biology and behavior Flashcards
afferent neurons
sends signals from the body to the brain
efferent neurons
send signals from the brain to the body
interneurons
neurons in between afferent and efferent neurons
in case of pain…
interneurons in the spinal cord send signals to the muscle instead of waiting for a response of the brain
central nervous system (CNS)
- brain
- spinal cord
peripheral nervous system (PNS)
nerve tissue and fibers outside of the brain and spinal cord
somatic nervous system
- part of the PNS
- sensory and motor neurons
automatic nervous system (ANS)
- part of the PNS
- regulates involuntary muscles like heart, lungs, etc.
sympathetic nervous system
- part of the ANS
- “rest and digest”
- conserves energy
—— constricts pupils, stimulates flow of saliva, constructs bronchi, slows heartbeat, stimulates peristalsis and secretion, stimulates bile release, contracts bladder
sympathetic nervous system
- part for the ANS
- activated by stress
- fight or flight response
structure that surrounds the brain
skin, periosteum, bone, meninges
meninges
- dura mater
-arachnoid mater - pia mater
- help to protect the brain by keeping it anchored and reabsorbing cerebral spinal fluids
forebrain structures
- cerebral cortex
- basal ganglia
- lambic system
- thalamus
- hypothalamus
midbrain structures
inferior and superior colliculi
hindbrain structures
- cerebellum
- medulla obligada
- reticular formation
- pons
hindbrain functions
controls balance
motor coordination
breathing
digestion
arousal processes like sleeping and waking
midbrain functions
receives motor and sensory information from the body
forebrain functions
complex perceptual
cognition
behavior
emotion
memory
thalamus
relay station for sensory information
hypothalamus
feeding
fighting
flighting
(sexual) functioning
pineal gland
secretes melatonin, important for the circadian rhythm
basal ganglia
coordination of muscle movements
limbic system
involved in emotion and memory
amygdala functions
plays a role in defensive and aggressive behaviors
hippocampus functions
important for learning and memory
anterior cingulate cortex
higher order cognitive process
cerebral cortex lobes
(F-POT)
frontal lobe
parietal lobe
occipital lobe
temporal lobe
frontal lobe function
controls…
- executive functions
- impulse control
- long-term planning
- motor function
- speech production
parietal lobe function
controls…
- sensations of touch, pressure, temperature and pain
- spatial processing
-orientation
- manipulation
occipital lobe functions
controls visual processing
temporal lobe functions
controls…
- sound processing
- speech perception
- memory
- emotion
broca’s area
- in the frontal lobe
- important for speech production
wernicke’s area
- in the temporal lobe
- associated with language reception and comprehension
dominant hemisphere
- left
- language, math skills, logic, etc
nondominant hemispheres
- right
- intuition, music recognition, creativity, and spital processing
acetylcholine
- voluntary muscle control
- PNS
- attention
- alertness
epinephrine and norepinephrine
- flight-or-fight response
- wakefulness
-alertness - catecholamine
dopamine
- smooth movement
- postural stability
-catecholamine
serotonin
- mood
- sleep
- eating
- dreaming
GABA and glycine
- brain “stabilization”
- inhibitory neurotransmitters
glutamate
- brain excitation
cortisol
- stress hormone
- released by the adrenal gland
