Biological Basis of Behavior Flashcards
The Central Nervous System (CNS) is made up of:
The brain and spinal cord
The spinal cord has ____ major divisions with ____ total segments
4, 30
Name the 4 segments of the spinal cord
cervical (C1 - C8)
thoracic (T1 - T12)
lumbar (L1 - L5)
sacral (S1 - S5)
What extends down into the
longitudinal fissure separating the two hemispheres of the brain? What is it made of?
Falx Cerebri
Dura Matter
What is the order of the cranial meninges after the skull?
Dura matter, [subdural space] Arachnoid matter, [subarachnoid space], pia matter,
What maintains the brain’s neutral buoyancy in the cranial vault and plays an
important role in protection from infection and regulation of cerebral blood flow? It is flows through ventricles as well.
Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF)
What are the FOLDS and GROOVES called that make up the grey matter of the cerebrum?
GYRI and FISSURES
What lobe is the largest of the four
lobes, governs output, and is considered the seat of higher cortical and cognitive functioning?
Frontal Lobe
Describe the primary motor cortex
Damage here –> motor learning deficits
What region is dedicated to the initiation and execution of limb movements in conjunction with
input from other cortical regions?
Premotor Cortex
Where are mirror neurons found? What do they do; what diagnosis are they indicated in?
Premotor cortex, empathy and imitation, Autism Spectrum Disorder
Which parts of the brain are associated with higher-level cognitive functions also known as the executive functions, which includes reasoning, planning, and judgment.
Prefrontal and orbitofrontal regions.
Inhibitory control is associate with what Brain Region? Damage here is implicated in what 2 diagnoses?
Prefrontal (and orbitofrontal). ADHD and SZ.
Phineas Gage is a famous case of damage to which are of the brain?
Prefrontal region; frontal lobe impairment
What area is particularly dedicated to the fluent
production of oral and written speech, as well as grammar and comprehension of
syntax?
Broca’s area in frontal lobe.
What is Broca’s Aphasia?
an acquired disorder in language expression
Where is the site of primary auditory processing, where conscious perception of sound
takes place?
Temporal Lobe
What happens in and what area is located in the auditory association cortex?
further processing of sound and meaning;
Weirnicke’s area
What is Weirnicke’s Aphasia?
a disorder of comprehending language (and of meaningful language expression) –> Temporal lobe, WORD SALAD
Where does somatosensory processing such as “somatotopic” detection of touch, pressure, pain, and temperature take place?
Parietal Lobe
Parietal lobes
process visual information along dorsal and ventral pathways from the occipital
lobes to:
coordinate movements and behaviors with the environment
Hemisensory loss and hemispatial neglect can happen if damage is happened in which lobe?
Parietal
Primary visual processing is phototopic in nature, receiving its stimuli
from the retina and optic nerve by way of the lateral geniculate nucleus of the
thalamus. Where does this occur?
Occipital Lobe
Lesions in the Occipital Lobe could lead to:
cortical blindness, deficits in color perception, deficits in perceiving movement/orientation.
The Hippocampus is part of the ____ system and plays a large role in _______
lymbic; memory formation such as transport to long term storage
patient HM and Clive Wearing had memory impairments due to lesions in the
hippocampus
The amygdala is part of the ______ system and the ________________ response.
lymbic; fight-or-flight
Which brain structure is responsible for olfactory stimuli and emotional processing?
Amygdala; associate with fear memories and thus PTSD
What structure performs the critical relay functions between the cortex and the brain stem?
Thalamus; located between cortex and brainstem
Lesions in the _______________________ effect
the coordination and rhythm of movement. These syndromes are referred to as
“extrapyramidal syndromes.” For example, slow movements (i.e., bradykinesia) or
excessive muscle rigidity result from __________dysfunction. Movement disorders
such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Huntington’s disease occur d/t problems here.
Basal Ganglia
caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, subthalamic nucleus, and
substantia nigra.are all major areas in what subcortical brain region?
Basal Ganglia
What is comprised of the medulla (oblongata), pons, and midbrain?
the brain stem
The brain stem is responsible for _________; the reticular formation is responsible for _______________.
homeostasis (heart rate, temp, etc.).;
alertness, consciousness, and pain
The _________ is involved in regulation of movement, including automatic and rhythmic movements,
coordination of the limbs, and postural control and balance. Studies have also associated the
_________ with cognitive functions such as learning and attention.
Cerebellum
The cerebellum is indicated in ___________.
multiple sclerosis
_______ is made up of the nerves that go to and from the brain and Spinal Cord.
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
The PNS is broken down into the _____ and the ________.
Somatic (voluntary movements) and Autonomic Nervous Systems (involuntary movements/actions)
The Autonomic Nervous System is broken down into the ________ and _________.
Sympathetic (mobilizing system; fight or flight) and parasympathetic (energy conserving system; rest and digest) nervous systems.
