Biological Basis of Psychology Lecture 3 Flashcards
1
Q
Glia Cells
A
Provide nourishment and oxygen to neurons
2
Q
Neurons
A
Basic building blocks of the nervous system
3
Q
What are neurons?
A
Individual cells in the nervous system that receive, integrate, and transmit information
4
Q
Soma
A
Cell body of the neuron
5
Q
What are Dendrites and what do they do?
A
- Neurons bushy branching extensions
- They receive messages and conduct impulses towards the soma
- They are short
6
Q
What are Axons and what do they do?
A
- Very long tail like extension; the transmitting parts of neurons
- Pass messages from the soma of one neuron to the soma soma of another neuron
7
Q
what is a Myelin Sheath and what does it do?
A
- Fatty layer of tissue that insulates axons
- Allows neurotransmitter signals to be efficiently and properly be sent to synapses?
8
Q
Terminal buttons
A
Where axon and dendrites meet, this is where the synapse is
9
Q
Synapses
A
Points where axons interconnect
10
Q
Describe the pathway of neurotransmitters in the brain
A
Information is received at the dendrites, then passed through the soma, along the axon, and is transmitted to other soma dendrites at synapses
11
Q
what are neurons separated by?
A
Synaptic cleft
12
Q
What is a synaptic cleft?
A
A microscopic gap between one neuron and another neuron
13
Q
Action Potential
A
A brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
14
Q
What do neurons generate from chemical charges?
A
Electricity
15
Q
What does the process of generating electricity from chemical charges involve?
A
The exchange of ions
16
Q
Neurons signal an impulse called ________?
A
Action Potential
17
Q
What happens when a neuron fires? and why is this significant?
A
Channels in its cell membrane open briefly allowing positively charged sodium ions to rush into the axon.
It’s significant because this means that for an instant the fluid interior of the axon is positively charged. It also means the neurons charge is less negative creating action potential.
18
Q
Resting potential
A
The axon is at a state of resting potential when nothing is happening
19
Q
What happens to the fluid interior of a resting axon? and what does this mean for the axon?
A
It has excess of negatively charged ions, whereas the outside of the axon has more positively charged ions.
This means the axon had a positive exterior and negative interior.
Generally when this is the case the axon is not triggering a chemical signal so its not in the process of sending out a message.
20
Q
What does action potential do?
A
Stimulates the release of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft
21
Q
Neurotransmitters
A
Chemicals that transmit information from one neuron to another
22
Q
What is a neurotransmitter that starts with A that we focused on? and what does it do?
A
Acetylcholine (ACh)
Plays a role in learning and memory
Messenger between motor neurons and skeletal muscles
23
Q
What happens if acetylcholine doesn’t get to certain parts of the body/ certain muscles?
A
Those muscles cannot move
24
Q
A person with inadequate amounts of the neurotransmitter ______ usually have Alzheimers?
A
Acetylcholine (ACh)
25
Acupuncture works by playing with the amount of ______ released to parts of the body?
(name the neurotransmitter)
Endorphins
26
Someone who is not getting proper amounts of acetylcholine to their muscles might have _____________?
(disorder)
Paralysis
27
The brains naturally occurring happy pills: ____________
Endorphins
28
Endorphins
Brains naturally occurring opiates
have been linked to pleasure and control
29
What neurotransmitter controls pain?
Endorphins
30
Why is it that when you take more drugs your body needs more drugs overtime to achieve the same high feeling?
Your body is in a state of homeostasis, and it's constantly trying to maintain this state. When you initially take drugs you get an initial high but over time your body adjusts to that amount of drug being produced and it starts to naturally produce less endorphins to maintain homeostasis. Therefore to get the same high you once got you need to intake more.
31
Dopamine
Associated with physiological and psychological effects
32
Medication for ________ and schizophrenia disorder can artificially _______ the other disorder
parkinsons
33
Gaba
34
Anxiety disorders are associated with what neurotransmitters?
GABA and Glutamate
35
Glutamate
36
Norepinephrine
37
Serotonin
38
what does SSRI stand for? and what do SSRI's do?
