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Psychology Chapter 2 > Chapter 2- Biological Basis Of Behavior > Flashcards

Chapter 2- Biological Basis Of Behavior Flashcards

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1
Q

Neurons

A

Cells that process oncoming signals and respond by sending out signals of their own.
The basic building blocks of the brain.

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2
Q

Glial cells

A

Cells that aid in the transferring of a signal and help keep the basic structures of the nervous system intact.
Primarily, they are necessary for neurons to function.

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3
Q

The basic structures of a neuron are?

A 
Dendrites
Nucleus
Soma
Axon hillock
Axon
Myelin sheath
Axon terminal/buttons
Synapse/ synaptic cleft
Neurotransmitters
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4
Q

Dendrites

A

Branch like structures that receive information from adjacent neurons.

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5
Q

Nucleus

A

Centerpiece of a neuron that contains the DNA information determining how a neuron will fire.

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6
Q

Soma

A

Cell body encasing the nucleus produces neurotransmitter substances and helps protect the nucleus.

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7
Q

Axon hillock

A

Gatekeeper structure that determines whether information will process down the neuron.

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8
Q

Axon

A

“Neural tube” that sends information from soma to other end of neuron.

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9
Q

Myelin sheath

A

Encases the axon protecting and speeding up the transmission of information within the axon.

  1. Depletion of myelin leads to multiple sclerosis.
  2. Nodes of ranvier- gaps within the myelin sheath that speed up the transmission.
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10
Q

Axon terminal/ buttons

A

Ending part of a neuron that releases information.

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11
Q

Synapse/ synaptic cleft

A

Gap between dendrites of one neuron and axon of another neuron.

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12
Q

Neurotransmitters

A

Chemical messengers released into the synapse that search out appropriate binding sites of another neurons dendrites.
Neurotransmitters that don’t bind are returned to the axon terminal through the re-uptake process.
They can be involved in everything from bodily movement to emotion and can either be inhibitory- discouraging the fire of another neuron or excitatory- allowing an action potential to occur.

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13
Q

What are the 2 types of neurons?

A

Afferent(sensory) and efferent(motor).

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14
Q

Afferent (sensory)

A

Transmit information from the spinal cord to brain helping our brain interpret sensory information.
Presynaptic neuron- sending neuron.

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15
Q

Efferent (motor)

A

Neurons that transmit information from the brain to muscles and glands.
Postsynaptic neuron-receiving neuron

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16
Q

What causes the neurotransmitters to be released into the synapse?
Neural communication discussion.

A
  1. Neural impulses within the neuron.
  2. Polarization
  3. Depolarization
  4. Refractory period
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17
Q

Polarization

A

Negatively charged chloride ions exist within the axon resulting in a negative charge.
Resting potential- negatively charged ions wait for stimulation within the axon- a period of inactivity until next action potential.

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18
Q

What happens when a message lands on a dendrite?

A

Depolarization occurs.

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19
Q

Depolarization

A

When stimulated the channels along the axon allow positively charged sodium and potassium ions to enter allowing ions to flow down the axon.

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20
Q

Depolarization

A

When stimulated the channels along the axon allow positively charged sodium and potassium ions to enter allow ions to flow down the axon.
Depolarization triggers
action potential- a change in the balance of the overall charge of the neuron allowing the signal to travel along the axon.
threshold- point of excitation of the neuron that must be reached for an action potential to occur.

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21
Q

Refractory period

A

The period after a neuron fires where a neuron is not able to fire another action potential until returning back to a period of polarization.
All or none response- once threshold is reached, the neuron will fire at full strength or not at all.

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22
Q

What are the 6 main neurotransmitters?

A 
Acetylcholine 
Dopamine
Serotonin 
GABA 
Norepinephrine 
Glutamate
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23
Q

Acetylcholine

A

Memory, mood, voluntary muscle movement.
Too much can cause convulsions or excessive shaking.
Too little can cause Alzheimer’s disease, paralysis.

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24
Q

Dopamine

A

Feelings or euphony (reward), movement.
Too much can cause schizophrenia.
Too little can cause Parkinson’s disease.

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25
Q

Serotonin

A

Mood, appetite, impulsiveness.
Too much can cause tremors, headaches.
Too little can cause depression, eating disorders, alcoholism, and aggression.

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26
Q

GABA

A

Mood, sleep, movement.
Too much can cause lethargy.
Too little can cause anxiety disorders, Huntington’s disease.

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27
Q

Norepinephrine

A

Alertness, sleep, learning.
Too much can cause fear, anxiety.
Too little can cause depression.

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28
Q

Glutamate

A

Memory.
Too much can cause brain damage due to overstimulation.
Too little can cause neurological disorders.

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29
Q

Endorphins

A

Body’s natural pain killer. Often produced during times of physical exertion.

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30
Q

What are the 2 main branches of the NS?

A

CNS- brain and spinal cord. Inter neurons travel within the CNS.
PNS

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31
Q

Peripheral nervous system

A

Somatic nervous system- voluntary movements

Autonomic nervous system- involuntary movements. Eg. Breathing, heartbeat

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32
Q

Autonomic nervous system consists of….?

A

Sympathetic division- fight or flight, exciting.

Parasympathetic division- restoration of spent energy, calming body down.

33
Q

Lateralization

A

Tendency for one hemisphere to excel in the performance of certain tasks. Studied by Michael Gazzaniga.

34
Q

Left hemisphere

A

Responsible for language, logical analysis, and problem solving, mathematical.

35
Q

Right hemisphere

A

Responsible for visual spatial tasks (imagination), ability to recognize faces, creativity, musical ability.

36
Q

Corpus callosum

A

Neural tissue/ fibers that connects two hemisphere of the brain.

