Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

aaa psy > ch 4 > Flashcards

ch 4 Flashcards

1
Q

The Central Nervous System

A

 Brain
 Spinal Cord
 A collection of neurons and supportive tissue
running from the base of the brain down the centre
of the back.
 Protected by spinal column

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Peripheral Nervous System:

A 
 Carries information to and from
the central nervous system.
 43 pairs of nerves.
 31 spinal nerves enter the spine.
 12 cranial nerves enter the brain.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

peripheral nervous system divides into 2

A

somatic: controls skeletal muscles
autonomic: regulates glands, blood vessels, internal organs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

autonomic nervous systems divides into 2

A

sympathetic: mobilizes body for action, energy output

Parasympathetic: conserves energy, maintains quiet state

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Communication in the Nervous System

A

 Neuron
 Conducts electrochemical signals; the basic unit of the nervous system
 Glia
 Cells that support, nurture and insulate neurons, remove debris when
neurons die, enhance the formation and maintenance of neural
connections, and modify neuronal functioning

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

The Structure of Neurons

A 
 Dendrites
 Branches of the neuron that receive
information from other neurons and
transmit it towards the cell body
 Cell Bdy
 The part of the neuron that keeps it
alive and determines whether or not it
will fire
 Axon
 The neuron’s extending fibre that
conducts impulses away from the cell
body and transmits them to other
neurons
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Dendrites

A

Branches of the neuron that receive
information from other neurons and
transmit it towards the cell body

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

 Cell Bdy

A

 The part of the neuron that keeps it
alive and determines whether or not it
will fire

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

 Axon

A

 The neuron’s extending fibre that
conducts impulses away from the cell
body and transmits them to other
neurons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

 Myelin Sheath

A

 A fatty insulation that
may surround the axon
of a neuron

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

 Stem cells

A

 Immature cells that renew themselves and have the potential to
develop into mature cells; stem cells from early embryos can
develop into any type of cells
 Controversial as most stem cells come from embryos which are
only a few days old

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

How Neuron Communicate

A 
 Neurons communicate over synapses
 Communicate by brief changes in
electrical voltages called an action
potential which produces an electrical
current or impulse
 Neural “messages” are sent via a chemical
substance called a neurotransmitter
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Neurotransmitters
 Neurotrasmitters can be either excitatory or inhibitory
 Several types of neurotransmitters

A
  1. Serotonin
     Involved in sleep, appetite, sensory perception, tempurature
    regulation, pain suppression and mood
  2. Dopamine
     Involved in volentary movement, learning, memory, emotion,
    pleasure or reward and response to novelty
  3. Acetylcholine
     Involved in muscle action, cognitive functioning, memory and
    emotion
  4. Norepinephrine
     Involved in increased heart rate and slowing of intestinal activity
    during stress, memory, learning, dreaming waking from sleep and
    emotion
  5. GABA
     Major inhbitory transmitter in the brain
  6. Glutamate
     Major excitatory transmitter; released by about 90% of the brain’s
    neurons
 Endorphins
 Chemical substances in the nervous
system that are similar in structure
and action to opiates; involved in pain
reduction and pleasure
 Hormones
 Chemical substances secreted by
glands that affect the functioning of
other organs include:
1. Melatonin
2. Oxytocin
3. Adrenal Hormones
4. Sex Hormones
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Brain Mapping

A 
Two Approaches
Patients with Damage or Lesions
 Look for changes when an area is damaged
 Remove an area of the brain in animals and
observe effects
Imaging
 Electrical and magnetic detection
 Scanning the brain
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Mapping the Brain

 Lesioning

A

 the function of a part of the brain can be inferred after that
part is damaged or removed
 this can be done intentionally with animals, or we can also
study accidental lesions in humans
 these accidental lesions can be caused by physical trauma
or disease
 brain lesions are much more common in some groups than
others

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Electrical and Magnetic Detection

A

Brain can be probed using electrodes
 Electrodes detect electrical activity of
neurons
 Translates activity in patterns (Brainwaves)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q
  1. Electroencephalogram (EEG)
A 
 Brainwave recoding referred to as EEG
 Method is imprecise due to “noise”
 Can be made more accurate using
“needle electrodes” and
“microelectrodes”
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q
  1. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
A

 Involves delivering a large magnetic disturbance
current through a wire coil on a person’s head
 Acts as a temporary, “virtual” lesion
 Also used to:
 produce motor responses
 temporarily inactivate an area of the brain
 treat depression

19
Q

Scanning the Brain

1. Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

A

 A method for analyzing biochemical activity in the
brain, using injections of a glucose-like substance
containing a radioactive element.
 Active areas have increased blood flow
 Sensors detect radioactivity
 Different tasks show distinct activity
patterns

20
Q

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

A

 Method for studying body and brain tissue.
 Magnetic fields align certain ions and
compounds.
 When field is removed, these molecules
release energy as radio waves.
 Computer calculates tissue density from
radio waves.
 Provides clear, 3D images.
 Both a structural and functional type of
image is possible.

21
Q

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

A

 Uses the same equipment as a structural MRI.
 Oxygen-rich blood has different magnetic properties than oxygen-depleted
blood.
 Can measure which parts of the brain are receiving an increase in blood flow.
 Image can be placed on top of a structural MRI image.

