Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

PSYC1002 > Neuro > Flashcards

Neuro Flashcards

(121 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

All-or-none law

A

principle that once an action potential is triggered in an axon, it is propagated, without becoming smaller, to the end of the axon.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Ion transporter

A

a special protein molecule located in the membrane of a cell; actively transports ions into or out of the cell

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Ion channel

A

special protein molecule located in the membrane of a cell; controls the entry/exit of particular ions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Ion

A

positively/negatively charged particle; produced when many substances dissolve in water

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Resting potential

A

membrane potential of a neuron when it is not producing an action potential

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Action potential

A

sudden reversal of the electrical charge across the cell membrane: from the soma to its terminal buttons, causes the release of a neurotransmitter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Neurotransmitter

A

chemical released by terminal buttons that causes the postsynaptic neuron to be excited or inhibited

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Myelin sheath

A

insulating material that encases most axons
prevents depolarisation and speeds up propagation of AP

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Terminal button

A

the rounded spelling at the end of the axon, releases neurotransmitter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Axon

A

long thin part of a neuron attached to the soma, divided into a few/many branches ending in terminal buttons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Soma

A

cell body, largest part of neuron

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Dendrite

A

treelike part of neuron on which other neurons form synapses

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Glia

A

cells of the CNS that provide support for neurons and supply them with some essential chemicals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Neurons

A

neural cell that consists of a cell body with dendrites and an axon whose branches end in terminal buttons that synapse with muscle fibres, gland cells or other neurons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Nerves

A

bundles of many thousands of individual fibres wrapped with tough membrane, transmit messages

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Wrinkled cortex

A

bulges (gyri) ang grooves (fissures) - more complex brains require a larger cerebral cortex, these increase surface area

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Cerebral ventricles

A

hollow, fluid-filled chambers in the brain, produce CSF

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Cerebral cortex

A

thin layer of tissue (grey matter) which contains billions of neural cells. Where perceptions take place, memories are stored, plans are formulated and executed.

These cells are connected to other parts of the brain through bundles of nerve fibres called white matter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Blood-brain barrier

A

Capillaries in the brain do not have openings, unlike ones on the rest of the body, to protect the brain from chemical assault

Not perfect, toxic chemicals sometimes still make their way into the brain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Protection of NS

A

Spinal cord runs through the middle of the spinal column - a stack of hollow bones called the vertebrae

Brain and spinal cord enclosed by a three-layered set of membranes known as the meninges

Brain and spinal cord doesn’t not touch skull/vertebrae: floats in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Cerebrum

A

More recently evolved
Perception, memories and behaviours

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Cerebellum

A

Attached to back of brain stem
Control and coordinate movements; especially rapid, skilled movements (includes learned ones)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Brain stem

A

Most primitive region of brain - controls physiological functions and automatic behaviours
Some animals, such as amphibians, only have a brain stem and a simple cerebellum

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

3 major functions of the brain

A
  1. Controlling behaviour
  2. Processing and retaining the information we receive from the environment

