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brain Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the CNS composed of?

A

The brain and spinal cord.

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2
Q

What is the role of the CNS?

A

Transmits and receives messages to and from the PNS.

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3
Q

What is the PNS composed of?

A

Divided into the Somatic Nervous System and the Autonomic Nervous System.

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4
Q

What is the role of the PNS?

A

Network of nerves that transmits information between the sense organs, muscles and glands alongside the CNS.

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5
Q

What does the brain do as part of the CNS?

A

Organises, integrates and interprets neural messages.

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6
Q

What does the spinal cord do as part of the CNS?

A

Connects brain and PMS.

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7
Q

What is brain localisation?

A

It refers to the theory that specific areas of the brain are associated with particular physical and psychological functions.

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8
Q

What is the structure of the brain?

A

The cerebral cortex of the brain is divided into two hemispheres: the left and right.

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9
Q

What is lateralisation?

A

The idea that certain physical or psychological functions are controlled by certain hemispheres of the brain.

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10
Q

List the functions of the right brain.

A

Art awareness, creativity, imagination, intuition, holistic thought music awareness, 3D forms and left-hand control.

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11
Q

List the functions of the left brain.

A

Analytical thought, logic, language, reasoning, science and maths, written, number skills and right-hand control.

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12
Q

What is the main role of the right hemisphere?

A

Processes information that cannot be verbalised (e.g., generating mental images of senses, spacial organisation. visual data).

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13
Q

What is the main role of the left hemisphere?

A

Dominates speech (including reading and writing), understanding speech, speaking and verbal memory (remembering things that were heard).

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14
Q

What are the five main parts of the brain?

A

Frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, temporal lobe and the cerebellum.

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15
Q

What is the main function of the frontal lobe?

A

Controls important cognitive skills such as judgement, speech, learning, reasoning, problem solving and memory. Each side controls voluntary muscle movements on the opposite side of the body.

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16
Q

What is the main function of the parietal lobe?

A

Organises sensory information from various body parts and processing sensations such as touch, temperature and pain which provides self-perception. It also allows for controlled precise movements such as writing, alongside location awareness that provides understanding of item locations in relation to ourselves and to categorise linked items.

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17
Q

What is the main function of the occipital lobe?

A

Helps recognise and understand what we see by processing visual information from the eyes. It aids in the identification of shapes, colours, movement, places and faces, alongside depth perception and understanding 3D space.

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18
Q

What is the main function of the temporal lobe?

A

Linked with memory and recalling past experiences, in addition to understanding the meaning words and linking them to objects. It is key in processing emotions and how we feel about situations, and plays a role in processing sensory signals like sight and sound.

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19
Q

What is the main function of the cerebellum?

A

Coordinates movement and helps us maintain balance, with a key role in muscle actions and controlling eye movement.

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20
Q

Where is language processed?

A

Left hemisphere.

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21
Q

Where does speech production occur?

A

Left frontal lobe, specifically Broca’s area.

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22
Q

Where does language comprehension occur?

A

Left temporal lobe, specifically Wernicke’s area.

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23
Q

What is the limbic system?

A

The centre for emotions - controls appetite, sleep patterns and is an important aspect of motivation.

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24
Q

What is the limbic system comprised of?

A

Olfactory cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, brain stem, thalamus and hypothalamus.

25
Q

What is the main function of the olfactory cortex?

A

Sense of smell.

26
Q

What is the main function of the amygdala?

A

Feelings of fear.

27
Q

What is the main function of the hippocampus?

A

Memory and knowledge.

28
Q

What is the main function of the brain stem?

A

Delivers messages from one side of the brain to the other. Responsible for breathing, heart rate and blood pressure, acting as a relay station which passes messages back and forth throughout the body and brain.

29
Q

What is the main function of the thalamus?

A

Relays sensory information (besides smell). It interprets pain, temperature, light, touch and pressure with a role in emotion and memory.

30
Q

What is the main function of the hypothalamus?

A

Ensures homeostasis by monitoring water levels, hormone concentrations and temperature of the blood whilst regulating food and drink intake and aiding in staying aware and asleep.

31
Q

What are neurons composed of?

A

Dendrites, a soma (cell body) and an axon.

32
Q

What types of matter do neurons form?

