Chapter 2 Flashcards
Nervous System
A network of specialized cells that carry information to and from parts of the body.
Neuroscience
A branch of the life sciences that deals with the structure and functioning of the brain and the neurons, nerves, and nervous tissue that form the nervous system.
Relating to behavior and mental process.
Neurons
Specialized cell of the nervous system that receives and sends messages within that system.
Types: Sensory (afferent), motor (efferent)
Parts: dendrites, soma, and axon
Dendrites
“tree-like” or “branch” structure that are attached to the cell body (soma) and receives messages.
Soma
The part of the cell that contains the nucleus and keeps the entire cell alive and functioning. Also called the cell body.
Axon
A fiber attached to the soma, and its job is to carry messages out to other cells.
Glial Cells
Grey fatty cells;The second type of primary cells with a variety of functions including:
- Provide support
- Produce myelin
- Serving as a structure on which the neurons develop and work and that hold the neurons in place
- Getting nutrients to the neurons
- Cleaning up the remains of neurons that have died
- Communicating with neurons and other glial cells
- Proving insulation for neurons
Sensory (afferent) Neurons
Sense organs to CNS.
Motor (efferent) Neurons
CNS to body- muscles and glands.
Ions
Charged particles located inside(-) and outside(+) of a cell (most are positively charged due to diffusion).
Diffusion
The process of ions moving from areas of high concentration to ares of low concentration, and electrostatic pressure, the relative electrical charges when the ions are at rest.
Resting Potential
When the cell is resting, the electrical potential is at a state of rest.
Sodium atoms cannot enter at this time because the particular channels for big sodium ions aren’t open yet.
Action Potential
Electrical charge reversal where the electrical potential is now in action and each action potential sequence takes about one thousandth of a second (neural message travels very fast).
Now cell is positive on inside and negative on outside.
Neural impulse where sodium ion enter the cell change.
All-or-none
When a neuron fires at full strength or not at all.
There is no “in-between” or “partial” firing.
Excitatory Neurotransmitter
Tells next cell to FIRE.
Inhibitory Neurotransmitter
Tells next cell to STOP.
Neurotransmitters
Inside the synaptic vesicles are chemicals suspended in fluid, which are molecules of substances.
They are inside a neuron and they are going to transmit a message.
Synapse (synaptic gap)
Space between the axon terminal and the dendrite that allow sodium ions to rush in.
Receptor Sites
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Excitatory synapses
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Inhibitory synapses
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Antagonist
A chemical substance that blocks or reduces the effects of a neurotransmitter.
Agonists
A chemical substance that mimics or enhances the effects of a neurotransmitter.
Acetycholine
Muscle action, learning, & memory
Excitatory or inhibitory; involved in arousal, attention, memory, and controls muscle contractions
Dopamine
Movement, attention, & learning.
Excitatory or inhibitory; involved in control of movement and sensations.
Serotonin
Regulation of mood, sleep, arousal.
Excitatory to inhibitory; involved in sleep, mood, anxiety, and appetite.
Norepinephrine
Control of alertness & wakefulness.
Mainly excitatory; involved in arousal and mood.
Gaba-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
Major inhibitory NT, associated w/sleep & eating disorders.
Major inhibitory neurotransmitter; involved in sleep and inhibits movement.
- Acetylcholine
- Dopamine
- Serotonin
- Norepinephrine
- GABA
A. Regulation of mood, sleep, arousal
B. Muscle action, learning, & memory
C. Control of alertness & wakefulness
D. Major inhibitory NT, associated w/sleep & eating disorders
E. Movement, attention, & learning
- B
- E
- A
- C
- D
The Somatic Nervous System
Carries sensory information and controls movement of the skeletal muscles.
PNS-voluntary action
Sensory System (afferent)
Compromises all the nerves carrying messages from senses to CNS.
Motor System (efferent)
All of the nerves carrying messages from CNS to the voluntary or skeletal muscles and glands of the body.
