Chapter Two Flashcards
Phrenology
German physician Franz Gall’s theory that claimed bumps in the skull could reveal our mental abilities and our character traits
Everything ________ is simultaneously __________.
Psychological, biological
Biological Psychology
Branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior
Neuron
A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system
Dendrite
Tag bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.
Axon
The extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands
Axons _______, dendrites _______
Speak, listen
Myelin Sheath
A layer of fatty tissue segment ally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next
This disease shows the importance of myelin sheaths as it features a degenerative myelin sheath
Multiple sclerosis
Action potential
A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. The action potential is generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axon’s membranes
Refractory Period
After a neuron fires an action potential, it pauses for a short period to recharge itself to fire again.
All or None Response
When the depolarize current exceeds the treshold, a neuron will fire. If the depolarizing current fails to exceed the threshold, a neuron will not fire
The intensity of an action potential _________ throughout the length of the axon.
remains the same
Threshold
The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
Synapse
The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is less than a millionth of an inch wide and is called a synaptic gap or cleft.
Reuptake
Neurotransmitters in the synapse are reabsorbed into the sending neurons through the process of reuptake. This process applies the brakes on neurotransmitter action.
How quickly do neurotransmitter molecules cross the gap and bind to receptor sites?
1/10,000th of a second
Endorphins
Meaning “morphine-within”. Natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure.
Acetylcholine (ACh)
One of the best understood neurotransmitters. It enables learning and memory and also triggers muscle contraction
Dopamine
It influences movement, learning, attention and emotion
Serotonin
It affects mood, sleep, hunger, and arousal
Norepinephrine
It helps control alertness and arousal
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
It’s a major inhibitory neurotransmitter
Glutamate
A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory
Malfunctions of Acetylcholine (ACh)
ACh-producing neurons deteriorate with Alzheimer’s disease
Malfunctions of Dopamine
Excess dopamine is linked with schizophrenia and an under supply of dopamine is linked to Parkinson’s disease
Malfunctions of Serotonin
An under supply is linked to depression; antidepressants are meant to raise serotonin levels
Malfunctions of Norepinephrine
Undersupply can depress mood
Malfunctions of GABA
Undersupply is linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia
Malfunctions of Glutamate
An oversupply can overstimulate the brain, which can lead to migraines and seizures.
Agonists _______ neurotransmitters while antagonists ________ them
Excite, inhibit
Blood-Brain Barrier
Enables the brain to fence out unwanted chemicals circulating in the brain
Terminal Branches of Axons
They form junctions with other cells
Nervous System
The body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems
Central Nervous System (CNS)
The brain and spinal cord.
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body
Nerves
Neural “cables” containing many axons. These bundled axons, which are part of the peripheral nervous system, connect the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs
Sensory Neurons
Neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system
Motor Neurons
Neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands
Interneurons
Central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs
Somatic Nervous System
The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles (AKA the skeletal nervous system)
Autonomic Nervous System
The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). It’s sympathetic division arouses; it’s parasympathetic division calms
Sympathetic Nervous System
The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations.
ex: increases heart rate, raises blood pressure
Parasympathetic Nervous System
The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy
ex: decreases heart rare, lowers blood pressure
Reflex
A simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response
Neural Networks
Interconnected neural cells. With experience, networks can learn, as feedback strengthens or inhibits connections that produce certain results.
Neurons that ____ together ____ together! :D
Fire, wire
Endocrine System
The body’s “slow” chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
Hormones
Chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect another
What do both the endocrine and nervous system do?
Secrete molecules that activate receptors elsewhere.
Neurotransmitters
Chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse
Adrenal Glands
A pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys that secrete epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (nonadrenaline) to help arouse the body in times of stress.
Pituitary Gland
The endocrine system’s most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.
Lesion
Tissue destruction.
A brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue.
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain’s surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
A technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within the brain
Functional MRI (fMRI)
A technique for revealing blood flow and, therefore, brain activity h comparing successive MRI scans.
MRI scans show brain _______; fMRI scans show brain _______
Anatomy; Function
Brainstem
The oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; it is responsible for automatic survival functions
Medulla
The base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing
Pons
Above the medulla, it helps coordinate movement
Reticular Formation
A nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal (NOT SEXUAL)
Thalamus
The brain’s sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.
does NOT receive information on the sense of smell
Cerebellum
The “little brain” attached to the rear of the brainstem; it’s functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance.
Limbic System
Doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as fear and aggression and drives for food and sex; includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus
Hippocampus
Processes memory
Amygdala
Two lima-bean sized neural clusters that are linked to emotion, namely aggression and fear
Hypothalamus
A neural structure below the thalamus that directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion.
Cerebral Cortex
The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body’s ultimate control and information processing center.
Glial Cells
Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons. There are nine items more glial cells than nerve cells.
Each brain hemisphere is divided into ______ lobes.
Four
Frontal Lobes
Portion of the cerebral cortex just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments.
Parietal Lobes
Portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position
Occipital Lobes
Portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas, which receive visual information from the opposite visual field.
Temporal Lobes
Portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each of which receives auditory information primarily from the opposite ear.
Motor Cortex
An area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movement
Sensory Cortex
The area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations.
Association Areas
Areas of the cerebral cortex that aren’t involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking
Aphasia
Impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca’s Area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke’s Area (impairing understanding)
Broca’s Area
Controls language expression - an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.
Wernicke’s Area
Controls language reception - a brain area involves in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe
Angular Gyrus
Receives visual information from the visual area and recedes it into the auditory form
Plasticity
The brain’s capacity for modification, as evident in brain reorganization following damage and in experiments on the effects of experience on brain development
Corpus Callosum
The large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them
Split brain
A condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers between them.