Describe the following:
Quadrapalegia
Parapalegia
Paresis
All 4 limbs are paralyzed (C1-C5 severed)
Only legs are paralyzed (C6-C7)
Muscle weakness (no full paralysation)
The two hemispheres of the brain are connected by the _________.
Corpus Callosum
Describe the Left Hemisphere
Dominant in 97% of people; control over language and logic, most right-handed people, positive emotions, damage = language or motor movement difficulties (aphasias, apraxias) undue negative emotions
Describe the Right Hemisphere
Perceptual, visio-spactial, musical, artistic, positive emotions.
Damage here = hemineglect, agnosias (inability to interpret sensations) like with music or prosopagnoisa (facial blindness), undue negative emotions.
Gerstmann’s Syndrome
Damage to left parietal lobe: right-left confusion, finger agnosia, acalcula, agraphia
Study with split-brain patients found that:
the information from the right side is still processed by the left, and vice-versa, however the brain can’t communicate with both sides so can only partially answer questions. (e.g., language in left hemi; HEART experiment)
_________________ is associated with the endocrine and ANS and plays a large role in homeostasis.
Hypothalamus; fever, feeding, fighting, falling asleep, fucking
where is the Suprachiasmic Nucleus (SCN) located and what is it?
In the hypothalamus; circadian rhythms (sleep/wake)
Kluver-Bucy syndrome
removal of amygdala, results in placidity, apathy, hypersexuality, and hyperphagia
Describe the Septum
decreases aggression (works in opposition to Amygdala); damage = Septal Rage Syndrome
2 psychological disorders related to Basal Ganglia damage are:
Tourette’s and OCD
The cerebellum is _______ while the basal ganglia is _______.
excitatory; inhibitory
Ataxia (lack of coordination of voluntary movements) is the hallmark disease of what brain area?
Cerebellum
This neurotransmitter is a catecholamine, found in SNS and CNS and has to do with mood, memory, hormones, and feeling pleasure (primarily excitatory).
Norepinephrine.
This neurotransmitter is a catecholamine and is excitatory and inhibitory. Involved in reward-learning and mood. Overactivity –> SZ; underactivity –> ADHD.
Dopamine.
This neurotransmitter is a biogenic amine, primarily inhibitory. Low levels are associate with depression, OCD, and anxiety disorders.
Serotonin.
This neurotransmitter is a biogenic amine and is involved in parasympathetic nervous system and ANS, associated with movement. Degradation of this –> Huntington’s.
Acetylcholine.
This neurotransmitter is an amino acid and is inhibitory. Low levels lead to increased anxiety and high levels lead to reduced anxiety. There are deficits of this in Epilepsy.
GABA
This neurotransmitter is an amino acid and is primary excitatory transmitter. It is involved in learning and memory; excessive amounts of this lead to cell death. It is also the most common neurotransmitter.
Glutamate
______________________ describes the biochemical and physiological effects of
drugs on the body.
Pharmacodynamics
describes how the body handles the drug
through absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination. Absorption is the
process through which drugs reach the bloodstream.
Pharmacokinetics
A ________________ is defined by the range of a drug dose that can result in
desired clinical efficacy without resulting in unsafe side effects. For example, if a
drug has a narrow ________, then there is only a small range of dosages
that can result in the desired benefit before it becomes unsafe. A _______________
is the ratio of the amount of drug that causes the desired benefit to the amount of
the drug that produces dangerous side effects. It is more desirable for a drug to
have a high ___________, as it is a measure of drug safety.
Therapeutic Window;
Therapeutic index
_________ is an example of a nonbenzodiazepine anxiolytic.
Buspirone
Buspar
___________ act through the CNS and cause muscle relaxation as well
as sedative, anxiolytic, and anticonvulsant effects. They enhance the action of
_______ and block the rapid release of
stress hormones associated with anxiety and panic. These medications are rapidly
and completely absorbed after oral administration and
Benzodiazapines;
GABA
The “_________________”
of depression dates back to the 1960s and postulates that depression is caused
by abnormal functioning of these neurotransmitters.
monoamine hypothesis;
Dopamine, Seratonin, Norepinepherine
What type of medication is characterized by being absorbed through the small intestine, increases reuptake of NE and 5-HT, and side effects like hypotension, cardiac difficulties?
Tricyclic antidepressants
e.g., Elavil, imipramine (Tofranil), desparimine (Norpramin)
What type of medication has serious drug-drug / drug-food interactions, can create a hypertensive crisis, and works on the monoamine transporters?
MAOI’s.
phenelzine (Nardil), tranylcyromine (Parnate).
bupropion/Wellbutrin is what type of antidepressant?
NDRI; NE and DA reuptake inhibitor
vanlafaxine (Effexor) is what kind of antidepressant?