3.Regulating the body’s physiological processes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
What does the brain control?
muscles, glands and internal organs
26
How does info from the rest of the body reaches the spinal cord and the brain?
spinal nerves
27
How does info from head/neck region reach the brain?
cranial nerves
28
Sensory neuron
detects changes in the external/internal environment and sends info about this to CNS
29
Motor neuron
has terminal buttons that form synapses with muscle fibres. an action potential that travels down its axon will cause the muscle to twitch
30
Synapse
junction between the terminal button of one neuron and the membrane of a muscle fibre, gland or other neuron. neurons communicate using chemical transmission
31
presynaptic neuron
neuron with terminal buttons that form synapses with and excite/inhibit another neuron
32
postsynaptic neuron
is excited or inhibited by another neuron's terminal buttons
33
neurotransmitter receptor
special protein molecule located in the membrane of the postsynaptic neuron that responds to molecules of the neurotransmitter
34
How do receptors produce excitatory/inhibitory effects
open ion channels excitatory synapse: permit NA ions to enter post inhibitory synapse: permit K ions to leave
35
Synaptic vesicles
bubbles of membrane in terminal buttons contain molecules of a neurotransmitter
36
Synaptic cleft
fluid-filled gap between pre and post synaptic membranes
37
Where do terminal buttons release neurotransmitters?
synaptic cleft
38
Reuptake
molecules of the neurotransmitter that have been released in cleft are quickly taken up again so that it only has a short time to stimulate the postsynaptic receptors
39
How do drugs impact synaptic transmission?
stimulate/inhibit release of neurotransmitters mimic the effects of neurotransmitters block effects interfere with reuptake - increases the effect of neurotransmitter
40
Drugs and postsynaptic receptors
Stimulate: stimulates receptors Block: bind with receptor but doesn't stimulate it, inhibits synaptic transmission
41
Glutamate
important excitatory neurotransmitter in brain and spinal cord
42
GABA
important inhibitory neurotransmitter in brain
43
Acetylcholine
neurotransmitter: responsible for muscular contraction, activates cerebral cortex, controls REM sleep, controls hippocampus
44
barbiturate
drug that causes sedation
45
benzodiazepine
class of drug having anxiolytic effects (e.g. diazepam - valium)
46
Neostigmine
drug that enhances effects of ACh by blocking the enzyme that usually destroys it
47
nicotine
binds andf stimulate ACh receptors, mimicking the effects
48
monoamine
category of neurotransmitters that includes dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin
49
Dopamine
movement, attention, learning and reinforcing the effects of drugs that people tend to abuse,
50
What drugs inhibit the reuptake of dopamine?
Amphetamine and cocaine
51
Noradrenaline
cause an increase in vigilance, controls REM sleep
52
Serotonin
regulation of mood, control of eating/sleep/arousal and regulation of pain, suppresses risky behaviours
53
Peptides
category of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators that consist of two or more amino acids, linked by peptide bonds
54
what are some opiates?
Opium, morphine and heroin
55
what effect do endogenous opioids have when they stimulate certain receptors in the brain
decreased sensitivity to pain and a tendency to persist in ongoing behaviour
56
Brain lesions
Drill hole into skull and insert wire/metal tube to either use electricity to produce heat and destroy a small portion the brain or insert a chemical that over stimulates neurons and kills them.
57
CNS
central nervous system - brain and spinal cord
58
PNS
Peripheral Nervous system - nerves, ANS, ENS
59
ANS
autonomic NS - controls non-voluntary bodily functions (4Fs etc) uses acetylcholine and noradrenaline
60
What are the two branches of the autonomic nervous system?
Sympathetic NS: for action Parasympathetic NS: for rest and recuperation
61
ENS
1/2 billion neurons located in the wall of gastrointestinal tract interacts with brain vis symp and para NS but can function on its own control digestive activity
62
Meninges
flexible sheet made of 3 membranes between bone and nervous tissue 1. Dura mater: tough + thick 2. Arachnoid membrane: spongy, filled wth CSF and blood vessels, cushioning 3. Pia mater: thin membrane against brain
63
Spinal cord
interface between brain and PNS connected to sensory, motor, autonomic nerves Controls some movement like spinal reflexes
64
Cerebellum damage
affect walking, speech
65
Brain stem damage
coma, death
66
Thalamus
sensory relay to cortex - smell doesnt go through it
67
Hypothalamus
hormonal regulation and motivational control
68
Limbic system
control of emotion and memory
69
Basal Ganglia
Action and thought, offline action
70
Corpus Callosum
connects the 2 hemispheres of the brain
71
Vertebrates
Separation between PNS and CNS There is an increase in forebrain in animals that exhibit more complex behaviour and neocortex in mammals
72
Resting potential
when a neuron is not actively transmitting a nerve impulse inside is more negatively charged than the outside, maintained by sodium potassium pumps.
73
Refractory period
the time after an action potential is generated, it cannot produce a new AP because all sodium channels are already opened/being opening at maximum speed
74
Explain why not all stimuli generate an action potential
It might be in the refractory period and not enough gates are opening to reach the threshold level
75
Opiates
Mimic brain's opioid NTs
76
Cocaine/amphetamines/ecstasy
Promot transmission of main monoamines
77
Caffeine
blocks adenosine receptors
78
Antidepressant drugs
enhance serotonin and noradrenaline transmission by block reuptake
79
Most anti-schizophrenic drugs...
block dopamine
80
Agnostic Drug
Activates certain receptors and opens ion channels deactivates enzyme in the synapse blocks reuptake promotes NT release
81
Antagonistic Drug
