chapter 2 part 1 (2a 2b and 2c ). Flashcards
what is psychology
the scientific study of human mental states and behaviour.
what is the brain and what are its functions.
the brain is an organ located in the skull that coordinates behaviour, thoughts and the nervous system activity.
what is the brain vs heart debate
a debate on whether the heart or the brain was responsible for central functions including though, emotion and behaviour.
who where on either sides of the brain vs heart debate
in ancient Egypt the heart was believed to be the sole source of psychology and wisdom whereas the brain was referred to as a useless organ.
Philosophers believed the brain was the sole source of psychology.
what is dualism
a point of view where the mind and heart are separate
what is monism
a point of view where the heart and brain are one.
what is phrenology
placement of bumps in the skull to see what part of the brain is used the most. It could supposedly tell a persons character and personality.
what is ablation
removing or disabling brain tissue to see the effect in behaviour.
what is EBS
a mild electric current to stimulate surface area on the brain.
what is an autopsy
studying a dead person to maybe try and find the cause of death.
what is a split brain surgery
a surgery where the right and left brain hemispheres are separated by cutting the nerve tissue.
what occurs in the left hemisphere of the brain
organization of language and comprehension
what occurs in the right hemisphere of the brain
comprehension of language
what is neuroimaging
techniques used to get images of the brains structure, functions and activities.
what can neuroimaging be used for
- medical reasons
- research
what are the two forms of neuroimaging techniques
- structural techniques
- functional techniques
what are the two forms of structural techniques
- computerized tomography ( CT )
- magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
what is a CT scan
a scan that takes continuous 2 dimensional x-ray images of a persons brain or body to get 2/3 dimensional images
what is a MRI scan
a scan that uses magnetic fields and radio fields to take 2/3 dimensional images.
what does the magnetic field do in an MRI scan
makes the brains atoms move and organize themselves to send signals.
what are the two functional techniques for neuroimaging
- positron emission tomography (PET)
- functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
what is a PET
shows the brains structure and level of activity when performing tasks. it helps to find traces if biochemical change that accompany brain activity. traces glucose level.
what is a fMRI
a scan showing brain activity by tracing oxygen levels.
what is the nervous system
a network of cells in the body that allow communicate of information around the body about internal and external environment
draw the nervous system structure
check one note
what is the central nervous system
where information from the rest of the body is processed.
-responses are formulated
what is the in the central nervous system
Brain- responds to information
Spinal cord- where messages are transmitted to. it connects the brain to the peripheral system. sends motor information to the brain and sensory information to the body.
what is the peripheral nervous system
made up of every nerve in the body outside CNS functions.
Transmits information from the body to the CNS
brings information on how to respond from the CNS to the body.
what are the parts of the peripheral nervous system
the autonomic nervous system and the somatic nervous system
what is the somatic nervous system
a system responsible for voluntary movements and actions
- transmits information about body sensations to the brain
- makes the skeletal muscles respond
what are the two messages in the somatic nervous system
Sensory messages: send messages on sensation to the brain
Motor messages: messages from the brain to the skeletal muscles which give instructions on how to move.
what is the autonomic nervous system
a system that initiates responses of the bodies visceral muscles, organs and glands.
- sends feedback to the brain
- muscles involved are mostly self regulating
- can have conscious control over some for example breathing.
what are the two parts of the autonomic nervous system
- Sympathetic nervous system
- parasympathetic nervous system
what is the sympathetic nervous system
a system that activates bodies visceral organs, muscles and gland to prepare the body for high levels of activity.
- helps energies the body
- adaptive responses ( fight-flight response).
what is the parasympathetic nervous system
a system that maintains optimal levels of the visceral organs, muscles and glands. Returns the body to homeostasis after a sympathetic response.
what is homeostasis
all systems are at stable level of functioning.
what is a neuron
a nerve cell responsible for transmitting, receiving and processing information. This is done in the form of neural messages. They occur in one direction and are carried by one neuron at a time.
- sent electrochemically
- when electric current reaches end the chemicals are released and sent tot the next neuron.
what are neurotransmitters
occur when a neuron sends one of the neural messages to another neuron, muscle or gland
what is neural reception
when a neuron receives messages
what are the types of neurons
- motor neurons: communicate information about movement and are sent from CNS to skeletal muscles in PNS
- sensory neurons: communicate information about body sensations from PNS to CNS.
- Interneurons: relay neuronal messages between motor and sensory neurons. They communicate with each other. They’re important for cognition and reflex actions.
what is a synaptic gap
the space between two neurons into which a neuronal message is transmitted.
what is a postsynaptic neuron
the neuron that receives a message from the synapse
what is a presynaptic neuron
the neuron that releases a message from the synapse
what is a synapse
the area in which neurotransmission occurs between two neurons including the sending end of the presynaptic neuron the gap between two neurons and the receiving end of the postsynaptic neuron.
what is a dendrite
the bushy spine of neuron that receives a message
what is an axon
the long strand like part of a neuron that conducts electrical impulses away from the cell body to the sending end of a neuron
what is a myelin
the fat and protein substance that surrounds and insulates the axon of a neuron
what is an axon terminal
the ends of a neuron that release a message into synapse