SNRI; SE and DE reuptake inhibitors
Name the common SSRI meds and common side effects.
fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), setraline (Zoloft), citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoaxamine (Luvox).
GI issues, sexual dysfxn, sleep difficulties; psychomotor agitation
Extrapyramidal symptoms are side-effects of what type of medication? What are the symptoms?
Conventional, typical, or first gen antipscyhotics (Haldol, mellaril, Thorazine, Prolixin, Stelazine, Navene).
Parkinsonian sx, akathisia (restless movements and anxiety), dystonia (muscle spasms in face), tardive dyskinesia, neuroleptic malignant syndrome (catatonia, stupor).
What type of medication has side effects such as weight gain, dislipidemia, and diabetes. One of the most effective brands also has a side effect of Fatal agranulocytosis.
Atypical (2nd gen) antipsychotics.
Clozaril, Risperidone, Abilify, Geodon, Invega, Seroquel, Saphris, Fanapt, Zyprexa
What type of medication has the following side-effects? nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, thirst,
excessive urination, weight gain, and hand tremor. A reversible increase in white
blood cell count frequently occurs. Chronic use side effects
include hypothyroidism, goiter, and rarely, kidney damage. Toxicity may result in
lethargy, ataxia, slurred speech, shock, delirium, coma, or even death.
Lithium, a mood stabilizer.
Anticonvulsants can also be used as a mood stabilizer (Depakote, Lamictal, Topamax, Tegretal).
Lithium works on _________________ while anticonvulsants work on _______________.
NE and 5-HT;
GABA
Stevens–Johnson syndrome
potentially fatal rash from anticonvulsant meds (lamictal).
Describe Opiates:
Narcotic analgesic for pain and sometimes anxiety, can have euphoric effects. Withdrawal is usually sweating, vomitting, diarrhea, delirium, cramps, pain.
Opium, codeine, morphine, heroin, percodan dilauded
What type of medication increased prefrontal cortex levels of NE and DA?
Psychostimulants (Adderall, Riddalin, Vyvanse, Concerta, provigil).
CT scans use _________ and are helpful for identifying _______________.
X-rays (sometimes contrast), density of areas. They are in grey scale: denser areas are lighter in color (bone is white). Grey matter appears lighter than white matter
MRI’s use ___________ and are helpful for identifying _______________.
Magnets and show intensity, or brightness of signal. Brighter the color the more intense the area. helpful to detect smaller lesions, tumors…more detail but more expensive.
_____________ is used to assess language functioning areas of the brain prior to surgery.
Wada test
___________________ is used to visualize lesions of blood vessels through the use
of radiographs and injection of contrast material into the vasculature. It is the
gold standard for evaluating vascular diseases in head, neck, and spine.
Neuroangiography
_______________________uses small electrical signals across the brain to identify widespread abnormalities in brain function.
Electroencephalography (EEG)
______________________ uses injected radioactive material. It is useful for mapping the distribution of
neurotransmitters and identifying brain dysfunction due to stroke, epilepsy, tumor,
dementia, and other brain-impairing conditions.
Positron emission tomography (PET)
___________ detects blood oxygenation. It can be used to measure the brain’s real-time response
to motor activities or neuropsychological tests.
fMRI
In Transcortical sensory and motor aphasias, patients can __________________ unlike in Broca’s and Weirnicke’s aphasia.
repeat what others say.
_______________ is an acquired inability to read.
Alexia (dyslexia is a developmental disorder).
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ may affect a variety of components of writing, including spelling, grammar, letter formation, or visuospatial errors (e.g., poor spacing or orientation of letters)
Agraphia
______________ is an acquired disorder of skilled, purposeful movement that is not due to
a primary motor or sensory impairment such as paresis or paralysis. For example, a
person may not be able to demonstrate how to brush his or her hair or wave goodbye
on command.
Apraxia
________ is an umbrella term that refers to a decline in two or more areas of
cognitive functioning resulting in significant impairments in activities of daily
living. It is not part of the typical aging process. The new DSM-5 name is ________.
Dementia; neurocognitive disorder.
About ____% of people 65+ have Alzheimer’s disease; about ______% of those 85+ have AD.
10; 50
___________________ “cortical dementia” because it primarily results in neuronal
loss and atrophy of the cerebral cortex, namely, the medial temporal areas, including
the amygdala, hippocampal formation, and entorhinal cortex.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Current medications used to treat AD, such as cholinesterase inhibitors, prevent
the breakdown of _________. These medications include galantamine, rivastigmine
(Exelon), and donepezil (Aricept).
Acetylcholine
memantine (Namenda) works by regulating
_______, which, in excess, can lead to cell death. These medications typically
slow the progression of AD, rather than restore previously lost cognitive functions.
Side effects include dizziness, headache, and constipation (Stahl, 2011).
