Biological Bases of Behavior Flashcards
dendrites
rootlike parts of the cell that stretch out from cell body. They grow to make synpatic connections with other neurons.
cell body
contains the nucleus to sustain life
axon
wirelike structure in the terminal buttons that extends from the cell body
myelin sheath
fatty covering around axon of some neurons that speeds neural impulses
terminal buttons
branched end of axon that contains neurotransmitters
neurotransmitters
chemicals contained in terminal buttons that enable neurons to communicate. They fit onto receptor sites of dendrites on neurons like “a key fits onto a lock”.
How does a neuron fire?
The neuron has an overall slightly negative charge and positive charge in the nucleus. The terminal buttons release neurotransmitters and fit onto another cell’s dendrites. If enough neurotransmitters are received, then the cell membrane becomes permeable and positive ions rush into the cell (action potential).
all-or-none principle
a neuron either fires completely or it does not fire at all
sensory neurons
take information from senses to the brain
interneurons
take information from brain to motor neurons
motor neurons
take information from brain to rest of body
central nervous system
composes of spinal cord and brain, and all of the nerves within the bone
peripheral nervous system
consists of all the other nerves in your body and is composed of the somatic and autonomic nervous system
somatic nervous system
voluntary movements
autonomic nervous system
automatic functions of body; heart, lungs, organs, etc. It is composed of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
sympathetic nervous system
responds to stress; alert system of body. It accelerates functions such as heart rate, blood pressure and respiration
parasympathetic nervous system
calms down body after stress response to normal state
lesioning
removal or destruction of part of brain; for example, may be useful for removal of tumor. Often changes behavior.
Who is Phineas Gage and what happened?
Gage damaged his front part of his brain, and his behavior and personality changed completely after the accident.
EEG
sends brain waves; good for determining states of consciousness
CAT Scan
sophisticated X-ray that is a three-dimensional picture of brain’s structure.
MRI
takes detailed images of brain to indicate structure of brain
PET Scan
measures how much of a certain chemical parts of the brain are using to show function
fMRI
combines MRI and PET scans to show function and structure
hindbrain
consists of top part of spinal cord. This is our life support system; controls basic biological functions to keep us alive. Consists of medulla, pons, and cerebellum.
medulla
controls blood pressure, heart rate and breathing.
pons
involved in facial expressions
cerebellum
coordinates habitual muscle movements
midbrain
coordinates simple movements with sensory information; contains reticular formation
forebrain
controls thought and reason; also includes thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus (limbic system)
thalamus
receives sensory signals from spinal cord and sends them to rest of forebrain
hypothalamus
controls metabolic functions, such as body temperature, sexual arousal (libido), hunger, thirst and endocrine system
amygdala
vital for emotions
hippocampus
memories are encoded here for permanent storage
cerebral cortex
gray, wrinkled surface that has densely packed neurons. It increases available surface area, hence why it is wrinkled
contralateral control
right hemisphere gets sensory messages and controls motor function of left half of body; and vice versa
brain lateralization/hemispheric specialization
the left hemisphere controls logic and sequential tasks, and the right hemisphere preforms spatial and creative tasks.
association area
located in the cerebral cortex; controls muscle movements and human thoughts and behaviors
prefrontal cortex
in the frontal lobe; plays a critical role for foreseeing consequences, pursuing goals, and maintaining emotional control
Broca’s area
in the frontal lobe; responsible for controlling muscles involved in speech
Wernicke’s area
in temporal lobe; responsible for language development and comprehension of speech
motor cortex
in frontal lobe; controls voluntary movements in feet and toes
parietal lobes
contains sensory cortex, which receives incoming touch sensations. Located behind frontal lobe.
occipital lobes
located at very back of brain; contains visual cortex
temporal lobes
process sound from our ears; contains Wernicke’s area
adrenal glands
produce adrenaline, which signals rest of body to prepare for flight or fight. Involved in autonomic nervous system
reticular formation
regulates sleep-wake cycle and filters incoming stimuli to discover what is important
Acetylcholine
Involved with motor movement; lack of ACh is associated with Alzheimer’s disease
Dopamine
Involved with motor movement and alertness; lack of dopamine is associated with Parkinson’s disease and overabundance of dopamine is associated with schizophrenia
Endorphins
function is pain control; involved with addictions
Serotonin
involved with mood control; lack of serotonin is associated with clinical depression