Selective re-uptake inhibiters
Block receptors that reabsorb chemical serotonin so serotonin can be more available to individuals and to allow serotonin to get to the intended target
39
True or False: Normally a brain is not supposed to absorb serotonin?
TRUE
40
Someone with insufficient production of _______ has psychological Parkinson's disease?
When treating this disease, an overdose in this medicine can cause _______ also known as a symptom of schizophrenia disorder?
1. Dopamine
2. hallucinations
41
The Nervous System
The body's electrochemical communication network
42
What are the two main parts of the nervous system?
Central nervous system and the Peripheral Nervous system
43
Central Nervous system consists of?
Brain and Spinal cord
44
Peripheral Nervous system consists of?
Sensory receptors, muscles, and glands
45
What are the two components of a peripheral nervous system?
Somatic Nervous system and the Autonomic Nervous system
46
Somatic nervous system
Enables voluntary control of our skeletal muscles
Through the somatic nervous system the brain can send messages to lift our arms or move our feet
47
Autonomic Nervous System
controls glands and muscles of internal organs. Influences important functions like heart beat, digestion, anything with glands
48
What are the two subparts of the parasympathetic nervous system?
And
What are their functions?
Sympathetic nervous system: arouses and expends energy (stress)
Parasympathetic: conserves energy
49
When you are walking down the street and you get a sense of a shady person following you, you feel alarmed and frightened. _________ system kicks in and prepares you for the encounter by cooling you down with perspiration, increasing your heart beat, and slowing down your digestion?
Sympathetic
50
After a scary encounter your _____ system calms your heartbeat, lowers your blood pressure and stops you from sweating, increases digestion, thus overtime signaling you to calm down.
Parapsympathetic
51
True or false: the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems work together to keep you at a steady internal state?
TRUE
52
Central nervous system consists of both the ____ and the _____. What do those things do?
Spinal cord: connects peripheral nervous system to the brain
Brain: enables us to act, think, and feel
53
How does the brain communicate with the rest of the body?
Through the nervous system and through the endocrine system
54
endocrine system
Set of glands that secrete chemical messengers (hormones) into the bloodstream, can effect tissue throughout the whole body including the brain
55
Nervous system
Neurotransmitters, faster and more specific than the endocrine system
Messages from here are more targeted and get to target quicker
56
Endocrine system
Hormones, Slower, less targeted and less specific than neurotransmitters
effect other cells in the process
57
would Hormones or neurotransmitters have a longer lasting effect?
Hormones
58
Endocrine system
tends to outlast the effect of neural messages, Helps us to understand why we continue to feel upset even after we are aware there is no reason to be upset about a given situation
59
The most influential endocrine gland is the ______ gland. describe it
Pituitary gland: pea sized structure located in the middle of the brain
60
If you have an issue with you pituitary gland you will experience both _______ and ______ symptoms at the same time
Psychological and Physiological
61
More about endocrine system have classmates help you out with this slide
62
What are some ways to explore the living brain? Define them
CT Scan (computerized tomography scan): examines aspects of the brain structure
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging): produces a high-resolution of the brain structure
fMRI(functional MRI): Reveals both structure and functioning of the brain (looks at functioning in real time)
PET Scans: Maps brain activity (looks at brain activity in real time)
63
The spinal cord ______ as it enters the skull meeting point of the spinal cord and the brain
Swells
64
what are the 4 main parts of the brain?
Hind brain
Brainstem
Midbrain
Forebrain
65
The hindbrain includes two structures found in the lower part of the brainstem what are they?
Medulla and the Pons
66
Medulla
attached to the spinal cord, in charge of unconscious but essential functions
67
Give two examples of essential unconscious functions the medulla is in charge of
Heart beat and breathing
68
Pons
Coordinate movements, regulates sleep and arousal
69
What is behind the hind brain? describe it
Cerebellum; "little brain" (two wrinkled halves)
70
What functions does the cerebellum hold?
Critical to the coordination of voluntary movement and equilibrium
71
Damage to the cerebellum disrupts ________ skills. Give an example
fine motor
damage to the cerebellum would cause a person to have a harder time balancing, writing, and typing
72
the mid brain
Concerned with sensory processes and controls many important functions
for example: locating where things are in space, controls visual and auditory systems
the origin of an important system of dopamine-releasing axons
73
Reticular formation
Runs through the hindbrain and the midbrain
finger shaper network of neurons that extends from the spinal cord to the thalamus
Contributes to the modulation of muscle reflexes, breathing and the perception of pain
Regulates sleep and wakefulness
74
The ________ _______ is essential to our brain remaining alert
reticular formation
75
The forebrain
largest most complex region of the brain
encompasses a variety of structures including the thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system, and cerebrum
76
Cerebrum
Largest and most complex part of the human brain.
Includes areas responsible for our most complex mental activities, including learning, remembering, thinking, and consciousness itself.
77
Thalamus
structure in the forebrain through which sensory information except smell pass through
known as sensory switch board
78
Hypothalamus
regulates biological drives, directs several maintenance activities, helps govern the endocrine system through pituitary glands, linked to emotion and reward
79
The cerebrum
Divided into right and left halves called cerebral hemispheres
80
What is the cerebrum covered by?
Cerebral cortex
81
The two hemispheres descend to a structure called ________
Corpus callosum
82
How many lobes does each hemisphere have
4
83
what are the 4 lobes the cerebrum's hemisphere consist of
frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, temporal lobe
occipital lobe is responsible for vision
temporal lobe: think tempo, having damage can result in difficulty understanding words and deafness?
frontal lobe: good and bad judgement executive part of brain
parietal lobe: controls touch (parents telling you not touch)
84
Each hemispheres primary sensory and motor connections are to the _______ side of the body (except for sight)
opposite
85
when you are sensing something to the right you are seeing with receptors on the ______ side of ______ eye
anything you sense on the left side is being seen with receptors on the ______ side of ______ eye
1. left side, each
2. right, each
86
What does the frontal lobe control?
Executive, overside and suppress socially, plays a role in identifying similarities and differences between things
unacceptable responses, functions if I do x y will occur , choosing between good and bad , better and best alternatives
87
Hemispheric specialization is apparent after ______ damage
brain
88
1961, researchers attempted to stop epileptic seizures by severing the corpus callosum what were the results of the experiment ??
Seizures = esentially eliminated
personality and intellect intact
Ability to name and describe objects depended on the side of the visual field and image appeared
An image shown to the right visual field meant that patients could verbally identify the object they had seen
An image shown to the left visual field meant that patients could see the image but could not verbally identify that they had seen the image nor could they say what they saw. Regardless of hand dominance they could however draw the image they saw with their left hand.
This proved that the left hemisphere plays a critical role in speaking and language
89
Left Hemisphere is in charge of _____ processing such as_____________________
1. verbal
2. reading, writing, mathematical reasoning
90
Right Hemisphere is in charge of _____ processing such as_____________________
1. Non-verbal processing
2. visual-spatial and musical tasks; perception
91
The reason you are able to recognize yourself in a really blurry picture of yourself is because the _______ hemisphere helps us orchestrate a sense of self
right
92
Heredity and behavior is impacted by ______ and _____
nature and nurture
93
Nature and nurture means
Effect of genetics on a person effect of society/ community on a person
94
what are two studies you can measure the impact of heredity
Family and twin studies
adoption studies
95
Family and Twin studies
focus on the influence of nature on behavior / focuses on genetic relatedness of individuals and how it effects various traits in order to study the influence of nature on behavior
ex: identical twins vs fraternal twins
96
Adoption studies
focuses on the influence of nature and nurture on behavior
adopted children's traits can be compared to their biological parents and siblings traits. If they resemble the traits of adoptive parents it shows the role of nurture on behavior
97
What is the best way to observe adoption studies?
with identical twins who grew up in different families
98
dominant genes
Expressed genes
99
Recessive genes
Masked genes
100
Homozygous for a trait
two of the same alleles present
101
heterozygous for a trait
Two different alleles present for a trait
102
Genotype
Refers to a person genetic makeup
103
Phenotype
refers to a person observable characteristics manifested by genotype
104
what are the two parts of the limbic system?
amygdala and hippocampus: memory processing
amygdala in charge of fear response
