Biology and Behavior Flashcards
Central nervous system (CNS)
brain, spinal cord
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
nerves and tissues outside of the brain,
somatic nervous system
subset of PNS–sensory/motor neurons in skin, muscles and joints–afferent neurons send info from receptors to the spinal cord and efferent neurons send motor impulse functions from spinal cord and brain to the rest of body
autonomic nervous system
“automatic” functions of the body beyond conscious control (heartbeat, sweat, involuntary muscle movements)
parasympathetic nervous system
in charge of calming the body down/slowing down autonomic functions. “rest and digest” . slows down heart beat, releases enzymes and promotes digestion, bronchi constrict, etc
sympathetic nervous system
not very sympathetic!! in charge of speeding up autonomic functions. heart rate increase, pupils dilate, bronchi widen, digestion slows, “fight or flight”
What is the main role of the hindbrain (rhombencephalon)? location?
located where brain meets spinal cord (see diagram). All of your primitive functions (first thing we evolved): balance, motor skills, breathing, digestion, coordination, general arousal
medulla oblongata is located in the _________ and it’s primary roles are______
hindbrain (see diagram), VITAL functions like heart rate, breathing, blood pressure
the pons is located in the _______ and it’s primary role is ________
connection zone between the cortex and medulla
the cerebellum is located in _________ and it’s primary role is ________
balance, body movements, posture
What is the main role of the Midbrain (mesencephalon)?
receives sensory information from the rest of the body. involuntary reflexes from stimuli.
the superior colliculus receives what kind of information?what region of brain is it associated with?
visual information; midbrain
the inferior colliculus receives what kind of information? what region of the brain is it associated with?
auditory information; midbrain
What is the Forebrain (prosencephalon) in charge of?
complex behavioral, cognitive, and perceptual processes. emotion and memory as well. biggest influence on behavior!
the thalamus is located in _________ and it’s primary role is ________
forebrain, relay station or “port” for incoming sensory information–sorts/transmits information to other parts of the cortext
the hypothalamus is located in _________ and it’s primary role is ________
forebrain, “fight, flight, feed, and fuck”; emotional experiences in high arousal, aggressive, and sexual behavior. as well as the autosomal nervous system and some endocrine functions:
metabolism, hunger, thirst, water balance, temperature, sexual behavior
Lateral hypothalamus; ventromedial hypothalamus:
Which is in charge of triggering eat and drinking? which is in charge of signaling to stop eating? what happens if either is lesioned?
answer: LH for triggering; VMH for signaling to stop.
if LH lesioned, starvation occurs. VMH lesioned, obesity
the pituitary gland is located in _________ and it’s primary role is ________
forebrain, projects from hypothalamus; releases hypothalamic hormone antidiuretic hormone (ADH or vasopressin) and oxycotin
the pineal gland is located in _________ and it’s primary role is ________
forebrain; circadian and biological rhythms! releases melatonin, receives stimulus from the retina because the sun and sunlight
What is the role of the basal ganglia and where are they located? what disease arises from a disruption in the basal ganglia?
located deep within the cerebral cortex of the brain. they coordinate smooth muscle movement; parkinson’s disease
Limbic system: give an overview
**memory and emotion; a series of interconnected structures near the brain center.
septal nuclei
amygdala
hippocampus
the septal nuclei is part of the _____ system and it’s primary role is ________
limbic system; pleasure center; affiliated with addiction
the amygdala is part of the _____ system and it’s primary role is ________ and a lesion in this region causes_____
limbic system; defense and aggression; hyperdocial/hypersexual
the hippocampus is part of the _____ system and it’s primary role is ________ and a lesion in this region causes_____
limbic system; stores information into long term memory; amnesia/inability to form new memories (anterograde amnesia)
anterograde amnesia
cannot form new memories
retrograde amnesia
cannot remember things from before trauma
What two regions make up the frontal lobe?
prefontal cortex; primary motor cortext
what is the role of the prefrontal cortex? where is in located?
located in frontal lobe; manager of memory emotion and impulse control. **an association area–it integrates many stimuli and information
what is the role of the primary motor cortex? where is in located?
frontal lobe; voluntary motor movement. **a projection area–rudimentary functions
the broca’s area is located in the _____ and it’s function is_______
frontal lobe (left hemisphere); speech
What is the role of the Parietal lobe?`
somatosensory cortex is here–destination for all sensory information of touch, temperature, and pain
what is the role of the occipital lobe?
vision, some memory functions
What is the role of the temporal lobe?
sound processing (auditory cortex), language reception (wernicke’s region), memory processing and emotion
auditory cortex
sound processing
what is the role of wernicke’s region and where is it found?
language comprehension; temporal lobe/left hemisphere
neurons communicating across the right and left hemispheres is _____ communication and communication within the same side is ______ communication
contralateral; ipsilateral
what is the role of Acetylcholine?
neurotransmitter, transmits nerve impulses to muscles
linked to attention and arousal
mostly used by parasympathetic nervous system
what would be the effect of losing cholinergic neurons?
possibility of developing alzheimers
Epinephrine and Norepinephrine (catecholamines)
neurotransmitter, in charge of altertness and wakefulness
norepinephrine=local, epinephrine=more systemic
what would happen if you had low norepinephrine levels? High?
depression; mania
Dopamine (catecholamine)
movement, posture, high concentrations in basal ganglia
what could too much dopamine/a sensitivity to it cause? what could a loss of dopaminergic neruons cause?
schizophrenia; Parkinson’s disease
Serotonin
sleep, mood, eating, dreaming
too much serotonin causes what? too little?
euphoria/mania; depression (think MDMA and bath-salts effects and crash)
GABA
regulates brain function, stabilizes neural activity by hyper-polarization of postsynaptic membrane
Glycine
inhibitory neurotransmitter in CNS
glutamate
excitatory neurotransmitter in CNS
Peptide neurotransmitters
Endorphines, natural pain-killers, slower acting than regular neurotransmitters