The Autonomic Nervous System
Automatically regulars glands, internal organs and blood vessels, pupil dilation, digestion, and blood pressure.
Divided into two systems:sympathetic division and parasympathetic division
PNS- involuntary actions
Sympathetic Division
Prepares the body to react and expend energy in times of stress. “fight or flight”
*dilates pupil and stimulates tear glands, decreases salivation, increases heart, dilates bronchi, decreases digestive functions of stomach, pancreas, and intestines, and inhibits bladder contract.
Parasympathetic Division
Maintains body functions under ordinary conditions; saves energy.
*Constricts pupil and inhibits tear glands, slows heart, increases salivation, constricts bronchi, increases digestive functions of stomach, pancreas and intestines, and allows bladder contraction.
The Central Nervous System
Composed of the brain and spinal cord which are composed of neurons and glial cells that control the life-sustaining functions of the body as well as thought, emotion, and behavior.
Deep Lesioning
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Electrical Stimulation of the brain (ESB)
Simulating a specific area of the brain, but no neurons are damaged. Causes neurons to react as if they had received a message.
Human Brain Damage
Clinical study
Electroencephalograph (EEG)
Device used to study the activity of the living brain by recording electrical activity of the cortex just below the skull.
Computed Tomography (CT)
Involves mapping “slices” of the brain by computer.
Can show stroke damage, tumors, injuries, and abnormal brain structure. Can see when there is metal in the body and is useful for imaging possible skull fractures.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Allows doctors to see effects of small strokes.
Placed inside a machine that generates a powerful magnetic field to align hydrogen atoms in the brain tissues then radio pulses are used to make the atoms spin at a particular frequency and direction.
Functional MRI (fMRI)
The computer tracks changes in the oxygen levels of the blood, providing information on the brain’s functions as well.
Can identify what parts of the brain are active during specific tasks.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
The person is injected with a radioactive glucose; the computer detects the activity of the brain cells by looking at which cells are using up the radioactive glucose and projecting the image of that activity onto a monitor.
Uses different colors to indicate different levels of brain activity, with lighter colors indicating great activity.
The Brain Stem
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Medulla
Part of the hindbrain that controls heartbeat, breathing, and swallowing.
Life-sustaining functions
Pons
Part of the hindbrain that relays messages between the cerebellum and the cortex.
Alertness, coordination, and arousal.
Reticular Formation (RF)
A system of nerves running from the hindbrain and through the midbrain to the cerebral cortex, controlling arousal and attention (selective).
Cerebellum
Part of the hindbrain that controls balance and maintains muscle coordination.
Movement.
Structures Under the Cortex
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Limbic System
Involved in learning, emotions, memory, and motivation.
Includes thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and the cingulate cortex.
Thalamus
Part of the forebrain that relays information from sensory organs to the cerebral cortex.
Relay station.
Olfactory Bulbs
Receptors of smell.
Hypothalamus
Part of the forebrain that regulates the amount of fear, thirst, sexual drives, and aggression we feel.
Motivational behavior, controls the pituitary gland (master endocrine gland).
Hippocampus
Plays a role in our learning, memory, and ability to compare sensory information to expectations.
Amygdala
Influences our motivation, emotional control, fear response, and interpretations of nonverbal emotional expressions.
Emotion center-fear, fear responses and fear memory.
Cortex (cerebral cortex)
Controls complex thought processes, interpretation of sensation.
Corticalization
Wrinkling of the cortex , larger surface area.
Cerebral Hemispheres
Right and left
Corpus callosum
Connects hemispheres of the brain.
Four Lobes of the Brain
Occipital, Parietal, Temporal, Frontal
Occipital Lobe
Processes visual information from the eyes in the primary visual cortex.
Primary Visual Cortex
Area of the occipital lobe that processes visual input.
Visual Association Cortex
Helps identify and make sense of visual information from the eyes.
Parietal Lobes
Processes information from the skin and internal body receptors for touch, taste, temperature, and body position.