A

Grey and white matter.

33
Q

What is the function of grey matter and what is it composed of?

A

Composed of dendrites and cell bodies, it is where interactions among neurons occur.

34
Q

What is the function of white matter and what is it composed of?

A

Composed of bundles of axons that connect areas of grey matter, these specialise in communication between the brain, spinal cord and rest of the body.

35
Q

What are the different types of neurons?

A

Motor, inter, sensory and principle neurons.

36
Q

What is the main function of motor neurons?

A

Controls activity of the skeletal muscles, smooth muscles and glands.

37
Q

What is the main function of inter neurons?

A

Provides connections between other neurons in the brain and spinal cord, and connects sensory and motor neurons.

38
Q

What is the main function of sensory neurons?

A

Responsible for carrying information from sensory organs to the brain/spinal cord.

39
Q

What is the main function of principle neurons?

A

Found in the brain; they send axons to other brain regions.

40
Q

What is a nerve impulse?

A

Information is carried through the cell body and down the axon in the form of an electrical signal - solely one direction.

41
Q

How do nerve impulses travel?

A

Begins at the dendrite, travels through the cell body and the axon. Once at the axon, it reaches the axon terminal, with dendrites from neighbouring neurons in close proximity. When the nerve impulse reaches the axon terminal, it causes the release if chemicals (neurotransmitters) that travel across the gap (synapse) between the axon terminal and the neibouring dendrite.

42
Q

How do neurons communicate if they do not touch eachother?

A

Neurotransmitters have receptors in the neibouring dendrite, triggering a nerve impulse to travel down the neibouring neuron - this change can either inhibit or excite.

43
Q

What is information flow in neurons?

A

The release of chemical substances into the space between the axon and dendrites.

44
Q

Describe the process of information flow.

A

Neurons receive information from other neurons or sense organs through its dendrites > Inputs are integrated and action potentials are generated in the soma > Action potentials travel from the soma down the length of the axon to the synapse.

45
Q

What is a neural impulse?

A

The electrochemical transmission of information from one neuron to another.

46
Q

What is the order of a neural impulse?

A

Dendrite > soma > axon > terminal buttons > synapse.

47
Q

What is action potential?

A

A very brief shift in the neuron’s electrical charge that travels along an axon from soma to terminal buttons.

48
Q

What is a neuron threshold?

A

The point between whether the cell has enough energy to ‘fire’ the neural impulse. Once the threshold is reached, the neuron cannot send another impulse until it is repolarised (recharged).

49
Q

How does the CNS depend on the PNS?

A

The CNS requires information from the outside environment and other body parts which comes from the PNS.

50
Q

How does the PNS depend on the CNS?

A

The PNS requires information processes by the CNS for the PNS to initiate a response and carry it throughout the body.

51
Q

What is the somatic nervous system?

A

A network of nerves that transmits information from sensory receptor cells to the CNS. It also carries information from the CNS to the muscles that control movement of bone (known as the skeletal nervous system).

52
Q

What is the autonomic nervous system?

A

A network of nerves that links the CNS with the body’s internal organs/glands, providing feedback to the brain on their activities.

53
Q

What processes are involuntary (autonomous)?

A

Heartbeat, breathing, digestion and perspiration.

54
Q

What branches are involved as part of the autonomic nervous system?

A

Sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system.

55
Q

What is the sympathetic nervous system?

A

Involved in arousing the body in response to a perceived threat or emergency, activating widespread and dramatic bodily changes which enhances survival.

56
Q

What is the parasympathetic nervous system?

A

Involved in the maintenance of processes that conserve and protect our bodily functions, maintaining homeostasis and counterbalancing activities of the sympathetic nervous system.

57
Q

List examples of the parasympathetic nervous system response.

A

Stimulating salivation, digestion and constricting pupils.

58
Q

What are neurotransmitters?

A

Chemical messages that transmit signals across a chemical synapse, such as a neuromuscular junction, from one neuron to another.

59
Q

How are neurotransmitters affected by drugs?

A

It interferes with their interaction with receptors, disrupting a cell’s production, storage and release of neurotransmitters. It additionally stops neurotransmitters from deactivating (reabsorption back into the axon terminal from where it was released).

psychology (3 decks)

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