Lec. 4 (the nervous system) Flashcards
3 functions of the nervous system:
- INPUT (the sound of the alarm clock is conveyed to your brain by your ears)
- PROCESSING (your brain knows from past experience that it is time to get up)
- OUTPUT (your brain directs the muscles of your arm and hand to reach out and shut off the alarm clock) = behavior
mind connection to the outside world
nervous system
composed of all the nerves except the brain and spinal cord; “sides”
peripheral nervous system
the peripheral nervous system is split up into what nervous systems?
- somatic
- autonomic
soma =
body
auto =
happening on its own
the AUTONOMIC nervous system is further divided into what nervous systems?
- sympathetic
- parasympathetic
autonomic behavior examples (2):
- breathing (to an extent)
- heart beat
T/F: the sympathetic and parasympathetic NS both act on you at the same time, but one usually dominates the other
true
sympathetic or parasympathetic? increasing breathing and heart rate; aka DANGER
sympathetic
sympathetic or parasympathetic? decreasing breathing and heart rate
parasympathetic
type of NS: sends sensory information TO central nervous system for processing + sends messages FROM central nervous system to muscles to direct motion)
somatic nervous system
the somatic nervous system is responsible for ____________ ________ movement
voluntary, motor
type of NS: controls activates that are generally autonomous or independent of one’s control
autonomic nervous system
sub-division of NS: mobilizes the body for action in face of stress; “fight or flight” response; AROUSING
sympathetic NS
sub-division of NS: regulates the body’s functions to conserve energy; relazing
parasympathetic
dilates pupils
sympathetic
contracts pupils
parasympathetic
accelerates heartbeat
sympathetic
slows heartbeat
parasympathetic
inhibits digestion
sympathetic
stimulates digestion
parasympathetic
stimulates glucose release by liver
sympathetic
stimulates GALLBLADDER
parasympathetic
stimulates secretion of epinephrine + norepinephrine
sympathetic
contracts bladder
parasympathetic
relaxes bladder
sympathetic
stimulates ejaculation in male
sympathetic
allows blood flow to sex organs
parasympathetic
part of the CNS that is involved in simple reflexes that bypass the brain
spinal cord
the CNS is made up of clusters (networks) of neurons working together – called ________
neural networks
NUMBER of neurons in CNS
40 billion
about how many connections does each neuron have?
10,000
of synapses in CNS
40 TRILLION (that’s where it gets its power from)
T/F: computers mimic the connections + synapses of the CNS
true
3 portions of the brain:
- forebrain
- midbrain
- hindbrain
parts of the HINDBRAIN (in order starting from the spinal cord - 4):
- medulla
- locus coeruleus
- cerebellum
- reticular formation
the “OLDEST” part of the brain (in terms of evolution); located at the base of the brain; important for AUTONOMIC regulation, arousal, and motor movement
brainstem
T/F: most animals have a brainstem
true
what portion of the brain is the brainstem in?
hindbrain
hindbrain: the base of the brainstem that controls HEART BEAT + BREATHING; first part of expansion of the spinal cord
medulla
hindbrain: a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling AROUSAL (AWAKENESS) or CONSCIOUSNESS; “fishing net”
reticular formation
what happens when you burn/damage the reticular formation?
go into a coma
what does the reticular formation look like?
fishing net
hindbrain: brain’s sensory “switchboard” located on top of the brainstem; directs messages to the sensory areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla
thalamus
the thalamus directs messages to the sensory areas in the _________ and transmits replies to the _________ and ________
cortex; cerebellum + medulla
the thalamus is termed as a sensory “________”
gateway
_______ bypasses the thalamus
smell
which parts of the brain are WITHIN the brainstem?
- medulla
- reticular formation
- thalamus *(on top)
hindbrain: the “little brain” attached to the rear of the brainstem; helps coordinate SMOOTH, voluntary movements + balance
cerebellum
examples of smooth, voluntary movements that the cerebellum helps coordinate
- swinging a golf club
- tennis
- walking
- throwing a football
parts of the MIDBRAIN (4):
- hypothalamus
- pituitary gland
- amygdala
- hippocampus
the midbrain is involved in controlling the ________ system
limbic system
the part of the brain involved in our behavioural and emotional responses
limbic system
midbrain: maintenance activities like eating, drinking, body temperature, control of emotions, and sexual activity (to an extent); controls the endocrine system (hormones) via the pituitary gland
hypothalamus
hypo =
above (hypothalamus = above the thalamus)
the hypothalamus controls the _______ system via the ____________
endocrine (hormones); pituitary gland
analogy:
hypothalamus =
hormones =
boss
employees
midbrain: consists of two lima bean-sized neural clusters linked to the emotions of FEAR + ANGER; aids in survival
amygdala
amygdala means…
“almond-shaped”
amygdala is linked to _________ emotions that aid in survival
negative
amygdala is very close to the _________
hippocampus
midbrain: critical in NEW MEMORY formation
hippocampus
T/F: the hippocampus is responsible for old memory formation
false (only NEW ones)
famous patient; cut his hippocampus; remembered who he was and older memories but could not form new memories following bilateral medial temporal lobectomy
patient H.M.
memories of ______ and ______ tag memories in the hippocampus
fear + anger
_______ has a DIRECT connection to the hippocampus; elicits memories much stronger than any other sense
smell
nervous system’s way to communicate with other parts of the body
endocrine system
endocrine system uses __________
hormones
experimentally destroys brain tissue to study animal behaviors after such destruction; burn/stimulate small parts of the brain; helps us determine which different parts DO
brain lesion
example of an accidental LESION study; rod destroyed frontal lobe of the brain; his personality changed (started drinking, smoking, gambling) but he could still function
phineas gage
what is the frontal lobe repsonsbile for (3)?
- risk-assessment behavior
- conscientious (desire and performing deliberate actions)
- personality
an amplified recording of the electrical waves sweeping across the brain’s surface, measured by electrodes placed on the scalp; one of the most common ways to study the brain; can read very WEAK signals reminiscing from the brain
EEG
pro of an EEG =
can measure very fast changes in the brain
con of EEG =
records the surface so you don’t know what’s going on UNDER
detects a radioactive form of glucose while the brain performs a given task
PET / CT scan
what does PET scan stand for?
positron emission tomography
a PET scan is the same as what?
CT scan
when getting a PET/CT scan, you have to drink a _________ drink made up of _________ _________ that is readily up-taken by the brain
radioactive; radioactive glucose
uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of brain TISSUE; reads slight vibrations of water molecules that come off the brain; NONINVASIVE
MRI scan
MRI that gives a MOVING picture
fMRI (functional MRI)
which is used more – an MRI or an fMRI?
fMRI
