Biopsychology Flashcards
What is a Nueron?
The fundamental units of the brain and nervous system, the cells responsible for receiving sensory input from the external world,
What do the dendrites do?
Receive signals from other celss
what does the Axon Hillock do?
Generates impulse in the Neuron
What does the Axon do?
Transfers Signals to other cells and organs
What does the Myelin Sheath do?
Increase speed of signal
What is the SYnapse
synapse is the space between the terminal button of one neuron and the dendrite of another neuro
What is action potential
During the action potential, the electrical charge across the membrane changes
dramatically.
What is reputake
Once an action potential has occurred, excess neurotransmitters in the synapse
either drift away, are broken down or are reabsorbed.
What is a Neurotransmitter?
chemical messenger of the nervous system.
The Peripheral nervous system is made up of two different parts:
Somatic nervous system -. Autonomic nervous system -
. Autonomic nervous system -
- controls our internal organs and glands and can be
divided into the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic nervous systems.
Somatic nervous system
relays sensory and motor information to and from the
CNS.
THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
A series of glands that produce hormones to regulate normal body functions.
The cerebral cortex –
higher
level processes
Thalamus
- sensory relay
Hypothalamus
- homeostasis
Pituitary gland
master
gland of the endocrine
system
- Limbic system –
emotion and
memory circuit
THE FRONTAL LOBE
Involved in executive functioning (planning, organization, judgement, attention,
reasoning), motor control, emotion, and language.
Broca’s area -
in frontal lobe, region in the left hemisphere that is essential for language production.
THE PARIETAL LOBE
Involved in processing various
sensory and perceptual
information.
THE TEMPORAL LOBE
Associated with hearing, memory, emotion and some aspects of language.
Located on the side of the head (near the temples
Wernicke’s area -
important for speech
comprehension.
THE OCCIPITAL LOBE
Associated with visual processing.
THE THALAMUS
The thalamus serves as the relay center of the brain where most senses (excluding
smell) are routed before being directed to other areas of the brain for processing.
THE LIMBIC SYSTEM
The Limbic system is involved in mediating emotional response and memory.
Amygdala -
involved in our experience
of emotion and tying emotional meaning
to our memories. Involved in processing
fear.
Hippocampus
structure associated
with learning and memory (in particular
spatial memory).
Hypothalamus
– regulates homeostatic
processes including body temperature,
appetite and blood pressure
THE MIDBRAIN
Reticular formation - important in regulating the sleep/wake cycle, arousal,
alertness, and motor activity.
THE HINDBRAIN
Medulla - controls automated processes like breathing, blood pressure, and heart
rate.
Pons - connects the brain and the spinal cord; involved in regulating brain activity
during sleep.
Cerebellum - controls our balance, coordination, movement, and motor skills, and it
is thought to be important in processing some types of memory
ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY
Involves recording the electrical activity of the brain via electrodes on the scalp.
COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY (CT) SCAN
Involves x-rays and creates an image through x-rays passing through varied
densities within the brain.
POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY (PET) SCAN
A PET scan is helpful for showing activity
in different parts of the brain
MRI AND FMRI
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) -
magnetic fields used to produce a
picture of the tissue being imaged.Functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI) - MRI that show
changes in metabolic activity over
time.