37
Q

Cerebral cortex

A

The outer layer of cerebrum/ cerebral cortex. Composed of folded grey matter and play an important role in consciousness.

38
Q

4 lobes of the human brain

A

Frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal.
Each lobe contains association areas- areas of the brain that receives and combine information from multiple sources allowing for tasks to be completed.
Functional areas- areas of the brain that are specialized in the production of certain tasks.

39
Q

Frontal lobe

A

Responsible for controlling inhibitions, short term memory, reasoning, planning.
Damage can lead to excessive swearing, difficulty decision making and planning future events.

40
Q

Parietal lobe

A

Responsible for receiving and combining tactile stimuli (touch) from all over body.
Damage to this area of brain results in an inability to integrate sensations.

41
Q

Occipital lobe

A

Responsible for processing visual stimuli and maintaining balance.
Damage can affect ability to perceive movement, identify colors, read/write words.

42
Q

Temporal lobe

A

Responsible for processing auditory stimuli.

Damage could affect ability to understand spoken words and difficulty in the formation of memories.

43
Q

2 association areas in the left hemisphere

A

Wernicke’s area (back) and Broca’s area (front)

44
Q

Wernicke’s area

A

Responsible for transforming spoken words into thoughts.

Damage results in wernicke’s aphasia- an inability to understand spoken language or understand what they are saying.

45
Q

Broca’s area

A

Responsible for transferring thoughts into spoken language.

Damage results in Broca’s aphasia- inability to speak coherently.

46
Q

Functional areas of the cerebral cortex

A

Motor cortex and somatosensory cortex

47
Q

What are the 2 types of cells in NS?

A

Neurons and glial cells

48
Q

Motor cortex

A

Responsible for receiving sensory information located at the front of parietal lobe.
Damage can result in the loss of sensation of stimuli.

49
Q

Somatosensory cortex

A

Responsible for receiving sensory information located at the front of the parietal lobe.
Damage can result in the loss of sensation of stimuli.

50
Q

2 functional areas of the cerebral cortex

A

Motor and somatosensory cortex

51
Q

The 3 divisions of the insides of the brain

A

Hindbrain
Midbrain
Forebrain

52
Q

Hindbrain

A

Most primitive part/ responsible for our basic life functioning. Heartbeat, digestion, arousal, balance.

53
Q

Midbrain

A

Sends signals from the hindbrain to the forebrain. Helps process information relating to senses.

54
Q

Forebrain

A

Last part of the brain to form. Most complex. Regulates emotions, hunger levels, formation of long-term memories, growth hormones, and sense of smell.

55
Q

What’s in the hindbrain?

A 
Medulla oblongata
Pons 
Reticular formation
Cerebellum
Brain stem
56
Q

What’s in the midbrain?

A

Striatum

57
Q

Medulla oblongata

A

Automatically controls basic life functions- respiration, heartbeat, blood pressure.

58
Q

Pons

A

Relays information between the cerebellum and the cerebrum- brain/ dreams.

59
Q

Reticular formation

A

Regulates alertness and arousal levels. Damage results in coma.

60
Q

Cerebellum

A

Aids in balance and coordination of movement.

61
Q

Brain stem

A

Lower part of the brain that connects the spinal cord to send and receive information.

62
Q

Striatum

A

Control smooth body movements- walking a balance beam.

63
Q

What is in the forebrain?

A 
Thalamus
Hypothalamus
Amygdala
Hippocampus
Olfactory bulb
Pituitary gland
64
Q

Thalamus

A

Switchboard that relays sensory information to the appropriate area of the brain/ except smell.

65
Q

Hypothalamus

A

Regulates hunger, thirst, fight or flight, sex drive, body temperature- homeostasis.

66
Q

Amygdala

A

Associated with fear and aggression.

67
Q

Hippocampus

A

Formation of new explicit memories, largest concentration of acetylcholine- Alzheimer’s.

68
Q

Olfactory bulb

A

Structure that transmit smell from the nose to the brain.

69
Q

Pituitary gland

A

Master gland- responsible for production and distribution of hormones.

70
Q

Limbus system is composed of…?

A

Hippocampus
Hypothalamus
Thalamus
Amygdala
The limbic system is associated with emotion, behavior and long term memory formation.
It is the pleasure center of the brain, where dopamine is present.

71
Q

5 ways psychologists can look at the brain

A

EEG, CT or CAT (computed tomography), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging

72
Q

EEG

A

Measures the brain’s electrical activity brain wave- sleep.

It can quickly measure activity in the brain/ poor spatial resolution. Can’t measure activity deep within the brain.

73
Q

CT or CAT (computed tomography)

A

Produces 2 dimensional images based on X-rays.
Can view abnormalities within the brain.
Can’t view the mental processes of the brain.

74
Q

MRI ( magnetic resonance imaging)

A

Provides more detailed view of soft tissue in the brain using a large magnetic field to reconstruct the image.
Provides greater contrast within an image.
Does expose people to a strong magnetic field- not good for people with pns braces.

75
Q

fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)

A

Measures neural activity in the brain.
Shows the area of the brain associated with cognitive functioning as measured by blood flow.
Does not show neural networks, connection, and functioning of neurons.

76
Q

Tran cranial magnetic stimulation

A

Excites neurons in the applied area of the brain.

Overstimulation of these neurons can cause them to temporarily stop functioning.

77
Q

Pancreas

A

An endocrine gland that controls the levels of sugar in the blood

78
Q

Agonist

A

A chemical substance that mimic or enhance the effects of a neurotransmitter on the receptor sites of the next cell.

79
Q

Aphasia

A

Impairments of the ability to use (expressive aphasia) or understand (receptive aphasia) language that usually results from brain damage.

Psychology Chapter 2 (1 decks)

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