C2. P3 Flashcards
What 3 things does the reticular formation do?
Manages sleep-wake cycle, experience pain, and filtering sensory information
What part of the brain is affected during anesthesia to keep us asleep?
Reticular formation
What 3 processes keep us asleep during surgery?
Reduce in arousal, initiate unconsciousness, and maintain unconsciousness
Your grandpa went to the doctors for an annual checkup. While there, they assessed his brain and found some possible damage in his reticular formation. What could happen as a result?
A permanent coma could arise
Your friend has recently been sleepy during school and will fall asleep in her classes. She can’t stay awake for long, even when she sleeps 9 hours a night. Why might this be happening?
A dysfunction in the reticular formation
What is the pathway neurons must take to experience conscious pain?
Signals must travel up the spinal cord and be processed in the cerebral cortex. It travels through the reticular formation (surrounded by the spinal cord and thalamus)
True or false: The reticular formation can block pain signals from reaching the cortex.
True
What is habituation?
Repeated exposure to a sensory stimulus lessens the stimulus’ intensity and stops neurons firing
How does the reticular formation and thalamus help with background or constant information?
It filters it out and we barely notice them
What is the thalamus connected to?
The midbrain and reticular formation
What does the thalamus do?
Route incoming sensory information to the brain’s cortex (except smell)
Where does the thalamus send sensory information?
Cerebral cortex
What do the parts of the brain do to play a role in the attention orienting process?
Orient conscious attention to the most meaningful things in our environment for us and filter out sensory stimuli that are irrelevant or unimportant
The three parts of the brain play a big role in attention orienting process?
Reticular formation, thalamus, and basal ganglia
What is the cocktail party phenomenon?
The ability to focus one’s attention to a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli
What is the orienting response?
Grabbing and refocusing of conscious attention, largely without our intention
What makes up the basal ganglia?
Oddly shaped nuclei that wraps around thalamus and extends into the temporal lobes
What three things does the basal ganglia do?
Error detection, reward management, and movement
What area of the basal ganglia helps us with error detection?
The area behind the frontal lobe
What could be a cause for OCD?
Excessive activity in the error detection area of the basal ganglia
What could be a cause for ADHD?
Under activity in the error detection area of the basal ganglia
What two parts of the brain work together for the reward system?
Basal ganglia and hypothalamus
Which hormone releases in the reward system of the brain?
Dopamine
What does the basal ganglia do for the reward system?
It learns from experiences which behaviors are more likely to obtain rewards
My dad gambles and goes to the casino everyday. Why does he do this instead of loving me?
The basal ganglia releases dopamine when winning bets, not when he’s spending time with his daughter
What structures work with the basal ganglia to smooth our movements?
The cerebellum and midbrain
Can the basal ganglia block movement signals?
yes
A nurse finds that one of her patients can’t hold a glass of water. When observed, she noticed that her hand was shaking involuntarily. What disease might this be and what might be causing it?
Parkinson’s disease, which can occur from dysfunction near the midbrain
A patient has come to you stating that they have jerky body movements, unsmooth motion, mood related problems, and difficulty speaking. You learn that their basal ganglia isn’t producing dopamine correctly. What disease do they have?
Huntington’s disease
