Chapter 2 Flashcards
Axon
carries messages away to other neurons
Terminal buttons
Swellings at the tips of axons from which neurotransmitters are dispatched
Synapse
gap between neurons through which neurotransmitters carry neural impulses
Dendrites
Rootlike structures at the end of axons that receive neural impulses
Sensory neurons
Transmit information from sensory organs to the spinal cord and brain
Motor neurons
Transmit nerve impulses from the central nervous system to muscles and glands
Interneurons
Nerve cells within the central nervous system
Glial cells
support neurons and form the myelin sheath
Myelin sheath
A layer of protective insulation that covers the axons of certain neurons and helps speed transmission of nerve impulses
All-or-none principle
Neurons will fire or not (like a gun)
Central nervous system
brain and spinal cord
neuron body
center of neuron
ratio of Glial cells to neurons
9/1
action potential
electrical charge that travels down the axon
neurotransmitters
chemicals that cross synapses
acetycholene
moves from motor neurons to muscles
endorphins
natural pain killers
What do drugs do?
mimic/ extend the effect of neurotransmitters
agonist
extends/excites/promotes effects
antagonist
blocks effects
homeostasis
normal resting state
Why is prolonged morphine use bad?
the body reduces how many endorphins it produces naturally
Central Nervous System
Brain and spinal cord
Peripheral Nervous System
Not Brain and spinal cord
Somatic nervous system
transmits sensory input and directs voluntary motor output
Autonomic nervous system
automatic things
sympathetic nervous system
arouses body
parasympathetic nervous system
calms us down
endocrine system
glands and hormones
adrenal glands
epinephrine and norepinephrine (adrenaline and noradrenaline)
where are the adrenal glands?
above the kidneys
pituitary gland
controls other glands
What hormones does the pituitary gland release?
Growth, ones to make other glands release hormones, oxytocin
What controls the pituitary gland?
The hypothalamus
reticular formation
connects spinal cord to thalamus, controls arousal, sleep, and attention
medulla
swelling at top of spinal cord, controls heart and breathing
Where do nerves cross over to the other side of the brain
medulla
Where is the cerebellum?
base of brain,
thalamus
info form brain stem to cerebral cortex
limbic system
hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus
hippocampus
memory processing
amygdala
on ends of hippocampus, aggression and fear
hypothalamus
controls pituitary gland, below thalamus, regulates temperature, hunger, thirst; pleasure centers
cerebral cortex
all lobes (wrinkly stuff)
frontal lobe
front of brain, planning, decision-making, personality
parietal lobes
behind frontal, association area
occipital lobes
base, above cerebellum, visual info
temporal lobes
auditory, divided in two
motor cortex
sends out messages for motor movement
sensory cortex
receives sensory info from body
association area
routes info to correct areas of the brain
Where is language controlled
left hemisphere
aphasia
impaired language use due to damage on the left hemisphere
damage to Broca’s area
can’t form words
damage to Wernicke’s area
can’t interpret language
split brain
the corpus callosum is severed
corpus callosum
connects two hemispheres of brain
Right hemisphere functions
spacial, insight, sense of self
left hemisphere functions
language
EEG(Electroencephalogram)
gives amplified record of waves of electrical activity in the brain
PET(Positron Emission Tomograph) scan
color pics of brain, inject radioactive sugar
MRI(Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
picture of soft tissues
fMRI(functional)
shows brain activity by comparing blood flow
biological psychologists
study links between behavior and biology
treshold
level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
nerve
bundle of axons
neurogenesis
formation of new neurons
epigenetics
environmental influences on gene expression
what does the cerebellum do?
controls voluntary motor movement, balance, coordination
