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PSY1011 > Biological Psychology > Flashcards

Biological Psychology Flashcards

1
Q

What is a neuron?

A

A nerve cell specialised for communication

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2
Q

How many neurons does the human brain contain?

A

Around 85 billion neurons

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3
Q

What is the neuronal membrane?

A

A barrier that separates the inside of the neuron from the outside, which in cases the entire neuron

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4
Q

What is the cell body of a neuron?

A

The central region of the neuron that manufactures new cell components, consisting of small and large molecules

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5
Q

What are dendrites?

A

Portions of neurons that extend out from the cell body region and receive signals by making synapses with the axon terminals of other neurons or with other body cells (I.e. Neuromuscular junctions)

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6
Q

What are axon terminals?

A

Portions of neurons that send signals. This area of the neuron creates neurotransmitter-filled synaptic vesicles which are released into the synapse when prompted by an electrical impulse.

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7
Q

What are axons?

A

The normally long part of a neuron that the electrical impulse travels along towards the axon terminals. The axon is often surrounded by myelin which speeds up the impulse.

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8
Q

What are synaptic vesicles?

A

Spherical sacs containing neurotransmitters produced by the neuron

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9
Q

What are neurotransmitters?

A

Chemical messengers specialised for communication and released into the synapse when prompted by an electrical impulse

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10
Q

What is a synapse?

A

Space between two connecting neurons where neurotransmitters are released

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11
Q

What are glial cells?

A

Support cells in the nervous system that play a role in the formation of myelin and the blood-brain barrier, respond to injury and remove debris (I.e. Neurotoxins)

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12
Q

What is a threshold?

A

Minimum membrane potential necessary to trigger an action potential

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13
Q

What is an action potential?

A

An electrical impulse that travels down the axon and allows neurons to communicate.

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14
Q

What is he absolute refractory period?

A

Time during which another action potential is impossible which limits the maximal firing rate.

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15
Q

What is the name of the longest neuron in the body?

A

Sciatic nerve (runs the length of the leg)

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16
Q

What are neuron receptor sites?

A

Locations on a dendrite that uniquely recognise a neurotransmitter

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17
Q

What is neurotransmitter reuptake?

A

Recycling of neurotransmitters, a process by which the synaptic vesicle engulfs the neurotransmitter.

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18
Q

What are the three steps in neurotransmission?

A
  1. Release of the neurotransmitter from the axon terminal into the synaptic cleft
  2. Binding of the neurotransmitter to its receptor site
  3. Halting neurotransmission by either the chemical breakdown of the neurotransmitter of by reuptake of the neurotransmitter back into the axon terminal
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19
Q

What are the two most common neurotransmitters in the CNS?

A

Glutamate and GABA

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20
Q

What are endorphins?

A

Chemicals in the brain that play a specialised role in pain reduction

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21
Q

What are astrocytes?

A

The most abundant type of glial cell which can interact with between 300,000 and 1,000,000 neurons. They communicate closely with neurons, increase the reliability of their transmission, control blood flow in the brain and play a vital role in the development of the embryo.

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22
Q

What is the blood-brain barrier?

A

A protective shield that insulates the brain from infection by bacteria and other intruders.

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23
Q

What is an oligodendrocyte?

A

A type of glial cell that promotes new connections among nerve cells and releases chemical to aid helping. Oligodendrocytes also produces the myelin that surrounds the axons of neurons

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24
Q

What is the myelin sheath?

A

An insulation layer around the axon of neurons produced by glial cells that speed up action potentials

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25
Q

What is resting potential?

A

Electrical charge difference (-60 millivolts) across the neuronal membrane, when the neuron is not being stimulated or inhibited.

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26
Q

What are graded potentials?

A

Postsynaptic potentials that can be excitatory or inhibitory, depending on whether positively or negatively charged particles flow across the neuronal membrane and in which direction they flow.

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27
Q

At rest, is a neuron positively or negatively charged?

A

Negative

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28
Q

What is neural plasticity?

A

The ability of the nervous system to change. This can be drastic during early development or subtle when you learn something new. Plasticity can potential allow a person with brain damage to use a different part of their brain to perform tasks that were affected by injury

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29
Q

What are the four primary ways that the network of neurons in the brain changes over the course of development?

A
  1. Growth of dendrites and axons
  2. Synaptogenesis, or the formation of new synapses
  3. Pruning, consisting of the death of Crain neurons and the retraction of axons that make connections that are not useful
  4. Myelination, or the insulation of axons with myelin sheath
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30
Q

What is neurogenesis?

