biological bases and behaviour Flashcards
what do dendrites do
receive information from other cells
what does the soma do
also know as cell body, contains genetic information and maintains the neuron’s structure
what does the axon do
carry electric impulses to communicate between the brain and rest of the body
what does the myelin sheath do
allows the electric impulses to transfer quickly along nerve cells
what do terminal buttons do
release neurotransmitters
what do agonists do
increase activity at receptor sites
what do antagonists do
decrease activity at receptor sites
what is acetylcholine
neurotransmitter that is important for movement and attention
what is dopamine
happy hormone and neurotransmitter that has control over movement
gives you a feeling of pleasure and motivation
what is norepinephrine
hormone and neurotransmitter that is for mood and arousal and attention
what is serotonin
sleepy hormone and neurotransmitter that is used for sleep, appetite and mood
people who are running but keep going even with injury is activating what?
endorphins
what is the peripheral nervous system
all the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord
being able to feel and move certain parts of the body
what is the somatic nervous system aslo known as
voluntary nervous system
sensation
what does efferent mean
signals exiting the brain
what does afferent mean
send signals back to the brain
what is the autonomic nervous system
*automatic
involuntary muscle movement and functioning
breathing (we don’t think to breathe)
keeps us going
what does the autonomic nervous system do
2 parts
parasympathetic: helps conserve energy, (relax)
sympathetic: opposite (response)
what is the central nervous system
the brain and spinal cord
contains cerebrospinal fluid and meninges to protect the brain
why is the spinal cord important
connects the brain to the rest of the body
what happens if there is spinal cord damage
paralysis or lack of sensation below point of injury
what does the cerebellum do
means little brain
fine muscle movement, balance
what is the first parts of your brain to decrease due to age
cerebellum
what does the medulla do
keeps you alive
blood circulation, breathing, muscle tone, reflexes
what does the pons do
sleep and arousal
sympathetic and parasympathetic are involved with pons
what part of the brain is associated with life, the important things we need but aren’t always consciously of
the hindbrain
dropping something and picking it up is using what part of the brain
the midbrain
what is the midbrain
part of the brainstem
dopamine release
reflexive behaviours
not much deep thought
what is in the forebrain
limbic system
cerebrum
thalamus
hypothalamus
what does the thalamus do
relay station for sensory information
integration of sensory information
T or F smell goes through the thalamus
False
what are the four Fs in the hypothalamus
Fighting
Fleeing
Feeding
Mating
what does the hypothalamus do
control of the autonomic nervous system
regulation of basic biological drives
what controls movement in the brain
basal ganglia
what does the basal glanglia do
movement, learning (associative learning)
when someone has Huntingtons disease where is the damage in the brain
the basal ganglia
what is the limbic system
contains the thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala
regulation of emotion, memory and motivation
what is the amygdala
basic emotional responses
fear and happiness
emotional learning
what is the hippocampus
formation and consolidation of memories
T or F memories are stored or retrieved from the hippocampus
False they’re made in the hippocampus
what is the cerebral cortex
outer layer of the cerebrum
learning, remembering, thinking and consciousness
what is the corpus callous and hemispheric specialization
communication between hemispheres
each hemisphere primary connected to opposite sides of the body
what is the left hemisphere
verbal processing, speech, reading, writing
what is the right hemisphere
nonverbal processing, tasks, music, visual recognition
T or F each hemisphere is primary responsible for the opposite side of the body
True
what is the occipital lobe
primary visual cortex
beginning of most visual processing
what does V1 do
received input from the thalamus
what does V2 do
processes, projects to other regions of occipital lobe
what does the dorsal stream do
guidance of movement
what does ventral stream do
objects perception
what is the parietal lobe
processes sensory information
touch and taste
what is the temporal lobe
primary auditory cortex
auditory processing
language comprehension
what is the frontal lobe
prefrontal cortex
thinking and memory
primary motor cortex
brocas area
what does the prefrontal cortex do
higher order functions
executive control
what is amnesia
onset: cased by head injury
retrograde: affecting old information first
anterograde: difficulty forming new memory (no issue recalling old ones)
where does consolidation occur
hippocampus
what is synaptic consolidation
structural changes (space between neutrons)
quick
what is systemic consolidation
hippocampus guides the reorganization of info but diminishes over time (then stored in cortex)
occurs during sleep
