Biological Psychology Flashcards
Name the parts of the Neurons
Soma: of cell body
Dendrite: branches that receive messages and relay them to the cell
Axon: transports info in the form of electrochemical reactions from the cell body to the end of the neuron
Axon Terminals: house ventricles that contain neurotransmitters
Name the types of cells in the nervous system.
Neurons: send and receive messages throughout the body
Glial: specialized cells that are responsible for immune response, removing waste, and synchronizing the billions of Neurons.
What is myelin and what kind of cell is it?
Glial cell
Insulates axons and increases efficiency and speed of neural communication
What is resting potential and at what charge does it rest?
The relatively stable state when the neuron isn’t transmitting messages.
-70 mV
A positive electrical charge that is carried away from the cell body and down the length of the axon is a(n)
Action potential
What is the function of glial cells?
Produce myelin
The Neurons will fire when the ions on the inside of the cell body are
When they shift to a threshold more positive than the resting potential
How do sensory and motor nerves differ?
Sensory nerves carry messages toward the brain while motor nerves carry it away
For a trait to evolve, it must have a(n)…basis
Heritable
Evolution is best defined as
A change in gene frequency over generations
The chemical units that provide instructions on how specific proteins are to be produced are called
Genes
A person who is homozygous for a trait
Has identical copies of a gene
What is epigenetics?
The study of changes in gene expression that occur as a result of experience and that do not alter the genetic code
What is behavioural genetics?
The study of how genes and the environment influence behaviour
What is behavioural genomics?
The study of DNA and the ways in which specific genes are related to behaviour
What is the space between a axon terminal and dendrite called?
The synaptic cleft
Name the 6 neurotransmitters
Glutamate
GABA (gamma-amino butyric acid)
Acetylcholine
Dopamine
Norepinephrine
Serotonin
What is the major function of serotonin
Regulation of mood, sleep, aggression and appetite
What is the major function of norepinephrine?
Memory; paying attention to new and important stimuli. Also regulates sleep and mood
What is the major function of Dopamine
Controls movement, cognition and attention, as well as reward seeking behaviour
What is the major function of acetylcholine?
Movement and attention
What is the major function of GABA
Inhibits brain activity, lowers arousal, anxiety, excitation and facilitates sleep
What is the major function of Glutamate
Excites nervous system. Responsible for memory and autonomic nervous system reactions
Describe the 2 effects drugs have on neurotransmitters
Agonists: enhance or mimic the effects of neurotransmitters
Antagonists: inhibits by blocking receptors/preventing synthesis of new neurotransmitters
What is an endorphin?
A hormone produced by pituitary gland/hypothalamus that reduces pain and induces feelings of pleasure
What’s are the two components of the nervous system?
Peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system
What two structures make up the CNS?
Brain and spinal cord
What makes up the PNS?
Autonomic nervous system and somatic nervous system
The autonomic nervous system consists of two divisions; what are they?
Sympathetic and parasympathetic
What is the sympathetic nervous system responsible for?
Fight or flight response
What is the parasympathetic nervous system responsible for?
Maintains homeostasis
What are the different structures/regions of the brain
Hindbrain
Midbrain
Forebrain
Cerebral cortex
What are the 4 lobes of the cerebral cortex?
Frontal lobe: thought, language, planning, movement
Parietal lobe: sensory processing, bodily awareness
Occipital lobe: visual processing
Temporal lobe: hearing, object recognition, language and emotion
What are the parts of the midbrain and what are they responsible for?
Superior colliculus: orientating visual attentions
Inferior colliculus: orientating auditory attention
What structures make up the Forebrain?
Basal Ganglia: movement and reward processing
Amygdala: emotion
Hippocampus: memory
Hypothalamus: temperature regulation, motivation
Thalamus: sensory relay station
What connects the two halves of the brain?
Corpus callisum
What is the left brain responsible for:
Language production
Language comprehension
Word recognition
Arithmetic
Moving the right side
What does the right side of the brain do?
Visuospatial skills
Emotional inotation
Face recognition
Attention
Left body movement
The ability to hear is based in which of the cerebral lobes?
Temporal
Why would a person who underwent a split-brain operation be unable to name an object presented in his left field of vision but be able to correctly point to the same object
The right hemisphere is responsible for image perception, not language perception
Damage to the somatosensory cortex would most likely result in what impairments
Lost or distorted sensations in the region of the body corresponding to the damaged area
What is lesioning?
A technique in which researchers intentionally damage an area of the brain
What is TMS?
Trans cranial magnetic stimulation
An emp is delivered to a targeted region of the brain. Might disrupt ability or improve
What are the three structural imaging techniques?
Computerized tomography: X-rays are sent through a tube that rotates the head
MRI: using magnetic field to determine the absorption and release of energy while in said field
Diffusion tensor imaging: measures white matter pathways in the brain
What is functional neuroimaging and the tests done?
EEG: measures brain activity with the use of multiple electrodes
Magnetoencephalography: measures tiny magnetic fields created by the electrical activities of nerve cells
Positron emission tomography: a low level radioactive isotope is injected into the bloodstream and it’s movement through the blood in the brain while engaged in a particular task
