lec 3 biology of the mind pt 2 (nervous system)

Question 1

what is the nervous system?

Answer 1

body’s electrochemical communication network

Question 2

What are the 2 main categories of the nervous system? What are their functions?

Answer 2

Central nervous system (CNS)-decision maker

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)-delivery system

Question 3

What is the function of the PNS? What is it made of?

Answer 3

-link CNS w/ sensory receptors, muscles and glands

-nerves that lie outside of brain and spinal cord

Question 4

What are the parts of the CNS? What are their functions?

Answer 4

Spinal cord
- transmits info b/w brain to rest of body thru PNS
-handles simple reflexes
-attached to brain

Brain
-3 lbs protein, fat +fluid

Question 5

What are the 2 subareas of the PNS? What are their functions?

Answer 5

Somatic nervous system
Autonomic nervous system

Question 6

What is the function of the somatic system of PNS? what are the 3 types of neurons involved and what are their functions?

Answer 6

-voluntary skeletal muscles

-sensory neurons: info to tissues and sensory receptors of CNS

-motor neurons: info CNS–> muscles +glands

-interneurons: sensory-motor relay within CNS

Question 7

What is the function of the Autonomic system of PNS? What how is it further divided?

Answer 7

-system is automatic, but we can override (ex holding breath)

-glands + muscles of internal organs

DIVIDED
sympathetic NS: (arouses)
-mobilizes body’s resources for action
-deals with threats (fight or flight)

parasympathetic NS: (calms)
-conserve energy (relax)

Question 8

What are the 3 main divisions of the brain?

Answer 8

Hindbrain, Midbrain, Forebrain

Question 9

What is the function if each division of the brain?

Answer 9

Hindbrain: survival functions

Midbrain: connects hind to forebrain, movement, seeing, hearing

Forebrain: complex cognitive, sensory, associative functions, voluntary motor

Question 10

What is the brainstem? What is its function?

Answer 10

central core of brain

starts where spinalcord swells as it enters skull

automatic survival functions

Question 11

What are the 3 parts of the brainstem? Where are they?

Answer 11

Medulla- base of brainstem
pons- above medulla
midbrain- inside brainstem

Question 12

What are the functions of each part of the brainstem?

Answer 12

Medulla: heartbeat, breathing

Pons: movement and sleep

midbrain: vision, body movement, hearing

Question 13

What is the crossover point, and where does it happen?

Answer 13

brain nerves cross over and connect with body’s opposite side

brainstem

Question 14

What are the 3 parts of the forebrain?

Answer 14

Cerebellum, thalamus, hypothalamus

Question 15

What is the cerebellum? Where is it?

Answer 15

hindbrain’s “little brain”

attached to rear of brainstem

Question 16

What is the role of the cerebellum?

Answer 16

-sensory input
-voluntary movements and balance
-non-verbal learning
-skill memory

Question 17

What can result from damage to the cerebellum?

Answer 17

coordination difficulties

ex. jerky movements, lose balance, can’t stand

Question 18

What is the Thalamus, where is it?

Answer 18

-top of brainstem

-receives+sends sensory info

-transmits replies to cerebellum+medulla

Question 19

What is the reticular formation? What is the function?

Answer 19

-nerve network, travels thru brainstem+thalamus

-filters important info

-controls arousal (alerts higher parts of brain that they are receiving info)

-multitask, cardiac reflexes, attention, motor functions

Question 20

What is the limbic system?

Answer 20

system of neural structures at boarder of brainstem + cerebrum

Question 21

What is the function of the limbic system?

Answer 21

Four f’s : fight, flight, feeding, fornication

Question 22

What are the 3 parts of the limbic system?

Answer 22

Amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus

Question 23

What is the function of the amygdala?

Answer 23

emotion
enables aggression, fear, anger

Question 24

Where is the hypothalamus located? What is it’s function? Damage to it?

Answer 24

below thalamus

-body functions (thirst,body temp) homeostatis

-governs endocrine system via pituitary gland
(linked to emotion+reward)

-damage would change all of the above

Question 25

What does the hippocampus control?

Answer 25

-memories

-short term memories–> long term memories

-verbal memories

-connects to amygdala to connect memories to emotions

Question 26

What happens to hippocampus with age?

Answer 26

decreases in size and function, furthers cognitive decline

Question 27

What is the cerebral cortex? What is the function?

Answer 27

thin layer, interconnected neural cells that cover cerebral hemispheres

body’s ultimate control+info processing center

Question 28

What are the 4 lobes of the cerebral cortex? Where are they?

Answer 28

frontal lobe: front near eyes

parietal lobe: middle

occipital lobe: back

temporal lobe: above ears (under these 3)

Question 29

What is the function of each lobe of the cerebral cortex?

Answer 29

Frontal:
-motor cortex
-voluntary muscles, cognitive abilities, planning, judgement, personality
-no direct sensory input

Parietal:
-spatial location, attention, movement, recognition
-somatosensory cortex
-multiple sensory inputs, output to frontal lobe

Occipital:
-visual center
-input from eyes (optic nerve), output to paretial+temporal lobes

Temporal:
-speech, sound production
-input from ears+occipital lobe, output to limbic system, brainstem +basal ganglia

Question 30

Where are the motor and somatosensory cortex’s?

Answer 30

both fall on border of frontal+parietal lobes

motor in frontal, somatosensory in parietal

Question 31

what does the amount of cortex assigned to certain areas of the body depend on?

Answer 31

tasks they perform+sensitivity of area

brain devotes more tissue to sensitive areas+areas that require more precise control.

Question 32

What are association areas?

Answer 32

-found in all 4 lobes

-NOT committed to 1 function, create functional connectivity

-more intelligent animals have more uncommitted areas

-lobes only take up abt 1/4 of brain, these are other areas (the ‘90%’)

Question 33

What are association areas responsible for? What are they not responsible for?

Answer 33

-interpreting, integrating, acting on info from sensory
-links info w/ stored memories

-NOT involved in primary motor or sensory functions

Question 34

If someone is blind, does their brain not use the space linked to vision?

Answer 34

FALSE, neurons can re-map themselves

-able to adapt unused space for other functions

Question 35

What is it called when brain generates new neurons?

Answer 35

Neurogenesis

Question 36

What is plasticity?

Answer 36

Brain’s ability to modify itself after some types of injury or illness

Question 37

What is lateralization?

Answer 37

greater localization of function in 1 hemisphere
-left and right brain
-hemispheres work TOGETHER not VS

Question 38

What is the corpus callosum? What is its function?

Answer 38

mass of neurons, connect left and right hemispheres

-communication b/w hemispheres
-permits data received on one side to be processed in both hemispheres

Question 39

what is splitting the brain? What does it impact? What can it help?

Answer 39

corpus callosum severed

-impacts communication b/w hemispheres

-treatment for epilepsy

Question 40

What is each hemisphere of the brain responsible for?

Answer 40

left:
rational, verbal, reading, writing

right: creative, spatial, perception of emotions

Question 41

What did split brain research discover with respect to vision?

Answer 41

object presented on right visual field can be named, objects in left field cannot

b/c hemispheres cannot communicate

Question 42

what is psychopathy? what is it characterized by?

Answer 42

personality disorder
-lack of emotion
-manipulative tendencies
-lack of remorse
-impulsivity

Question 43

What is psychopathy linked to?

Answer 43

Abnormal brain function +structure

-amygdala not activated by emotion-inducing stimuli
-abnormal corpus callosum