A

The creation of new neurons in the adult brain

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31
Q

What are stem cells?

A

Unspecialised cells that retain the ability to become a wide variety of specialised cells

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32
Q

True or false: dendrites are the sending portions of neurons

A

False

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33
Q

True or false: positive ions flowing into the neuron inhibit its action

A

False

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34
Q

True or false: neurotransmitters send messages between neurons

A

True

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35
Q

True or false: some antidepressants block the reuptake of serotonin into the axon terminal

A

True

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36
Q

True or false: neurogenesis is equivalent to pruning

A

False

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37
Q

What is the central nervous system?

A

The part of the nervous system comprising of the brain and the spinal cord that controls mind and behaviour.

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38
Q

What is the peripheral nervous system?

A

The nerves in the body that extend outside the CNS

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39
Q

What are the six distinct sections of the CNS?

A
  • Cortex
  • Basal Ganglia
  • Limbic System
  • Cerebellum
  • Brain Stem
  • Spinal Cord
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40
Q

What is cerebrospinal fluid?

A

A clear liquid that runs through cerebral ventricles and bathes our brain and spinal cord, providing nutrients and cushioning us against injury.

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41
Q

What is the cerebral cortex?

A

Outermost part of the forebrain/cerebrum, responsible for analysing sensory processing and higher brain functions. This is broken up into two hemispheres and four lobes (per hemisphere)

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42
Q

What is the forebrain?

A

Forward part of the brain that allows advanced intellectual abilities; also known as the cerebrum

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43
Q

What are cerebral hemispheres?

A

Two halves of the cerebral cortex, which serve different yet highly integrated cognitive functions

44
Q

What is the corpus callosum?

A

A large band of fibres connecting the two cerebral hemispheres, allowing them to communicate.

45
Q

What is the function of the basal ganglia?

A

Control movement and motor planning

46
Q

What structures does the limbic system contain?

A

Thalamus
Hypothalamus
Amygdala
Hippocampus

47
Q

What is the function of the cerebellum?

A

Controls balance and coordinated movement

48
Q

What structures does the brain stem contain?

A

Midbrain
Pons
Medulla

49
Q

What is the function of the spinal cord?

A

Conveys information between the brain and the rest of the body

50
Q

What is the function of the frontal lobe?

A

Performs executive functions that coordinate other brain areas, motor planning, language and memory

51
Q

What is the function of the parietal lobe?

A

Processes touch information, integrates vision and touch

52
Q

What is the function of the temporal lobe?

A

Processes auditory information, language and autobiographical memory

53
Q

What is the function of the occipital lobe?

A

Processes visual information

54
Q

What is the function of the thalamus?

A

Conveys sensory information to cortex

55
Q

What is the function of the hypothalamus?

A

Part of the brain responsible for maintaining homeostasis. Oversees endocrine and autonomic nervous system

56
Q

What is the function of the amygdala?

A

Regulates arousal and fear

57
Q

What is the function of the hippocampus?

A

Processes memory for spatial locations

58
Q

What is the function of the midbrain?

A

Part of the brainstem that lies between the forebrain and the hindbrain; it helps to control head and neck reflexes and modulate motor activity

59
Q

What is the function of the pons?

A

Conveys information between the cortex and cerebellum

60
Q

What is the function of the medulla?

A

Regulates breathing and heartbeats

61
Q

What is the primary cortex of the frontal lobe?

A

Primary motor cortex

62
Q

What is the primary cortex of the parietal lobe?

A

Primary somatosensory cortex

63
Q

What is the primary cortex of the temporal lobe?

A

Primary auditory cortex

64
Q

What is the primary cortex of the occipital lobe?

A

Primary visual cortex

65
Q

What is the prefrontal cortex?

A

Part of the frontal lobe responsible for coordination of thinking, planning and language

66
Q

Which lobe is Broca’s area located?

A

Frontal lobe

67
Q

What is the function of Broca’s area?

A

Location for physical movement required to produce speech.

68
Q

Which lobe is Wernicke’s area located?

A

Temporal lobe

69
Q

What is the function of Wernicke’s area?

A

Location of speech comprehension

70
Q

What are association cortices?

A

Regions of the cerebral cortex that integrate simpler functions to perform more complex functions

71
Q

What is the reticular activating system (RAS)?

