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PSYCH 100.015 > Brain Functions > Flashcards

Brain Functions Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the action potential?

A

All-or-nothing electrical current that is conducted down the axon when the potential reaches the threshold

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2
Q

What is the axon?

A

Extends off the soma, main output of the neuron

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3
Q

What is the brain stem?

A

“Trunk” of the brain comprised of the medulla, pons, midbrain, and diencephalon

This is in charge of a wide array of “life support functions” breathing, digestion, and beating the heart

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4
Q

What is Broca’s area?

A

Frontal lobe of the left hemisphere, implicated in language production

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5
Q

What is the Central Nervous System?

A

Includes the brain and the spinal cord, has the parts that are mostly responsible for sensory processing

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6
Q

What is the cerebellum?

A

Structure at the back of the brain, “small brain” (big circle lump in the picture), involved in movement and posture

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7
Q

What is the cerebrum?

A

In charge of the processes that associated with awareness and voluntary control such as speaking or planning (seeing, hearing, feeling, and moving), cerebral cortex

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8
Q

What is the limbic system?

A

Collection of specialized neurons that sit at top of brain stem, involved in regulating emotions
(In pictures it is the little dot in the center above the brain stem and next to the cerebellum)

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9
Q

What is the nervous system?

A

The body’s communication network that consists of all nerve cells (central nervous system and peripheral nervous system)

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10
Q

What are neurons?

A

Fundamental building blocks that make up the brain (100 billion of them)

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11
Q

What are synapses?

A

The contact points of neurons

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12
Q

What are dendrites?

A

Receive information from other neurons

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13
Q

What is the soma?

A

Information from dendrites is channeled here (also called the cell body) builds up electro-chemical signal

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14
Q

What is the myelin-sheath?

A

The protective coating covering the axon to help speed up the cell-to-cell communication

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15
Q

What is the synaptic gap?

A

The space between neurons

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16
Q

What are neurotransmitters?

A

Tiny packets of chemicals that travel from one neuron to another, and enabling communication between them

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17
Q

What are sensory neurons?

A

Communication from the environment to the CNS

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18
Q

What are motor neurons?

A

Communicate info from the CNS to the muscles

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19
Q

What are interneurons?

A

Communicate info from one neuron to another

20
Q

What is contralateral?

A

“Opposite side,” the two hemispheres of the brain process sensory information and motor commands for the opposite side of the body

21
Q

What is the corpus callosum?

A

The part of the brain that allows the left and right hemispheres to share information with each other

22
Q

What is split-brain?

A

Had all or most of the corpus callosum severed

If given picture on right patient can say I see the car key and draw with right hand

If given picture on left patient can see nothing and draw with left hand

23
Q

What part of the brain is involved in language and what part with motor skills?

A

Language is associated with the left side and that art of drawing is associated with the right side

24
Q

What is the occipital lobe?

A

Houses the visual aspect (located at the back of cerebral cortex, smallest lobe)

25
Q

What is the temporal lobe?

A

Sounds and smells (located on the underside of the cerebral cortex, bottom one)

26
Q

What is the parietal lobe?

A

Touch and taste (located at the upper back of the cerebral cortex)

27
Q

What is the frontal lobe?

A

Behavioral motor plans are processed, speech and language use, creative problem solving, planning and organizing (front of cerebral cortex)

28
Q

What is the peripheral nervous system?

A

Carries the signals necessary for the body to survive

29
Q

What is the somatic sensory?

A

Touch, pain, temperature, vibration, and sight

30
Q

What is the visceral sensory?

A

Stretch, pain, chemical changes, upset stomach, irritation, and hunger

31
Q

What is the autonomic nervous system?

A

Digestion, heart rate, cardiac muscles, respiration (automatic)

32
Q

What is the somatic nervous system?

A

Skeletal muscle movement

33
Q

What is the sympathetic division?

A

Fight or flight instinct, fear reaction, wants to save your life, sweating, increased heart rate, adrenaline

34
Q

What is the parasympathetic division?

A

Breathing rate, sitting in a class, muscle control subconsciously, relaxing

35
Q

What is positron emission tomography?

A

Records metabolic activity in the brain by detecting amount of radioactive substances (blood flow)

36
Q

What is an fMRI?

A

Measures changes of oxygen in the blood, can’t tell us when the activity occurred in the brain

37
Q

What is an EEG?

A

Measures electrical brain activity, known to have poor spatial inferencing

38
Q

What is temporal resolution?

A

How small a unit of time can be measured

39
Q

What is spatial resolution?

A

How small the elements of an image are

40
Q

What is the medulla?

A

Controls the bodies vital functions such as heart beat and respiration

41
Q

What is the pons?

A

Associated with coordination and controlling sleep

42
Q

What is the glia cell?

A

Clean toxic waste, prevent infection, and transport nutrients to neurons

43
Q

What is the amygdala?

A

Involved in emotions such as fear and anger

44
Q

What is the thalamus?

A

Neural pathways from most of our senses (sensory relay station)

45
Q

What is the hippocampus?

A

Involved in processing conscious memories

46
Q

What is the hypothalamus?

A

Involved in communicating with the pituitary glands (influence hunger, thirst, body temp, and sexual behavior)

PSYCH 100.015 (10 decks)

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