groups of interconnected neurons, As we learn, the networks form and strengthens
What are hormones
Chemical messengers released from endocrine glands, that effect the behavior of the individual