-tactile sensations
Somatosensory Cortex
The cells at the top of the brain receive information from the bottom of the body and as one moves down the area, the signals come from higher and higher in the body.
Temporal Lobes
Hearing and meaningful speech.
-processes hearing
Primary Auditory Cortex
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Auditory Association Cortex
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Frontal Lobes
Complex mental processes,
planning, personality, memory storage, complex decision making, and areas devoted to language.
Motor Cortex
A band of neurons located at the back of each lobe. Control movements of the body’s voluntary muscles by sending command sour to the somatic division of the peripheral nervous system.
Broca’s Area
Found in the left frontal lobe; responsible for the production of speech.
Wernicke’s Area
Found in the left temporal lobe; responsible for the meaningfulness of words/speech.
Broca’s Aphasia
The inability to use or understand either written to spoken language; Unable to speak fluently, mispronounce words, and speak haltingly.
Wernicke’s Aphasia
Would be able to speak fluently and pronounce words correctly, but the words would be the wrong ones entirely; Unable to understand or produce meaningful language.
Spatial Neglect Syndrome
Damage to an association area (right side) cause neglect or inability to identify information/objects.
ex. stroke in the right hemisphere; left side of model is almost completely ignored.
Lateralization
Division of functions between right and left hemispheres.
Split-brain
In life-threatening epilepsy, the corpus callosum can be cut.
Split-brain Research
- Study of patients with severed corpus callosum.
- Involves sending messages to the only one side of the brain.
- Demonstrates right and left brain specialization.
Left Side of the Brain
Control written and spoken language, right hand movement, logical thought, reading, analysis of detail, and mathematical calculations.
- Processes information sequentially.
- Verbal
Right Side of the Brain
Controls emotional thought and recognition, processes the whole, pattern and facial recognition, music/melodies/artistic processing, visual-spacial perception, and left hand movement.
- Processes information globally.
- Nonverbal
The Endocrine System
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Endocrine Glands
Glands that secrete chemicals called hormones directly into the bloodstream.
Affect behavior and emotions by influencing the activity of the brain and by controlling muscles and organs such as the heart, pancreas, and sex organs.
Hormones
- Affect behavior and emotions
- Controlling muscles and organs
Pituitary Gland
Located in the brain itself, just below the hypothalamus.
Master glad that controls or influences all of the other endocrine glands.
Controls things associated with pregnancy and levels of water in the body.
Pineal Gland
Located in the brain near the back, directly above the brain stem.
Secretes a hormone called melatonin, which helps track day length (and seasons).
Thyroid Gland
Located inside the neck and secretes hormones that regulate growth and metabolism.
Hormone called thyroxin, regulates metabolism.
Pancreas
Controls the level of blood sugar in the body by secreting insulin and glucagon.
Too little: diabetes
Too much: hypoglycemia
Gonads
Sex glands (ovaries and testes)
Secrete hormones that regulate sexual behavior and reproduction.
Do not control all sexual behavior.
Ovaries
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Testes
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Adrenal Glands
Everyone has 2, one on top of each kidney.
Each one divided into two sections, adrenal medulla and adrenal cortex.
Releases epinephrine and norepinephrine when people are under stress, and aids in sympathetic arousal.
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It’s midnight, and you are alone in your room studying. You hear a loud crash outside your room, and your whole body reacts instantly and furiously. The system that produces these reactions is the ________ system.
a. central nervous
b. sympathetic nervous
c. limbic
d. parasympathetic nervous
B
The autonomic nervous system is responsible for:
a. sending sensory input to the brain.
b. controlling the skeletal muscles.
c. making choices and decisions.
d. the activity of internal organs and glands.
D
The structure in the hindbrain that controls certain reflexes and coordinates the body’s movements is the ________.
a. medulla
b. pons
c. reticular formation
d. cerebellum
D
The part of the brain that receives sensations of touch, balance, bodily position, and oversees spatial abilities is the ________.
a. occipital lobe
b. frontal lobe
c. parietal lobe
d. temporal lobe
C
The pituitary gland is controlled by the:
a. hypothalamus.
b. brainstem.
c. reticular formation.
d. spinal cord.
