Biological Psychology Flashcards
Define dualist
The idea that the conscious mind is very different from the physical brain
Descartes ideology
Mind and body are separate
Cerebellum function
Motor coordination/control
- I’m not drunk but my cerebellum is
Medulla function
Coordinates heart rate, circulation, respiration
- Without me medulla me die
Reticular formation function
Regulates sleep, wakefulness, and arousal
Pons function
Relays information from the cerebellum to the rest of the brain
Thalamus function
Filters and transmits info from senses to the cortex
Hypothalamus function
Regulates temperature, hunger, thirst, sleep, and hormones, maintaining the body’s balance and homeostasis.
Amygdala function
Role in emotional process
Hippocampus
Critical for creating and integrating new memories
Basal ganglia function
Intentional Movement
Types of Amnesia
Retrograde and Anterograde
Hindbrain structures
- Pons
- Medulla
- Reticular formation
- Cerebellum
Forebrain subcortical structures
- Basal ganglia
- Thalamus
- Hypothalamus
- Amygdala
- Hippocampus
Cerebral Cortex
Large surface area is folded so it can be placed into the limited volume of the skull
Composed of:
- Ridges (gyrus.gyri)
- Valleys (sulcus/sulci)
Somatosensory Cortex
It processes sensory input from the body, including touch, temperature, pain, and proprioception (the sense of body position).
Brain Geography:
- What are the up, down, front, and back sides of the brain?
- What are the front and back of the brain stem?
- What is one half of the brain called?
- Superior dorsal, inferior ventral, anterior, posterior
- ventral, dorsal
- Hemisphere
What part of the brain develops last and when is it fully developed?
Prefrontal cortex
Not fully developed until 20-25 years of age
Broca’s Area
Language production
Wernicke’s area
Speech comprehension
Aphasia definition
The loss of ability to use or understand speech/language
What are the two cerebral hemispheres connected by?
The corpus callosum
Define split-brain
The corpus callosum is cut in surgery
Split brain patients
Each hemisphere can process information independently, leading to situations where a person might not be able to verbally identify an object seen in the left visual field (processed by the right hemisphere) because the speech centers are typically in the left hemisphere.
Neurons
A cell that specializes in receiving and transmitting information
Parts of a neuron: Cell body
Coordinates information-processing tasks and keeps cell alive
Parts of a neuron: Dendrites
Receive information from other neurons and relays it to the cell body
Parts of a neuron: Axon
A long slender projection that conducts electrical impulses away from the cell body
Parts of a neuron: Synapse
The region between the axon of one neuron and the dendrite (or cell body) of another
Myelin Sheath
Fatty sheath that insulates axons resulting in increased speed or and efficiency of neural communications
- Works like wire insulation
What happens when myelin is damaged?
Multiple sclerosis
How do neurons send and receive messages?
Action potential
Transmission accross the synapse
Resting potential
When a neuron is at rest:
- Outside + charge: Na, Cl
- Inside - charge: K, A
- Resting potential: -70mV
What happens when the axon is stimulated?
Depolarization
Define depolarization
When the stimulated sodium channels open and = ions rush in
Define repolarization
After the sodium gates close, potassion moves out
Define action potential
An electrical signal that is conducted along the length of a neuron’s axon to a synapse
Synaptic cleft
when the action potential reaches the terminal buttons it causes the release of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft
Neurotransmitters: Excitory
Increase the likelihood of an action potential (by causing the membrane potential to be less negative)
Neurotransmitters: Inhibitory
Decrease the likelihood of an action potential (by causing the membrane potential to be more negative)
Summation of postsynaptic potentials
If the neuron is pushed past firing threshold (-55mV) then the neuron will initial an action potential
