Chapter 2: Neuroscience and Behaviour Flashcards
What is the neutron?
The basic elements of the nervous system.
What (physically) holds neurons in place?
glial cells: provide nourishment to neutron, insulate them, help repair damage, etc…
What is each part of the neutron?
Cell body, Dendrites, Axon, Myelin sheath, terminal buttons
What is the neurons distinct feature?
They have the ability to communicate with other cells and transmit information across a relatively long distance.
What are dendrites.
They receive messages from other neurons.
What is the axon?
A long slim tube which cassures messaged received by the dendrites to other neurons.
What are terminal buttons?
They’re the small bulges at the end of the axon that send messages to other neurons.
What is the all-or-none law?
They’re either on or off, with nothing in between the on state and off state
What is the myelin sheath?
A protective coat of fat and protein that wraps around the axon which speeds up thinking.
What is a resting state?
The state right before the neutron is triggered – has a negative charge of -70 millivolts.
What is the action potential?
Moves from one end of the axon to the other, as it moves along axon the movement of ions cause a change in charge (negative to positive) and moves along.
What is the absolute refractory period?
Right after an action potential, the membrane can no longer admit positive ions for a few milliseconds so a neutron CANNOT fire.
What is the relative refractory period?
The period after the action potential where more stimulation than usual is needed for a neutron to send a signal.
Where do neurons meet?
At the synapse: the space between 2 neurons where the axon of a sending neurons communicates with the dendrites of a receiving neuron.
What is a neurotransmitter?
A brain chemical that carries a message across the synapse to the dendrites of receiving neurons
What is an excitatory message?
Makes it more likely that a receiving neutron will fire.
What is an Inhibitory message?
They provide chemical information that make it less likely that the receiving neutron will fire.
What is reuptake?
When neurons reabsorb the neurotransmitter that are clogging the synapse.
What are endogenous substances?
Substances like neurotransmitters that our body creates
What are exogenous substances?
Substances created outside of our bodies and then introduced inside
What does dopamine neurotransmitter do?
Form a network of neurons that use dopamine which is involved in movement, attention, and learning.
Dopamine deficiency causes which disease?
Parkinsons
Overproduction of dopamine products what (hypothesized)
Schizophrenia
How do we block dopamine receptors?
Drugs designed with a chemical structure so similar to dopamine that they can enter receptor sites but doesn’t activate receptor.
What are endorphins neurotransmitters?
the brain’s effort to deal with pain and elevate mood – similar structure to painkilling drugs
What drug is used in place of endorphins?
Pain killers (opiates) like morphine, opium, heroin, etc… feel euphoria
Why are opiates addictive?
While they block dopamine receptors, they also active these sites powerfully.
What does Naloxone do?
When someone overdoses on an opiate, naloxone entrees the synapse and binds with endorphin receptors.
What is the serotonin neurotransmitter?
Associated with regulation of sleep, eating, mood, and pain – maybe even involvement in alcoholism, depression, suicide, impulsivity, aggression.
What are SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)?
They’re drugs designed to enter the synapse and only block the reuptake of serotonin increasing activity in these neurons.
What is Acetylcholine (EACh) neurotransmitter?
Is involved in our every move, transmits messages relating to our skeletal muscles & memory
What disease is associated with Acetylcholine (ACh)
Alzheimer’s
What is glutamate neurotransmitter?
Plays a role in memory.
What is Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter?
Found in both the brain and spinal cord, this is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter that moderates behaviour from eating to aggression
What is the cerebral cortex?
Referred to as the “New Brain”, the cerebral cortex consists of 4 lobes that are in charge of our ability to think, evaluate, and make complex judgements
What are the lobes and where are they?
-Frontal lobe, closest to front
-Parietal lobe, right behind frontal, upper.
-Temporal lobe, right behind frontal, down.
- Occipital lobe, furthest behind.
What are the lobes separated by?
Sulci
What area of the brain is the motor area?
The Frontal Lobe; Motor area & Broca’s area
What are of the brain is the sensory area?
Parietal Lobe; somatosensory area, somatosensory association area
BUT ALSO… Auditory & Visual areas!
What area of the brain is the auditory area?
Temporal Lobe: Primary auditory area, Wernicke’s area, Auditory association area.
What part of the brain is the visual area?
Occipital Lobe; Visual area, Visual association area.
What is the primary use of the motor area (Frontal Lobe)?
Largely responsible for the body’s voluntary movements. Every portion corresponds to a specific locale within body.
The sensory area includes what three regions?
- Corresponds to body sensations (somatosensory)
- Related to sight
- Related to sound
What is the association area?
Region of the cerebral cortex which is generally considered to be the site of higher mental processes (thinking, language, memory, speech)
Control executive functions: behaviour change; planning, goal setting, judgement, impulse control.
What is apraxia?
Damage to association area which produces the inability to integrate activities in a rational or logical manner.
What is Broca’s aphasia?
Damage to to Broca area where speech becomes haunting, laborious, and ungrammatical (ie: I…put…book…table)
What is Wernicke’s aphasia?
Damage to Wernicke’s area which makes it difficult to both under stand speech but also produce language
What is foreign accent syndrome?
Damage to the association area of the brain which result in articulation errors sounding like a “foreign accent”
What are the 2 halves of the brain called?
Hemispheres
What is cross-lateralization?
The hemispheres controlling motion and receiving sensation from the opposite side of the body from brain.
What are the right hemispheres strengths?
Nonverball areas: understanding spatial relationships, recognition of pattens and drawings, music, and emotional expression
What are the left hemispheres strengths?
Verbal competence: speaking, reading, thinking, and reasoning.
The nervous system is divided into which 2 parts.
The central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS)
What is the CNS composed of?
The brain and spinal cord
What is the spinal cord?
Contains a bundle of neurons that leaves the brain and unstable down the length of the back primarily means for transmitting messages between the brain and rest of body.
What are reflexes controlled by?
Spinal cord, initial withdrawal is controlled by the neurons in the spinal cord.
Which 3 neurons are involved in reflexes?
-Sensory (afferen) neurons: transmit info from body to CNS
- Motor (efferent) neurons: communicate info from nervous system to muscle and glands
- Interneurons: connect sensory and motor neurons, carrying message between two.
What is the peripheral nervous system?
Branches out from the spinal cord and brain and reaches the extremities of the body.
What are the 2 divisions of the PNS?
Somatic and autonomic divison
What is the somatic division?
Specializes in the control of voluntary movements - eye movement, communication of info to and from the sense organs
What is the autonomic division?
Controls the part of the body that keeps us alive – heart, blood vessel, glands, lungs, other organs that function without our awareness.
What are the two parts of the autonomic division?
Sympathetic division and Parasympathetic
What is the Sympathetic division?
Acts to prepare the body for action in stressful situations by nagging all of the organisms resources to run away/confront. (pupils dilate, relaxes bronchi, accelerates heartbeat, contracts vessels/blood pressure)
What is parasympathetic division?
Acts to calm the body after an emergency has ended – contracts pupils, slows heartbeat, dilates vessels