a chemical substance that binds to and blocks the activation of certain receptors, preventing a biological response
82
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
magnetic pulse is sent that depolarises neurons discovers what area is roughly responsible for a certain function
83
Electrical Stimulation (EBS)
Microinjection into specific region in the brain (drugs - inhibit)
84
Single-cell recording
electrode implanted in brain that record output from the brain more specific
85
Electroencephalography (EEG)
electrodes placed on scalp that record electrical fields from the brain not precise/weak
86
CT scan
computerised tomography - uses xray images to represent the brain
87
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
Radioactive-labelled oxygen (or glucose) - radiotracers are injected and emits signals that the PET scan detects where this is happening in the brain (3D) measures changes in oxygen consumption good spatial resolution, bad temporal resolution
88
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
gets hydrogen atoms in the brain to align by bombarding it with high frequency radio waves - identifies brain tissue and creates 2D image
89
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
measures changes in O2 consumption in the brain to indicate what regions are active - good spatial resolution (3D)
90
Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
detects a small amount of magnetic field and creates a 3d reconstruction of electrical activity to form a functional map of the brain - expensive and difficult
91
The regulation of feeding
Hungry > release ghrelin > tells brain we are hungry > behaviour
92
Leptin
makes sure you arent hungry while you sleep
93
What happens to our body when we dont sleep?
There is an increase in ghrelin and we become less responsive to insulin - obesity/diabetes impacts symp NS - heart health
94
what keeps us awake?
Noradrenaline neurons in Locus Coeruleus Serotonin neurons in Raphe nuclei Acetylcholine neurons in Pons
95
what sends us to sleep?
superchiasmatic nucleus controls release of melatonin from pineal gland and has its own clock - signals night-time to the body
96
What happens do adenosine when we sleep?
Since adenosine is a byproduct of ATP it builds up in the brain when we are awake. It increases sleepiness by inhibiting alertness centres and stimulating sleep centres. Adenosine is cleared when we sleep
97
Preoptic area (anterior hypothalamus)
stimulation can induce sleep
98
electrical activity when we are awake
high frequency, noisy
99
electrical activity when we are asleep
slow, rhythmic patterns
100
REM sleep
brain waves become desynchronised multiple times, rapid eye movement REM sleep decreases over life span, alcohol reduces it too
101
What causes REM sleep?
acetylcholine neurons in the Pons stimulate neurons in the thalamus which project to neural cortex. various areas in the brain become active. suppression of frontal cortex allows us to turn these experiences into a story we are paralysed
102
what is the concept of reward?
motivation to engage in a particular behaviour
103
neural mechanism of reward
dopamine axons in medial forebrain bundle contribute to rewarding effect of electrical stimulation
104
What is hemispheric dominance?
Several higher functions are lateralised, one side of the brain is more dominant - most people's left brain control speech and comprehension
105
Damage to Broca's area
at lower posterior of left frontal lobe difficulties speaking but can generally understand speech - problems with writing not drawing
106
Damage to Wernicke's area
at posterior region of temporal lobe causes problems with comprehension speech, cannot read - gibberish speech
107
Split brain
remove corpus callosum so the seizure (electrical storm) doesn't spread to the rest of the brain - may have problems with left and right,
108
Hippocampus
memory structure in the brain
109
Hippocampal amnesia
anterograde amnesia, deficit to leaning and memory
110
Anterograde amnesia
Can remember old things but unable to retain or learn anything new
111
Wernicke-Korsakoff's Syndrome
Vitamin B1 deficiency in chronic alcoholics causing confusion, unusual movements and eye movements - can lead to Korsakoff's psychosis (anterograde and retrograde amnesia). damage to mammillary bodies in hypothal
112
Alzheimer's Disease
progressive degeneration of brain tissue loss of new info > loss of distant memories > loss of facts and finally procedural skills senile plaques neuro-fibrillary tangles
113
What is the difference between anterograde amnesia and retrograde amnesia?
anterograde amnesia refers to the inability to make new memories and remember new information and retrograde amnesia refers to the loss of old memories
114
Frontal lobe
Planning and executive functions (memory selection as well) Emotional expression Problem solving Memory Language Judgement Sexual behaviours
115
Parietal lobe
Sensory experiences are interpreted Proprioception Where things are in space, representing space for action
116
Occipital lobe
Colour, Form, Motion
117
Temporal lobe
Memory Encoding Processes auditory info Taste Recognise faces Language
118
3 parts of frontal lobe
Prefrontal - higher cognitive functions and personality Motor Premotor -
119
Cortical Homunculus
Distorted representation of human body based on neurological map of the areas and proportions of the human brain dedicated to processing function
120
What evidence supports the localisation of function?
Different areas of the brain use more energy/oxygen when they are presented with a specific stimulus - Area in the brain where it responds to seeing faces, there would only be activity when people were shown a face as opposed to other images.
121
What evidence is shown demonstrating that not every brain area is locked to a single function?
With mental imagery and visual imagery, multiple parts of the brain were activated or “shared”. Brain regions can be responsible for multiple functions

PSYC1002 (6 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions