Brain Flashcards
glial cells
- provide scaffolding to guide the growth of developing neurons and support mature neurons
- they wrap themselves around the runs and form a kind of insulation to prevent interference from other electrical signals
- release chemicals that influence a neurons gross and function
neuron
- brain cell with two specialized extensions
- one extension is for receiving electrical signals
- the second, longer extension is for transmitting electrical signals
mind/body question
-asks how complex mental activities, such as feeling, thinking, and learning, it can be explained by the physical, chemical, and electrical activities of the brain
Francis Crick
- believes the mind is the brain, the mind and brain are the same
- personal identity and free will do not exist
Roger Sperry
-brains chemicals influence consciousness and mental activities which in turn influence the production of more or other brain chemicals
dendrites
-branch like extensions that arise from the cell body; they receive signals from other neurons, muscles, or sense organs and pass the signals to the cell body
- what is Alzheimer’s disease?
- what does it do?
- how does it help us understand about brain function?
- 10% begin after 50 years 90% being after 65 years
- initial symptoms: problems with memory, just forgetting and repeating things, getting lost, and being mildly confused
- cognitive deficits: problems with language, difficulties in recognizing objects, and inability to plan and organize tasks
- 5-10 years later symptoms worsen: profound memory loss, don’t recognize family and friends, deterioration in personality, and emotional outbursts
- widespread damage to brain,me specially hippocampus (involved with memory)
- relatively little mental activity occurring in brain
- destroys neurons
end bulbs
- located at the extreme ends of the axons branches
- stores chemicals called neurotransmitters which are used to communicate with neighboring cells
synapse
-and infinitely small space that exist between and and bold and it’s adjacent body organ, muscles, or cell body
axon
- single threadlike structure
- carry signals away from, the cell body to neighboring neurons, organs, or muscles
myelin sheath
- looks like a separate tubelike segments composed of fatty material that wraps/insulates an axon
- prevents interference from electrical signals generated in adjacent axons
central nervous system
- made up of neurons located in the brain and spinal cord
- made up of neurons and bundles of axons and dendrites that carry info back-and-forth between the brain and the body
peripheral nervous system
-carries messages to and from various muscles, glands, and sense organs located throughout the body
how a neurotransmitter works
- end bulbs contain neurotransmitter
- action potential causes end bulbs to eject neurotransmitter
- cross synapse
- land on surface of nearby dendrites
- surface of dendrite has receptors where it acts like a chemical lock
inhibitory neurotransmitter
- block chemical locks in the heart muscle and decrease its heart rate
- calming down after getting mad is the release of inhibitory neurotransmitters
excitatory neurotransmitter
- open chemical locks in the heart muscle and cause it to be faster
- when you get very angry, excitatory transmitters may cause your heart rate to double or even triple it’s really
- GABA neurons
- how they work
- how alcohol affects GABA neurons
- some neurons are excited by a neurotransmitter, GABA, which the brain normally manufactures
- decreases neural activity and overall produce inhibitory effect, such as reduction in anxiety and tension, loss of inhibitions and self-control, and often an increase in friendliness
- alcohol molecules closely resemble GABA neurotransmitters, alcohol can function like GABA keys and open GABA receptors, exciting GABA neurons
