Biopsych Flashcards
frontal lobe
location: behind forehead, front
functions: movement, critical thinking/planning (speaking, judging, emotions)
parietal lobe
location: top rear
functions: physical feeling (body position, touch)
occipital lobe
location: back of head
function: sight
temporal lobe
location: above the ears
functions: understanding speech, hearing
motor cortex
location: back of frontal lobe, spans L to R
function: movement
sensory cortex
location: front of parietal lobe, behind motor cortex
function: feeling (physical)
visual cortex
location: occipital lobes
function: sight
auditory cortex
location: temporal lobes
function: hearing
association areas
location: cerebral cortex
functions: connect/integrate info (identify sounds/recognize voices or songs)
nervous system
controls interaction between brain, spine, and neurons to transmit info
central nervous system
a part of the nervous system that only includes brain and spinal cord
peripheral nervous system
outer nerves of the nervous system that contains sensory receptors
somatic (skeletal) nervous system
a part of the peripheral nervous system that allows for muscle control
autonomic nervous system
automatic; internal organs; self-regulated
sympathetic nervous system
arousing (fight or flight)
parasympathetic nervous system
calming (rest and digest)
brainstem
location: top of spinal cord
function: life processes
medulla
location: side of brain stem where it swells and attaches to the brain
functions: heart rate and breathing
pons
location: a small part of the brain stem at the bottom
functions: movement (intrinsic), (sleep)
reticular formation
location: long skinny neural fibers that run up and down the brain stem
functions: arousal (alive, alert, enthusiastic), consciousness (awake, asleep, coma)
thalamus
location: top of spinal cord, all info moves through it to other parts
function: directs sensory info, (senses besides smell)
cerebellum
location: back/bottom next to brainstem
functions: balance, coordination, (movement)
limbic system
location: middle of brain
functions: emotions, basic motives (food/sex)
amygdala
location: next to hippocampus
functions: anger, fear, (identifying emotions on someone’s face)
hypothalamus
location: middle of brain, below pituitary gland
functions: controls pituitary, indirectly controls all hormones, (hunger, body temp, sexual behavior, fight or flight, growth), reward system
cerebral cortex
location: all over brain like bone
functions: higher level function, (perceiving, thinking, speaking)
corpus collosum
location: middle of brain, bundle of fibers
function: connects the two hemispheres of brain
glial cells
location: throughout nervous system
function: support, nourish, protect
hippocampus
location: middle of brain near temporal lobe
function: memories (creation and retrieval)
parts of the brainstem
medulla, pons, reticular formation, thalamus
parts of the limbic system
amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus
neuron
building block for nervous system, carries messages
consists of a soma, dendrites, and an axon
sensory neuron
carries messages from tissues and organs to the brain and spinal cord
motor neuron
carries info from brain and spinal cord to muscles and glands
interneuron
communicates info inside brain/spinal cord between sensory+motor neurons
dendrite
extensions on the neuron that receive messages (bushy-like branches)
axon
end of neuron that sends messages to other neurons (has terminal branches on the end of the neuron)
soma (cell body)
neuron’s control center, contains nucleus
myelin sheath
layer of fatty tissue encasing neuron fibers that speeds up transmission for the axon
action potential
a neural impulse, an electrical shock that travels down an axon
threshold
the level of stimuli required to activate a nerve impulse
synapse
junction between one axon and one dendrite of two neurons, allows for exchange of info
neurotransmitter
creates polarization so that action potentials are made to carry info
reuptake
neurons reabsorb neurotransmitters to avoid constant stimulation
reflex
an automatic response to sensory stimulation (sensory neuron>spinal cord>interneurons>motor neurons>muscles)
depolarization
positive ions enter the neuron, more prone to firing an action potential
hyperpolarization
negative ions enter the neuron, less prone to firing an action potential
refractory period
short rest period to recharge after firing
all-or-none reponse
neuron either fires or doesn’t, not 50%
endorphins
neurotransmitter- pleasure and pain control
agonist
mimics shape and effect of neurotransmitter
antagonist
blocks neurotransmitters from reaching receptors
acetylcholine (ACh)
neurotransmitter- MOVEMENT, learning, memory
not enough=alzheimer’s
dopamine
neurotransmitter- movement, learning, attention, emotion, reward seeking (always the bridesmaid never the bride)
too much=schizophrenia
too little=parkinson’s
serotonin
neurotransmitter- mood, hunger, sleep, arousal
not enough=depression
norepinephrine
neurotransmitter- fight or flight (alertness/arousal)
GABA
inhibitory (alleviate brain activity)
Too much: Huntington’s
Too little: seizures, insomnia
glutamate
excititory
endocrine system
responsible for secretion of hormones for bodily chemical communication
location: glands, bloodstream, tissues, brain
hormones
chemical messengers that affect tissues
adrenal glands
triggers fight or flight response (increases heart rate, BP, blood sugar, energy)
location: on top of kidneys
pituitary gland
growth, controls other glands
location: above hypothalamus
thyroid
metabolism
location: front of neck
parathyroid
regulates level of calcium in the blood
location: behind the thyroid
pancreas
regulates blood sugar levels
location: in abdomen, behind stomach
testis
secretes male sex hormones
location: testicles
ovaries
secretes female sex hormones
location: uterus
electroencephalogram (EEG)
records waves of electrical activity in the brain (neither structure nor function, just overall brain activity)
PET (positron emission tomography scan)
depicts brain activity through each area’s glucose consumption (function)
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
magnetic fields affects atoms to release signals in order to provide a picture (structure)
fMRI (functional MRI)
records a video of blood use by brain structures during activities (function)
CAT scan
x-ray of the brain to examine tissue density (structure)
lesion
tissue destruction, either naturally or experimentally
phrenology
a theory that bumps on the skull reveal mental abilities and character traits
plasticity
the brain’s ability to change based on experience
neurogenesis
the formation of new neurons
split brain
a condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by surgically cutting the fibers connecting them
left vs right brain functions
speech is on left (reading, speaking, verbal memories, grammar)
right= faces, patterns, music, emotional tone of speech
broca’s area
for articulating and speaking words
wernike’s area
language comprehension and deciphering
terminal buttons
the small knobs at the end of an axon that release neurotransmitters
afferent vs efferent
afferent neurons carry information from sensory receptors of the skin and other organs to the brain and spinal cord, whereas efferent neurons carry motor information away from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands of the body.
neuroplasticity
the brain’s ability to change and adapt due to experience