A

A group of neurons projecting from the brainstem that connects the forebrain and cerebral cortex that plays a key role in arousal

72
Q

What are interneurons?

A

Neurons that send messages to other neurons

73
Q

What is a reflex?

A

Automatic motor response to a sensory stimulus like muscle stretch or heat that does not require participation from the brain. The message is relayed to the spinal cord which causes the reaction allowing it to be very fast.

74
Q

What is the somatic nervous system?

A

Part of the peripheral nervous system carrying messages from the CNS through the body to control voluntary movement

75
Q

What is the autonomic nervous system?

A

Part of the peripheral nervous system controlling the involuntary actions of out internal organs and glands, which (along with the limbic system) participates in emotion

76
Q

What is the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system?

A

Part of the autonomic nervous system engaged during a crisis, or after actions involving fight or flight. This system stimulates functions such as heart and breathing rate, and inhibits functions such as digestion allowing and organism to respond to threats.

77
Q

What is the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system?

A

Part of the autonomic nervous system that controls rest and digestion. Responsible for returning the body to a normal state after exposure to a threat.

78
Q

True or false: the neocortex is divided into the frontal, parietal, temporal and hippocampal lobes

A

False

79
Q

True or false: the basal ganglia controls sensation

A

False

80
Q

True or false: drugs that treat ADHD may work by decreasing he signal-to-noise ratio in the prefrontal cortex

A

False

81
Q

True or false: the cerebellum regulates only our sense of balance

A

False

82
Q

True or false: there are two functional divisions of the autonomic nervous system

A

True

83
Q

What is the endocrine system?

A

A system of glands that controls secretion of hormones into the blood

84
Q

How are hormones different to neurotransmitters?

A

They are carried through blood vessels rather than our nerves, so they are much slower in their actions. Hormones have a wider impact and are more enduring than neurotransmitters

85
Q

What is the pituitary gland?

A

The master gland, under control of the hypothalamus, that directs the other glands in the body

86
Q

What are adrenal glands?

A

Tissues located on top of the kidneys that release adrenaline and cortisol during states of emotional arousal (stress)

87
Q

True or false: hormones are more rapid in their actions than neurotransmitters

A

False

88
Q

True or false: adrenaline sometimes allows people to perform amazing physical feats

A

True

89
Q

True or false: cortisol tends to increase in response to stressors?

A

True

90
Q

True or false: most women have no testosterone

A

False

91
Q

What was phrenology?

A

An early method that attempted to map mind onto brain by assessing bumps on the skull and attributed them to various personality traits

92
Q

What is a lesion?

A

An area of damage on the brain due to surgery, injury or disease.

93
Q

What is electroencephalography (EEG)?

A

Recording of the brain’s electrical activity at the surface of the scalp

94
Q

What is computed tomography (CT)?

A

A scanning technique using multiple X-rays to construct 3D images

95
Q

What is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)?

A

Technique that uses magnetic fields to indirectly visualise brain structure

96
Q

What is positron emission tomography (PET)?

A

Imaging technique that measures uptake of radioactive glucose molecules, yielding a picture of regional metabolic activity in different brain regions

97
Q

What is functional MRI (fMRI)?

A

Technique that use magnetic fields to visualise changes in blood oxygen levels due to brain activity

98
Q

What is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)?

A

Technique involving a coil that generates a magnetic field that can temporarily block or stimulate neural transmissions within a small brain area

99
Q

What is magnetoencephalography (MEG)?

A

Measure of brain activity using magnetometers, which sense tiny magnetic fields generated by the brain

100
Q

What is lateralisation?

A

Cognitive function that relies more on one side of the brain than the other

101
Q

What is split-brain surgery?

A

Procedure that involves severing the corpus callosum to reduce the spread of epileptic seizures

102
Q

What is the left hemisphere responsible for?

A 
Speech comprehension
Speech production
Phonology
Syntax
Reading
Writing
Making facial expressions
Motion detection
103
Q

What is the right hemisphere responsible for?

A 
Simple speech
Simple writing
Tone of voice
Perceptual grouping
Face perception
104
Q

True or false: many scientists believe that the mind is an expression of the brain in action

A

True

105
Q

True or false: PET scans detect changes in cerebral blood flow that tend to accompany neural activity

A

False

106
Q

True or false: psychological functions are strictly localised to specific areas of the cerebral cortex

A

False

107
Q

True or false: split-brain patients are impaired at integrating information from both visual fields

A

True

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