A
The part of the neuron that carries outgoing messages either to another neuron or to a muscle or gland is the
a. axon
b. myelin sheath
c. cell body
d. dendrite
A
The cell body is enclosed by the
a. cell membrane
b. dendrite
c. myelin sheath
d. axon
A
The small gap between adjacent neurons is the:
a. terminal.
b. synaptic cleft.
c. myelin sheath.
d. glia.
B
The branch of the autonomic nervous system that prepares the body for quick action in an emergency is the ________ division.
a. parasympathetic
b. sympathetic
c. central
d. secondary
B
Chemical substances released by the endocrine glands to help regulate bodily functions are ________.
a. neurotransmitters
b. enzymes
c. antigens
d. hormones
D
The myelin sheath:
a. is a fatty substance protecting the dendrites.
b. is found in all neurons.
c. protects the cell’s vesicles.
d. helps to speed up neural messages within the cell.
D
The cerebellum ________.
a. relays messages from the sensory receptors
b. coordinates actions so that movements are efficient
c. controls blood pressure
d. is involved in emotional behavior
B
A long structure leaving the cell body that action potential travel along is called the ________.
a. myelin sheath
b. dendrite
c. axon
d. cell membrane
C
The process of digesting your last snack or meal or the unconscious regulation of your breathing are all primarily rooted in the ________ nervous system.
a. limbic
b. autonomic
c. somatic
d. secondary
B
The deer waits motionlessly, hidden in the thicket as the band of hunters approach. As they get closer, their dogs bark, picking up the scent of their prey. In a futile effort to escape, the deer bolts. Which of the following most accurately describes the nervous system of the hunted deer at this point?
a. Its parasympathetic nerve fibers are more active than its sympathetic nerve fibers.
b. Its sympathetic nerve fibers are more active than its parasympathetic nerve fibers.
c. Both its sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve fibers are equally active.
d. Neither its sympathetic nor its parasympathetic nerve fibers are aroused.
B
The area in the back of the temporal lobe that is important in our ability to listen and in processing and understanding what others are saying is ________.
a. Korsakoff’s area
b. Broca’s area
c. Wernicke’s area
d. Sach’s area
C
The glands that secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream are called ________.
a. exocrine glands
b. hippocampal glands
c. endocrine glands
d. lymph glands
C
The part of the brain which controls hearing, does some additional processing of visual information, and is probably the site of permanent memory storage is:
a. the parietal lobe.
b. the temporal lobe.
c. the frontal lobe.
d. the occipital lobe.
B
The part of the brain which interprets visual information is the ________.
a. temporal lobe
b. parietal lobe
c. occipital lobe
d. frontal lobe
C
Neurons are:
a. chemical transmitters found in the hypothalamus.
b. cells that send and receive information.
c. bundles of nerves.
d. cells in the brain that are believed to help clean and feed brain cells.
B
A synapse is most important in:
a. separating the medulla from the hindbrain.
b. connecting the basal ganglia.
c. regulating the parasympathetic nervous system.
d. the process of transmitting messages between neurons.
D
Neurons in the brain that carry messages from one neuron to another and do most of the work of the nervous system are called ________.
a. active neurons
b. interneurons
c. efferent neurons
d. afferent neurons
B
The part of the nervous system that allows the brain to regulate digestion, heart rate, and respiration without our conscious attention is the:
a. central nervous system.
b. spinal cord.
c. autonomic nervous system.
d. somatic nervous system.
C
Eating, drinking, sexual behavior, temperature control, and sleeping are most strongly influenced by the:
a. hypothalamus.
b. medulla.
c. thalamus.
d. cerebral cortex.
A
Dendrites:
a. carry messages to cell bodies.
b. are contained within the cell nucleus.
c. may be up to a quarter of a mile long.
d. are primarily responsible for the hypothalamic functions of regulation and motivation of sexual functions.
A