Chapter 2 - Biology & Psychology Flashcards
What is the physiology of psychology?
I think… Therefore I am…
What is the nervous system?
System of nerves the control thought processes, heartbeat, visual motor coordination, and many other abilities
What system enables us to receive information from the world and to act on that world?
Nervous system
What is a specialized cell that conducts impulses through the nervous system?
Neuron
How do you neurons conduct electrochemical signals to each other?
Electrically across the cell and chemically between the cell
What is the purpose of glial cells?
Help make the brain more efficient by holding the neurons together (like the glue)
Waste removal system of dead neurons
How many neurons does a typical human brain contain?
More than 100 billion at birth and 10-100 trillion connections
What creates Myelin sheath coating for axons?
Glial cells
What three primary parts are neurons composed of?
Soma, dendrite, axon
What is the cell body also called?
Soma
What are the branch like extensions of a neuron the receives signals from other neurons?
Dendrite
What is the slender tail like extension of the neuron the transmit signals to the dendrites?
Axon
What is the white study coating wrapped around axons that acts as insulation?
Myelin
What are the functions of Myelin?
Create insulator barrier and enables impulses to move much faster
What minimizes energy loss and minimizes interference from surrounding neurons?
Myelin
What are afferent neurons?
Relay information from the senses to the brain and spinal cord
What are efferent neurons?
Send information from the central nervous system to the glands and muscles
What are interneurons?
Carry information between neurons in the central nervous system
What are electro chemical messages that travel within neurons?
Neural impulses
How fast can a neural impulse travel?
Up to 360 km/hr
What is the difference in electrical charge that readies a neuron for firing?
Polarization
What is a neurons electrical potential when it isn’t responding to other neurons?
Resting potential
What occurs when an area on the surface of the resting neuron is chemically stimulated by other neurons?
Depolarization
What is the electrical potential when a neural impulse is being conducted along a neuron’s axon?
Action potential
What does the firing of a neuron consist of?
Resting potential, depolarization, action potential, refractory period
What is firing?
Conduction of neural impulses along the length of a neuron. It works on the all or none principle. The neural impulses always the same strength whenever action potential is triggered
What is the short recovery period between firing?
Refractory period
What are the structures at synapse?
Axon terminal, synaptic vesicles, neurotransmitters, synaptic cleft
What three things does a synapse have?
Axon terminal, dendrite, and a tiny fluid filled space between the two that is the synaptic cleft
What is the junction where the axon of the sending neuron communicates with the receiving neuron across the synaptic cleft?
Synapse
What is the brains ability to regenerate known as?
Plasticity
What are neurotransmitters?
Chemicals that are released into the synaptic cleft from the axon terminal of the sending neuron
What is involved in the transmission of information from one neuron to another?
Neurotransmitters
What are the two types of potential action in neurotransmitters?
Excitatory or inhibitory
What is the probability of a new action potential increasing called?
Excitatory
What is the term for the probability of a new action decreasing?
Inhibitory
What is the reabsorption of the released neurotransmitter by the releasing neuron?
Reuptake
What are the five primary chemicals that act as neurotransmitters?
Acetylcholine, Dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid, Endorphins
What is the neurotransmitter that plays a role in learning, memory, and rapid eye movement?
Acetylcholine
Which Neurotransmitter are you lacking in if you have Alzheimer’s disease?
Acetylcholine
What is a part of the limbic system of the brain involved in memory formation?
Hippocampus
What is the neurotransmitter involved in perception of pleasure?
Dopamine
Which neurotransmitter when deficient has been linked to Parkinson’s disease?
Dopamine
What can an excess of dopamine lead to?
Schizophrenia
Which neurotransmitter stimulates voluntary movement?
Dopamine
What is the pre-dominant neurotransmitter in fear/anxiety?
Norepinephrine
Which two neurotransmitters can impair memory formation when deficient?
Acetylcholine and norepinephrine
When experiencing a mood disorder you could be likely high in __________
Norepinephrine
Which is a neurotransmitter involved in emotional arousal and sleep?
Serotonin
Deficiency of this neurotransmitter are linked to eating disorders, alcoholism, depression, aggression, and insomnia
Serotonin
Which neurotransmitter may calm anxious reactions?
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
Which Neurotransmitter is linked to depression when deficient?
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
What are inhibitory Neurotransmitters that act as naturally occurring painkillers?
Endorphins
Which Nero transmitter is structurally and functionally similar to morphine?
Endorphins
Which neurotransmitter is responsible for “runner’s high”
Endorphins
What is the central nervous system made up of?
Brain and spinal cord
What is the peripheral nervous system made up of?
Somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system
What does the autonomic nervous system consist of?
Sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system
What rests on the top of the spinal column and is essential to the parasympathetic nervous system?
Brain stem
Which part of the brain is present in all vertebrates and is oldest?
Brain stem
What is the structure in the brain stem playing a crucial role in arousal and attention?
Reticular formation
Which part of the brain is significantly affected by drinking alcohol?
Reticular formation
What is the part of the brain stem controlling automatic functions for example heartbeat, breathing, blood pressure, coughing, and swallowing?
Medulla
What plays a role in relaying motor messages between cerebellum and motor cortex?
Pons
What exert influence over muscle movements and sleep and dreaming?
Pons
What is the brain structure that execute smooth, skilled body movements and regulates tone and posture?
Cerebellum
What brain structure is implicated in unconscious learning?
Cerebellum
What is the structure located above the brain stem that access to relay station for information flowing into or out of the higher brain centers?
Thalamus
What brain structure is between cerebral cortex and lower brain structures?
Thalamus
What brain structure is linguistically related?
Thalamus
What brain structure affects our ability to learn new information and produce new language?
thalamus
Which structure is two egg shaped structure is between cerebral cortex and lower brain structures?
