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PSYC 212 > Chapter 2: Basic Principles of Sensory Physiology > Flashcards

Chapter 2: Basic Principles of Sensory Physiology Flashcards

1
Q

neurons

A

store electrical signals

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2
Q

cell body

A

contains mechanisms to keep the cell alive

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3
Q

dendrites

A

branch out from the cell body to receive electrical signals from other neurons

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4
Q

axon

A

filled with fluid that conducts electrical signals

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5
Q

sensory receptors

A

neurons specialized to respond to environmental stimuli

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6
Q

how are electrical signals measured

A

using small electrodes

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7
Q

recording electrode

A

an electrode with its recording tip inside the neuron

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8
Q

reference electrode

A

an electrode located some distance away from the neuron so it is not affected by the electrical signals

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9
Q

what is the resting potential of a neuron?

A

the negative charge of the neuron relative to its surroundings (-70 mV)

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10
Q

action potential

A

a predictable rise and fall of the charge inside the axon relative to the outside

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11
Q

what is the neuron’s membrane potential at the peak of an action potential?

A

40 mV

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12
Q

propagated response

A

once the response is triggered, it travels down the axon without decreasing in size

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13
Q

refractory period

A

the interval between the time one nerve impulse occurs and the next one can be generated in the axon

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14
Q

spontaneous activity

A

action potentials that occur in the absence of environmental stimuli

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15
Q

size of an action potential

A

remains the same no matter how intense the stimulus is

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16
Q

changing the stimulus intensity & action potentials

A

affects the rate of firing

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17
Q

ions

A

molecules that carry an electric charge

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18
Q

where is Na+ most concentrated

A

outside the axon

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19
Q

where is K+ most concentrated?

A

inside the axon

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20
Q

permeability

A

the ease with which a molecule can pass through the membrane

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21
Q

depolarization

A

an increase in positive charge inside the neuron

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22
Q

what causes depolarization

A

an inflow of positively charged sodium ions

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23
Q

hyperpolarization

A

an increase in the negative charge inside the neuron

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24
Q

what causes hyperpolarization

A

the rush of positively charged potassium ions out of the neuron

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25
Q

sodium-potassium pump

A

continuously pumps sodium out and potassium into the neuron to maintain the resting potential

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26
Q

synapse

A

the small space between neurons

27
Q

neurotransmitter

A

chemical messengers that are stored in synaptic vesicles

28
Q

excitatory response

A

When the neuron becomes depolarized and the inside of the neuron becomes more positive

29
Q

inhibitory response

A

when the neuron becomes hyperpolarized and the inside of the neuron becomes more negative

30
Q

sensory coding

A

how neurons represent various characteristics in the environment

31
Q

specificity coding

A

a specialized neuron that responds only to one concept or stimulus

32
Q

grandmother cell

A

another word for specificity coding

33
Q

quiroga neural representation study

A

in patients undergoing brain surgery for epilepsy, some neurons responded to many ways of representing a person or building

34
Q

sparse coding

A

when a particular stimulus is represented by a pattern of firing of only a small group of neurons, with the majority of the neurons remaining silent

35
Q

population coding

A

our experiences are represented by the pattern of firing across a large number of neurons

36
Q

phrenology

A

observing the skull to determine an individual’s psychological attributes

37
Q

modularity

A

specific brain areas are specialized to respond to specific types of stimuli or functions. Made evident by Broca’s & Wernicke’s areas

38
Q

broca’s area

A

an area in the left frontal lobe responsible for speech production

39
Q

wernicke’s area

A

an area in the temporal lobe involved in understanding speech

40
Q

neuropsychology

A

relating the location of brain damage to specific effects on behaviour

41
Q

brain imaging

A

recording brain responses to create pictures of the location of the brain’s activity

42
Q

Magnetic Resonance Imagining (MRI)

A

a technique used to reveal brain structures

43
Q

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

A

enables researchers to determine how various types of cognitions activate different areas of the brain

44
Q

how do fMRIs work?

A

Takes advantage of the fact that blood flow increases in activated brain areas. Hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood contains a ferrous molecule and has magnetic properties

45
Q

voxels

A

small cube-shaped subdivisions of the brain

46
Q

reading an fMRI

A

Hotter colours indicate higher activation and cooler colours indicate lower activation. Coloured areas represent the difference between the task-related and resting-state fMRI

47
Q

Task-related fMRI

A

the fMRI measured when a person is engaged in a specific task

48
Q

resting-state fMRI

A

the fMRI measured when the brain is not involved in a specific task

49
Q

distributed representation

A

Occurs when a stimulus causes neural activity in several different areas of the brain, so the activity is distributed across the brain

50
Q

structural connectivity

A

the road map of fibres connecting different areas of the brain

51
Q

functional connectivity

A

the neural activity associated with a particular function that is flowing through this structural network

52
Q

measuring resting state functional connectivity

A
  1. Use task-related fMRI to determine the seed location: brain location associated with carrying out a specific task
  2. Measure the resting-state fMRI at the seed location
  3. Measure the resting state fMRI at another location, called the test location
  4. Calculate the correlation between the seed and test location responses
53
Q

functional vs. structural connections

A

Just because two areas are functionally connected doesn’t mean that they are structurally connected (directly communicate by neural pathways). But, they are related; regions with high structural connectivity often have high functional connectivity

54
Q

the mind-body problem

A

How do physical processes become transformed into the richness of perceptual experience?

55
Q

what kind of problem is the mind-body problem

A

causational

56
Q

Selective

A

The fibre is permeable to one specific type of molecule

57
Q

how long does an action potential last

A

1ms

58
Q

basic properties of action potentials

A
  • Propagated response
  • Remain the same size regardless of stimulus intensity
  • Increase in rate to increase in stimulus intensity
  • Have a refractory period of 1 ms
  • Upper firing rate is 500-800 impulses per second
  • Show spontaneous activity that occurs without stimulation
59
Q

when are electrical signals generated in neurons?

A

when ions cross the membranes of neurons

60
Q

the release of neurotransmitters

A

by the presynaptic neuron from vesicles. Received by the postsynaptic neuron on receptor sites. Matched, like a key to a lock, into specific receptor sites. Used as triggers for voltage change in the postsynaptic neuron

61
Q

ways to activate receptors

A

Membrane deformation
Voltage gated
Neurotransmitter gated

62
Q

how can modularity be studied?

A

by recording brain responses in neurologically normal humans using brain imaging, making it possible to create pictures of the location of the brain’s activity

63
Q

what does the distributed approach focus on?

A

the activity in multiple brain areas and the connections between those areas

PSYC 212 (11 decks)

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