Glutamate
Sophisticated imaging and biomarker techniques, such as ____ and ____ assays, are
also being developed to identify the pathological hallmarks of AD.
PET, CSF
__________ is a rare form of cortical dementia that is caused by degeneration
of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain; characterized by personality changes such as behavioral disinhibition, which
often occur early in the course of the disease, as well as executive dysfunction
and language abnormalities.
Pick’s disease
Lewy bodies are often
present in the substantia nigra (in the basal ganglia) in what disorder?
Parkinson’s disease
____________________ is a movement disorder and
is caused by a degenerative loss of neurons in the basal ganglia, particularly the
caudate nucleus. Neurotransmitters such as GABA and NE, which normally inhibit
the DA pathways, die during the course of the disease, thus creating a hyperactive
DA system. It is a autosomal dominant genetic disorder affecting; offspring have 50% of developing it.
Huntington’s Disease
_____________________ is often the result of mood disorders like depression and functioning appears relatively intact with testing.
Pseudodementia
The term __________ has been coined to capture the transitional time period between normal aging and dementia. MCI is defined as the
state in which at least a single cognitive domain, usually memory, is impaired to a
greater extent anticipated for someone’s age
mild cognitive impairment (MCI)
___________, or acute confusion state, is defined as a disturbance in consciousness
accompanied by a change in cognition that cannot be better accounted for by
a dementia process.
Delirium
________ will also resolve usually within the first 3 months. However, there is a smaller group of individuals who can remain symptomatic for over
3 months and, sometimes, up to several years following the injury. It can be associated with a triad of somatic, cognitive, and behavioral
symptoms
Postconcussion Syndrome
In a _________
generalized seizure, formally known as a grand mal seizure, the individual typically
loses consciousness and exhibits stiffening of the body and repetitive jerking
of the arms and/or legs. In an absence seizure, formally known as a ______ or absence
seizure, the person may appear to be staring into space (can also have LOC).
tonic-clonic;
petit-mal (believe to occur in thalamus)
A person with
a ________ seizure may experience sudden and unexplained joy or anger or
may hear, smell, or see things that are not real (no LOC). In a ________ seizure, the
person experiences an alteration or loss of consciousness.
simple-partial;
complex-partial
_____________ is the most common form of hyperthyroidism.
Grave’s Disease
____________________ is underproduction of corticosteroids in the body, can lead to apathy, weakness, irritability, depression. _______ is overproduction of corticosteroids, can lead to agitated depression, irritability, mood lability, suicide.
Addison’s;
Cushing’s
_______ is a human prion disease. It is a neurodegenerative disorder with characteristic clinical and diagnostic features. This disease is rapidly progressive and always fatal. Infection with this disease leads to death usually within 1 year of onset of illness.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Classic (CJD)
Contusions are cerebral bruises and are more serious than concussions. Bruising occurs in a ___________ fashion, which is usually the ______ and ______ lobes.
coup-countercoup;
frontal (lack of foresight, concern, exec functioning) and temporal (irritability and hostility)
________is a disorder that primarily affects the memory system in the brain. It usually results from a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1), which may be caused by alcohol abuse, dietary deficiencies, prolonged vomiting, eating disorders, or the effects of chemotherapy
Korsakoff’s syndrome; related to anterograde amnesia
_____ is a type of memory error in which gaps in a person’s memory are unconsciously filled with fabricated, misinterpreted, or distorted information
Confabulation
Sensations of pain are not directly related to activation of pain receptors but rather mediated by neural gates in the spinal cord that allow signals to go to brain.
Gate Control Theory
Sensitization to pain occur when the brain is exposed to repeated pain signals or nerve stimulations.
Centralization of pain theory.
Otitis media is:
infection of the middle ear. Prolonged or numerous middle ear infections can lead to learning disorders in children, especially reading and verbal comp. Otitis media: Precursor of delayed reading.
Beta waves:
alert and awake, “you beta be awake”
Alpha waves
relaxed, sleepy, “aaahhh”
____________ is a brief transitional stage between wakefulness and sleep, lightest stage of sleep. Theta waves are predominate.
Stage 1
_________ produces bursts of rapid, rhythmic brain activity known as sleep spindles. Body temp starts to decrease and heart rates slows.
Stage 2
Stages __________ are characterized by delta waves. Transition to very deep sleep.
3 and 4
Stage 5 is _____ sleep. Paradoxical sleep; brain and other body systems are more active, muscles become more relaxed. Dreaming happens here.
REM
REM sleep become more predominant through out the night. Time spent in REM sleep _______ as age increases.
decreases.
General Adaptation syndrome (GAS): Hans Selye developed this model as a response to long term stress.
Alarm: fight or flight…sympathetic NS activated.
Resistance: body adapts to stress and may be more resistant to illness.
Exhaustion: in response to chronic unremitting stress, body’s resources are exhausted and immunity lowered. Significant loss of health.