Thalamus
Which structure controls the pituitary gland?
Hypothalamus
Which structure in the brain affects nearly all body function but blood pressure, heart rhythm and breathing?
Hypothalamus
Which small but influential brain structure regulates hunger and thirst, sexual behavior, body temperature, body rhythms and emotional behavior?
Hypothalamus
What is the master gland?
Pituitary gland
What is the central nervous system encased in?
Bone
What are functions of the central nervous system?
Collects, processes and transmits information and control centre
What is afferent?
Incoming conduction
What is efferent?
Outgoing conduction
What is an extension of the brain reaching from the base of the brain through the neck and spinal column?
Spinal cord
What transmit messages between the brain and peripheral nervous system?
Spinal cord
What connects the brain stem to the part of the nervous system that is external to the CNS?
Neurons
What is the ability of the spinal cord to act without help from the brain to protect from injury?
Spinal reflex
What is the brain a collection of?
Neurons and glial cells
What is the brain responsible for?
Homeostasis, information processing, producing behavior, creating reality
What is plasticity known as?
Brains ability to re-organize, compensate for damage, repair
What is a group of structures deep within the brain that affect emotional expression, memory and motivation?
Limbic system
What is a structure in the limbic system that plays an important role in emotion, particularly in response to aversive stimuli
Amygdala
If the amygdala is damaged, what might you not recognize?
Facial expressions or verbal tones
What is a structure in the limbic system which plays an important role in the formation of long-term memories?
Hippocampus
What is the largest structure of the human brain?
Cerebrum
What is the function of the corpus callosum?
Connects two cerebral hemispheres and makes it possible to transfer information and synchronize activity between them
What is the corpus callosum?
Thick band of nerve fibres
What is the cerebral cortex?
Gray, convoluted covering of the cerebral hemispheres. Primarily responsible for higher mental processes
What is the cerebral cortex responsible for?
Language, memory, thinking
What does the frontal lobe control?
Motor cortex, language centers, cognitions
What did an injury to the prefrontal cortex cause?
Personality change
What is the somatosensory cortex?
Where touch, pressure, temperature, and pain register. Body awareness and spatial orientation
What would happen if the somatosensory cortex was injured?
May not be able to discriminate between silk and sandpaper
What lobe is the somatosensory cortex a part of?
Parietal
Where is the primary visual cortex?
Occipital lobe
Where does vision register?
Primary visual cortex
If this is damaged you may not be able to discriminate objects
Primary visual cortex
What is involved in the interpretation of visual information?
Primary visual cortex
Where is the primary auditory cortex?
Temporal lobe
Which area contains the primary auditory cortex?
Wernicke’s area
What area is for interpreting auditory information?
Wernicke’s area - primary auditory cortex
If this is damaged, you may not be able to discriminate speech
Primary auditory cortex
Which special language centre is responsible for comprehension?
Wernicke’s area
Which special language centre is responsible for language production?
Broca’s area
Which brain seems to have a greater interconnectivity within specific brain regions and less connectivity between hemispheres?
Men’s
Which brain has increased processing across hemispheres and across modular regions of the brain?
Women’s
Which structures have differences in size and connectivity between men and women?
Amygdala and hippocampus
Which hemisphere controls the right side of the body?
Left
Which hemisphere is more involved in logical analysis, language, and mathematical computation
Left
Which hemisphere is superior in visual spatial functions, facial recognition, and emotional understanding?
Right
What is the peripheral nervous system made up of?
Somatic nervous system, and autonomic nervous system
What is the autonomic nervous system made up of?
Sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system
Which part of the CNS serves the sense organs and muscles of the body wall and limbs?
Somatic nervous system
Which part of the nervous system is under conscious control?
Somatic
What is a good synonym for autonomic nervous system?
Automatic
What part of the CNS controls involuntary activity?
Autonomic nervous system
What nervous system controls circulation, breathing, digestion and reflex actions?
Autonomic
Which nervous system response to stressors in environment and is responsible for fight or flight?
Sympathetic
Which nervous system is responsible for restoring body to normal, health, healing?
Parasympathetic
What five organs belong in the endocrine system?
Pituitary gland, thyroid gland, pancreas, adrenal glands, gonads
And what is an endocrine gland located in the neck of humans and other vertebrates secreting hormones responsible for controlling metabolism and growth?
Thyroid gland
What is the large elongated Oregon lying any of the stomach, secreting juices into the intestine and the hormones insulin, glucagon, somatostatin
Pancreas
What is the endocrine gland located above each kidney, secreting epinephrine, steroids such as cortisol, adrenaline, epinephrine, norepinephrine?
Adrenal glands
Which gland activates the sympathetic nervous system?
Adrenal gland
Which gland provides women with body hair?
Adrenal gland
Which hormone affects the development of the reproductive organs and sexual characteristics?
Gonads (sex hormone)
What three main classes of hormones are produced in both males and females?
Androgens (masculinizing effects), estrogen (feminizing effects), progesterone (prepares uterus for pregnancy each month)
What are the different brain waves?
Beta wave, alpha wave, theta wave, Delta wave
Which wave occurs when a person is awake and relaxed?
Alpha
Which wave is high frequency and associated with a normal wakefulness?
Beta
Which wave is produced by adults in deep sleep?
Delta
Which wave is associated with sleep and dream?
Delta
Which brain scan in technique involves a rotating x-ray?
CT scan
Which skin technique records individual’s brainwave activity?
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
Which scanning technique is a diagnostic scanning producing high-resolution images?
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
Which brain imaging technique reveals various activity?
Pet scan (positron-emission tomography)
What happens during rapid eye movement sleep?
Brain is Wideawake and engaging with the dream while sleeping
