Neuro/physiological Psychology Flashcards
1
Q
What was one of the early theories on presonality and intellect and who came up with.
A
Franz Gall, phrenology, studied the shape of people’s brains. Even though wrong it formed the impetus for future works.
2
Q
First studies used what to study brain mechanics.
A
Extirpation/ablation parts of the brain are removed.
3
Q
What did William James contribute?
A
How the mind functioned in adapting to the environment. This theory was termed functionalism as opposed to structuralism.
4
Q
Who was another famous functionalist?
A
John Dewy, believed studying the whole organism was better than studying isolated parts.
5
Q
Behavioral deficits in people with brain damage was looked at by?
A
Paul Broca, hence Broca’s area
6
Q
Who was Phineas Gage,
A
Rod through the skull which dammaged the Frontal lobe. Developed notable changes in his personality.
7
Q
Who measured the speed of the neuron first?
A
Herman von Helmholtz
8
Q
Who did pioneering work on the ANS?
A
Walter Cannon
9
Q
Parasympathetic is controlled by which neurotransmitter?
A
Acetylcholine
10
Q
What neurotransmitter controls sympathetic
A
Norepinephrine and epinephrine
11
Q
3 basic brain regions
A
hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain
12
Q
Where is this located?
Cerebral Cortex?
A
Forebrain
13
Q
Where is the basal ganglia located?
A
Forebrain
14
Q
Where is the Thalmus located
A
Forebrain
15
Q
Where is the Hypothalmus located?
What does it do?
A
Forebrain
Hunger, thirst emotion
16
Q
What is in the midbrain?
What do these structures do?
A
Inferior and Superior colliculi
They are responsible for sensorimotor reflexes for vision and hearing
17
Q
What is in the hindbrain?
What do each of these structures do?
A
Cerebellum: refined motor movements
medulla oblongata: vital system function (breathing and digestion)
Reticular formation: arousal and alertness
18
Q
What are the divisions of the hypothalmus?
What different functions do they perform?
A
lateral hypothalmus, ventromedial, hypothalmus, anterior hypothalmus.
Generally, plays a major role in homeostasis and is a key palyer in emotional experince during high arousal states, agressive behavior and sexual behavior.
19
Q
What is osmoregulation and osmoreceptors? What controls this?
A
Water balance in the body, water receptors and it is controlled by the hypothalmus.
20
Q
The lateral hypothalmus is used to control what?
A
Hunger
21
Q
What is the disorder where you refuse to swallow or eat food because of lack of drive?
A
Aphagia, but can also mean an inability to swallow to motor dysfunction or throat dysfunction.
22
Q
What is the satety center?
A
It is the ventromedial hypthalmus, controls when you have had enough to eat.
23
Q
What is a disorder of the ventromedial hypothalmus?
A
hyperphagia, which means excessive eating.
24
Q
What is sham rage and what structure of the brain does it have to do with?
A
Removal of the cerebral cortex but left the hypothalmus, this rage was provoked by all sorts of sensory stimuli.
If the hypothalmus is removed then you have an inability to defend yourself for survival.
25
What does electrical stimulation of the anterior hypothalmus lead to?
aggresive sexual behavior. i.e. animals that will mount anything. Damage will lead to a loss of sexual behavior.
26
Basal Ganglia
Where is it located?
What kind of functions does it control?
Deep cerbral cortex (telencephlon)
Relays information to the extrapyramidal motor system (makes smooth movements and our posture stable.) Also serves as motivation for change in movements.
27
What is a disease associated with the Basal Ganglia? What psychopathology has been attributed to the basal ganglia
Parkinson's disease, and Schizophrenia
28
What changes occur in the ventricles with schizophrenia?
Enlarged ventricles
29
What is composed of the limbic system?
Where is it located?
Primary funcitons?
septum, amygdala, and hippocampus
central cerbral hemispheres
associated with memory, emotion and
30
What is the septum or septal area?
It is one of the primary pleasure centers in the brain. Mild stimulation leads to intensely pleasurable and sexually arousing feelings.
31
What center in the limbic system plays a central role in defensive and aggresive behaviors?
What would a lesion produce?
The amygdala.
Docility and hypersexual states.
32
What is the effect if the hipcampus is removed to control epiliptic seizures?
anterograde amnesia, an inability to form new memories and interference with recent memories that have not reached long term storage i.e. consolidation
33
Describe the cortex, names of the lobes, the role convolutions
Also called the neocortex, convolutions increase the size and cellular mass of the cortex.
The different lobes are: frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal.
34
How many regions are in the frontal lobe?
What are their functions?
Prefrontal and motor cortex
Prefrontal manages various cognitive functions and inhibits some emotional processes. Regulates attention and awareness. It communicates with brainstem telling you to wake up or relax.
Motor cortex: organizes voluntary movement and position.
35
What is the difference between associaton areas and projection areas?
Associative areas: combine inputs from diverse areas.
Projection areas: which receive infomcing sensory information or send out motor-impulse commands.
examples of projection areas are the motor cortex or the visual cortex
examples of associative areas are the prefrontal cortex.
36
What was an early treatment for schizophrenia?
Prefrontal lobotomies.
Disconnect the frontal lobe from the limbic system.
37
Where is the parietal lobe and what does it do?
Behind the frontal lobe, contains the somatosensory cortex.
Destionation of all incoming somatosensory signals.
Responsible for spatial processing and orienting.
Helps with the manipulaiton of objects.
38
What does the occipital lobe do, what is another name for it?
Visual cortex which is also called the striate cortex.
39
What is the area in the temporal lobe that has a specific effect on language? What is the effect of a lesion in this area?
Wernike's area. It is this area that allows us to understand spoken langauge.
40
Besides audiotory comprehension what else is done in the temporal cortex?
memory processing, emotional control and language. Stimulation of this area can stimulate long term memories. This is because the hipocampus is located in the temporal cortex.
41
Which is generally the dominant hemisphere?
Thes side oppositte that used for writing.
42
Left vs right hemisphere with respect to visual ssytem
Left: letters and words
Right: Faces
43
Left vs. Rigth with respect to the auditory center?
Left: language related-words
Right: Music
44
Left vs Right with respect to movement
Left: complex voluntary movement (more on left than right but both)
45
Left vs right for Spatial processes
Right: geometry and sense of direction
Left: none.
46
What is the effect of severing the corpus callosum?
Who studied this:
Two sides don't speak to each other and you get a split brain.
Roger Sperry and Michael Gazzaniga
47
What is the most important function of glial cells?
Mylenate the axon of nerves
48
How do axons differ from dendrites?
most axons are mylinated and dendrites are not. Generally the branching patterns of dendrites can change while the axon is a relatively stable part of the neuron. Damaged dendrites can regenerate and axons cannot in this manner. Dendrites typicaly perform reception and axons are responsible for transmission.
49
Is the resting potential positive or negative?
negative
50
What kind of membrane is in a nerve that is responsible for its depolarization?
A semipermeble one: allows for the transmission of electrolytes across it to create a membrane potential.
51
Is it positive or negative inside the nerve (charged)?
Negative
52
What type of pump is one of the chief components for cell resting membrane potential?
sodium-potassium pump. More sodium is located inside the cell and sodium ions are pumped outside the cell. There needs to be an active process which pumps sodium in from the outside to maintain the resting potential otherwise it become equal. It is through this potential charge that depolarization can begin.
53
Name the phases of depolarization?
Depolarization, threshold, action potential spike, hyperpolarization,
54
What is a typical threshold at?
Aprox -50 mV
55
What is the difference between the absolute refrectory time and the relative refractory time?
Absolute: the nerve is completely unresponsive to additional stimulation.
Relative: repolarization is possible but you need additional stimulus.
Absolute is during the action potential,
Relative is during the hyperpolarization stage.
56
All or none principle and the typical action potential is how strong?
Nerve fires, +35 mV
57
What is salatory conduction?
It is the jumping of action potentials between nodes of Ranvier due to mylein. This decreases conduciton velocity time.
58
What are the potentials in post synaptic dentrites?
Graded potentials, which means there voltage can vary in intensity depending on polarization surrounding it. Depends on the binding of neurotransmitters in the surrounding receptors/membrane.
59
How did Eric Kandel contribute to our understanding of neurotransmitters and neural networks?
Mapping the nueral network in the aplysia (sea snails). Kandel discovered that changes in behavior occur with changes in neurons and the relationship between neurons.
60
Overview of Acetylcholine:
found in CNS and PNS
PNS: transmits nerve impulse to muscle.
CNS: linked to Alzheimer's disease, due to a loss of Ach in the hippocampus
61
Monoamine Neurotransmitters:
Epinephrine, norpinephrine and dopamine
62
What also are monamine neurotransmiter group called? 2 names
Catecholamines, biogenic amines
63
What is the funciton of norepnephrine (noradrenaline)?
Controls arousal, alertness.
Linked with disorders such as depression and mania.
Too much = mania, too little = depression
64
What is the role of dopamine?
Important role in movement and posture.
High concentration located in the basal Ganglia.
Imbalances have been found with regards to the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia.
Either too much dopamine or an oversensitivity.
65
What is the evidence for the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia?
Amphetamines enhance the action of dopamine and give symptoms similar to schizophrenia.
Phenothiazines thought to decrease the action of dopamine and thus reduce the symtoms.
66
What is thought regarding the dopamine effects in Parkinson's disease?
Decrease sensitivity to dopamine in the basal ganglia.
People who are given antipsychotics for a long time begin to develop parkinson's like symptoms.
67
What is the side effect of antipsychotic medication called?
Tardive dyskinesia
68
What drugs treate Parkinson's disease?
L-dopa
Dopamine cannot be ingested orally because of the blood brain barrier.
L-dopa can cause psychotic symptoms in people with Parkinsons.
69
What is an additional catecholamine, loosely?
Serotonin.
70
What does serotonin do?
plays a roles in regulating mood, eating, sleeping and arousal. Like NE it is thought to play a role in mania and depression.
Oversupply = manic states
Undersupply = depressive states
71
What medications are given to people with depression?
SSRI-- selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Allows dopamine ot exist for longer in the synaptic cleft before reuptake.
72
Monoamine theory of depression?
Decreased NE and serotonin = depression
Increased = maia
73
What does GABA do?
Produces inhibitory postsynaptic potentials. Thought to play an important role in stabilizing neural activity in the brain.
74
What are peptides?
Two or more amino acids together that are involved in neurotransmission.
75
What is the synaptic action of peptides?
Neuromodulation, by peptides which have also been called neuropeptides.
76
What is neuromodualtion by neuropeptides?
Modulation of the post synaptic cell, lasts longer than the regular neurotransmitters.
77
What are some examples of neuropeptides?
endorphins and enkephalins (pain killers) which are very similar to morphine
78
What are sedatives?
Also known as depressans, act to slow down the funcitoning of the nervous system. In low doses they can reduce anxiety. Medium doses they produce sedation, high doses they cause aneshtsia or coma.
Somd drugs are taken together for additive effects.
79
What are common sedatives?
benzodiazepines (tranquilizers) and barbiturates. They both facilitatie the action of GABA
Alcohol is a common over the counter sedative.
80
What is Korsakoff's syndrome?
Causes serious disruptions of memory.
81
What is another common effect of chronic alcholol consumption?
Depletion of vitamin B1 also known as Thiamin.
82
What are common types of behavioral stimulants?
Amphetamines
Antidepressants: tricyclics (facilitate transmission of NE) and monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors (block breakdown of NE)
SSRI
Methylphenidate (Ritalin)
83
Antipsychotic Drugs are?
Thorazine, chlorpromazine, phenothiazine, haloperidol (Haldol)
Used for treating schizophrenia. Thought to block receptors sites for dopamine.
Reduces positive symptoms of schizophrenia.
84
What is the primary drug used to treat bipolar disorder?
Lithium carbonate, can reduce mood swings by up to 70-90%
85
Narcotics
Opium, heroin, morphine. Effective pain relievers.
86
What are psychedelics?
Mixed drugs that effect sensory processing (cannibis, mescaline, psilocybin)
87
Describe the pituitary gland?
Anterior/Posterior parts.
Controlled by the hypothalmus.
Plays a role in sexual development.
88
What are androgens?
Male hormones i.e. testosterone
89
What is androgen insensitivity syndrome?
When a person has male chromosomes but does not produce or is insensitive to testosterone so the fetus continues to develop like a female.
90
What happens during puberty to stimulate development of secondary sex characteristics?
Secretion of gonadotropic hormones (gonadotropins) which increases the production of hormones in the gonads (testes and ovaries)
91
What is the pattern of hormone production during the female reproductive cycle?
Follicle-stimulating hormone: stimulates the growth of the ovarian follicle (protective sphere that surrounds the egg)
Luteinizing hormone is associated with ovulation
At various stages estrogen and progesterone are secreted.
Estrogen is associated with release of the egg and progesterone is to prepare the uterus for implantation of the egg
92
Method in neuropsychology research:
localized brain damage lesions
lesions or ablations
93
Method in neuropsychology research:
Used to locate brain areas when implanting electrodes in order to make lesions or to stimulate and/or record nerve cell activity
sterotaxic insturment
94
Method in neuropsychology research:
Used to study activity of individual nerve cells
Electrical stimulation and recording neurons
95
Method in neuropsychology research:
Noninvasive imaging and recording techniques
EEG
Regional cerbral blood flow (rCBF)
PET scan
CAT scan
96
Agnosia
means not knowing, and is affects of perceptual recogntion. Although the person can see the object that cannot recognize that it is known to them.
Damage to the cortical area is the result.
97
Apraxia
Impairment in the organization of motor action.
Problems enacting step by step patterns of movement. Not paralysis.
Damage to associative motor areas (not primary motor cortex)
98
Dementias
Loss of intellectual functioning seen in the following
Hunington's chorea, parkinsons, alzheimers
99
What does the reticular formation do?
Keeps us awake and alert.
100
Are circadian rhythms affected by external stimuli?
Very little i.e. light and dark, they may also be slightly longer or shorter than the 24 hour cycle.
101
Beta Waves
Person is awak and alert i.e. fast EEG activity
102
Alpha Waves
Person is awake; but relaxed and with eyes closed.
Slower EEG activity
103
Theta Waves
Person is lightly sleepingl EEG activity shows "sleep spindles" and K complexes appear
104
Delta Waves
Person is more deeply asleep, progressively slower EEG actiivty and steeper "sleep spindles"
105
Stage 1 is characterized by what?
Theta waves
106
Person in stage 2 is charactarized by what?
More theta waves
107
Stage 3 and 4 are charactarized by what?
Delta waves; Deeepest sleep; slowest EEG activity and steepest sleep spindles; relaxed muscle tone; decreased respiration and heart rate.
108
What is REM sleep and why is it paradoxical?
Fast but irregular EEG activity, siiplar to alpha waves, relaxed muscle tone, also contains dreaming.
109
3 sleep conditions
Insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea
110
Describe the James-Lange theory of emotions
Are experience of our peripherial nervous system is the "feeling" of the emotion that is currently being enacted in our bodies.
111
Cannon-Bard theory of emotion, explain.
awareness of emotions relfects our physiological arousal and our cognitive experince of emotion. Bodily changes and emotional feelings occur at the same time.
Different circuits in our brain, and their activation is primary the responsible party for differentiating our emotions.
112
Schacter-Singer or two-factor theory of emotion
Based on the interaction between the subjective experience of emotion is based on interplay between physiological arousal and cogntive interpretation. In absence of any clear emotion provoking stimulus interpretation of physilogical arousal depend on what i shappening in the environment around us. Thus appraisal depends on interpretation.