22
Q

The Brain Stem

A 
 Pons
 Involved in sleeping, waking and
dreaming.
v Medulla
Ø Responsible for certain autonomic
functions such as breathing and
heart rate.
v Reticular activating system (or formation)
Ø Arouses cortex and screens incoming
information.
23
Q

Pons

A

 Involved in sleeping, waking and

dreaming.

24
Q

v Medulla

A

Ø Responsible for certain autonomic
functions such as breathing and
heart rate.

25
Q

v Reticular activating system (or formation)

A

Ø Arouses cortex and screens incoming

information

26
Q

The Cerebellum

A 
 Regulates movement and balance.
 Involved in remembering simple
skills and acquired reflexes.
 Plays a part in:
 Analyzing sensory information
 Solving problems
 Understanding words
27
Q

The Thalamus

A 
 Relays sensory messages
to the cerebral cortex.
 Includes all sensory
messages except those
from olfactory bulb.
28
Q

Hypothalamus and Pituitary Gland

A

 Involved in emotions and drives vital to survival.
 fear, hunger, thirst, and reproduction.
 Regulates autonomic nervous system
 Pituitary gland
 Small endocrine gland which releases
hormones and regulates other endocrine
glands.

29
Q

The Amygdala

A 
 Responsible for:
 Arousal
 Regulation of emotion
 The initial emotional response
to sensory information.
 Plays important role in
 Mediating anxiety and
depression
 Emotional memory
30
Q

The Hippocampus

A 
 Responsible for:
 Storage of new information in
memory.
 Comparing sensory information
with what the brain expects
about the world.
 Enabling us to form spatial
memories for navigating the
environment.
31
Q

The Cerebral Cortex

A 
 Largest brain structure
 This upper part of the brain is
divided into two cerebral
hemispheres that are connected
by the corpus callosum.
 In charge of most sensory, motor
and cognitive processes.
 Surrounded by cerebral cortex, a
collection of several thin layers of
cells (grey matter).
32
Q

Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex

A 
Occipital lobes (visual cortex)
 Parietal lobes (somatosensory cortex)
 Temporal lobes
 Memory, perception, emotion and
auditory cortex
 Left lobe, Wernicke’s area
 Frontal lobes
 Emotion, planning, creative
thinking and motor cortex
 Left lobe, Broca’s area
33
Q

Culture’s Impact on Brain Structure

A

Bilinguals may use different brain regions for retrieval in different
languages
 Literacy shapes the distribution of white matter and grey matter in
the brain
 Technological literacy may affect brain activity

34
Q

Phineas Gage

A 
Gage was a railroad construction foreman
 An 1848 explosion forced a steel tamping
rod through his head
 Others said he was “…no longer Gage…”
 Lost his job and worked as a sideshow
exhibit
35
Q

The Two hemispheres of the Brain

A 
 A house divided
 Evidence from:
1. People with lateralized brain damage.
2. People with the two halves of the brain
disconnected
3. People with normal, intact brains
36
Q

Knowing your Lefts and Rights

A 
Knowing your Lefts and Rights
 The Greek physician Hippocrates
discovered that injuries to one side of
the head led to the opposite side of
the body becoming paralyzed or
seizing.
 The left side of the brain controls the
right side of the body.
 The right side of the brain controls the
left side of the body.
37
Q

Functional Differences Between the

Hemispheres

A 
 Basic sensory and motor functions are
the same.
 Higher association areas have
functional differences between the
hemispheres.
 Subject to individual variation, such
as left- or right-handedness.
38
Q

The Corpus Callosum

A 
Millions of myelinated axons
connecting the brain’s
hemispheres.
• Provides a pathway for
communication between
hemispheres.
• If surgically severed to treat
epilepsy, hemispheres cannot
communicate directly.
39
Q

Damage to the Right Hemisphere

results in:

A 
results in:
- Impairments in facial recognition
- Lack of emotion in spoken language
- Poor perception of emotion in
language
- Disorganization of movement
- Less likely to result in depression
than LH damage
40
Q

Evidence from Lateralized Brain Damage

A
  • Problems with language
  • Right side hemiparesis
  • Depression
  • Impairment on tasks requiring
    “logical ordering”
41
Q

Split-Brain Experiments

A 
 Can selectively expose one half of the
brain to visual or tactile Stimulation.
 Normally, this information would be
“shared” between the two
Hemispheres.
42
Q

The Two Hemispheres: Allies or Opposites?

A

Research on split-brain patients shows us:
 Nearly all right-handed and the majority of left-handed individuals
process language mainly in the left hemisphere.
 Many researchers believe in left-hemisphere dominance.
 Others insist the right-hemisphere is important for spatial visual
problem-solving, comprehending non-verbal sounds, and some
language abilities.

43
Q

Sex Difference in the Brain

A

 After analyzing 49 studies of sex differences in brain anatomy,
researchers found small differences between the two groups and larger
differences within groups.
 There do appear to be sex differences in lateralization of language.
Males show left-hemisphere activation only; females, left and right.
 There also appear to be differences in amounts of grey matter: females
have more.

44
Q

What do “Differences” Mean for Behaviour?

A

These supposed differences are stereotypes.
 A brain difference does not necessarily explain behaviour or performance.
 Sex differences in the brain could be the result rather than the cause of
behavioural differences.
 Use your critical thinking skills to evaluate all of the research!

aaa psy (9 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions