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AP Psychology > Neurobiology > Flashcards

Neurobiology Flashcards

1
Q

What did scientists initially believe about neurons?

A

Axon of one cell fused with the dendrites of another, in an uninterrupted connection

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2
Q

What is a synapse and how were they discovered?

A
  1. Meeting point between neurons

2. Founded by Sir Charles Sherrington because neural impulses were taking unexpectedly too long

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3
Q

What is the synaptic gap?

A

Junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron

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4
Q

What are neurotransmitters?

A
  1. Chemical messengers cross the synaptic gap between neurons
  2. Neurotransmitters bind to receptor sites and influence whether the neuron will generate an impulse
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5
Q

What is reuptake?

A

Neurotransmitter’s re-absorption by the sending neuron

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6
Q

What 2 other things can happen to excess neurotransmitters?

A

They can drift away or be broken down by enzymes

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7
Q

What did Pert and Synder discover?

A
  1. Our bodies produce naturally occurring opiates

2. Endorphins produce painkilling and high-like effects

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8
Q

What are agonists?

A
  1. Molecule that increases a neurotransmitter’s action
  2. Increases production or release or blocks reuptake
  3. Can act like a neurotransmitter and binds to sites by mimicking excitory or inhibitory effects
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9
Q

What are antagonists?

A
  1. Chemical that decreases a neurotransmitter’s action by blocking production or release
  2. So similar to neurotransmitters that they can block receptor sites though not similar enough to stimulate
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10
Q

What is glutamate?

A
  1. Excitory Neurotransmitter linked to learning
  2. Most abundant

Oversupply - migraines, seizures, stroke
Deficiency - insomnia, low energy, lack of concentration

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11
Q

What is GABA?

A

Inhibitory neurotransmitter that counteracts norepinephrine by reducing stress

Deficiency - anxiety disorders, seizures, and insomnia

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12
Q

What are endorphins

A

Inhibitory neurotransmitter/hormone linked to pleasure and pain

Oversupply - the brain stops producing natural endorphins

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13
Q

What is dopamine?

A

Excitory or inhibitory neurotransmitter that influences movement, learning, attention, and pleasure

Oversupply - schizophrenia (antagonist)
Deficiency - Parkinson’s (agonist)

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14
Q

What is serotonin?

A

Inhibitory neurotransmitter affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal

Deficiency - depression, sleep-awake disorders, food rcravings, and agression

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15
Q

What is norepinephrine?

A

Excitory neurotransmitter which controls alertness and arousal; increases heart rate and blood pressure in a flight or fight response

Oversupply- Agitated states and mania
Deficiency - Depression

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16
Q

What is ACH (Acetylcholine)?

A

Excitory nerotransmitter that enables muscle action, learning and memory

Botulin blocks Ach causing paralysis (botox)

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17
Q

What did Plato and Aristotle believe about the human mind?

A

Plato successfully located the mind in the head whereas Aristotle believed that the mind was in the heart

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18
Q

What did phrenology succeed in doing?

A

Franz Ggall’s speculations were correct in assuming that there are different parts of the brain that control aspects of our behavior

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19
Q

Within the past century, what have scientists discovered about the biology of the mind?

A
  1. Nerve cells conduct electricity and communicate to each other by sending chemical messages
  2. Specific brain systems serve specific functions
  3. We integrate information in different parts of the brain to construct our experiences of sights and sounds
  4. Our adaptive brain is wired by experience
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20
Q

What does phrenology and psychology’s biological perspective have in common?

A

They share a focus on the links between the brain and behavior

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21
Q

What is the function of a neuron?

A

A neuron is a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

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22
Q

What are neurons composed of?

A
  1. Each consists of a cell body and short branching fibers, called dendrites that receive messages and conduct impulses
  2. Long axons pass messages through terminal branches to other neurons, muscles or glands
  3. Dendrites listen, axons speak
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23
Q

What is the myelin sheath and what occurs if it degenerates?

A
  1. Myelin sheath is a layer of fatty tissue that insulates and speeds impulses
  2. As myelin is laid down up to age 25, neural efficiency, judgement, and self control grow
  3. If it degenerates multiple sclerosis can occur wherein communication to muscles slow
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24
Q

How are nerve cells supported?

A

Glial cells provide nutrients, insulating myelin, guide neural connections, and mop up ions and neurotransmitters

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25
Q

What is action potential?

A

A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

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26
Q

How quickly can a neural impulse travel?

A

2 miles per hour to more than 200 miles per hour

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27
Q

How are batteries and neurons similar to each other?

A

They both generate electricity from chemical events

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28
Q

What is resting potential and how is achieved?

A

Fluid outside of axon has positive charged sodium ions whereas the interior has mostly negatively charged potassium ions. This positive/negative state is resting potential

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29
Q

What makes an axon selectively permeable?

A
  1. The axon is selective about what it allows through, therefore making the surface selectively permeable
  2. Sodium ions can get inside through the Nodes of Ranvier and set things into motion
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30
Q

What occurs when a neuron depolarizes?

A

Depolarization occurs when a neuron fires, the first section of the axon opens its gates and positively charged sodium ions flood the cell membrane leading to a loss in the inside/outside charge difference which triggers a chain reaction

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31
Q

What will happen if the level of stimulation is pushed above the threshold of a neuron?

A
  1. Most signals are excitory whereas some are inhibitory. If excitory signals exceed inhibitory signals by a minimum threshold, the signals trigger an action potential
  2. Increasing stimulation above threshold will not increase the neural impulse’s intensity because the neuron’s reaction is all-or-none
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32
Q

How does a nervous system allow us to distinguish between a slap and a tap on the back?

A

Stronger stimuli (the slap) cause more neurons to fire and to fire more frequently than happens with weaker stimuli (the tap).

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33
Q

What is the direction of impulse in neurons?

A

Dendrites to cell body then to axon terminals

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34
Q

What is Action Potential #1?

A

Stimulation causes the cell body to set things into motion

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35
Q

What is Action Potential #2?

A
  1. The Nodes of Ranvier along the myelin sheath open and let sodium ions, which depolarizes the atoms inside the axon, creating an electric charge
  2. Depolarization has to reach -55mV
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36
Q

What is Action Potential #3?

A

An electrical charge is sent from node to node down the axon, pushing neurotransmitters out of the axon terminals

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37
Q

What is the “All or None Principle”?

A

Action potential either happens or it doesn’t (neurons don’t fire half way)

38
Q

What is the refractory period (repolarization)?

A

The resting phase occurs when the neuron pumps positively charged sodium ions back outside, allowing them to fire again

39
Q

What is a sensory neuron (afferent)?

A

neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

40
Q

What is a motor neuron (efferent)?

A

neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands.

41
Q

What is an interneuron?

A

Neurons within the brain and spinal cord; communicate internally and process information between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.

42
Q

What is a mirror neuron?

A

Mirror neurons represent a distinctive class of neurons that discharge both when an individual executes a motor act and when he observes another individual performing the same or a similar motor act

43
Q

What is the nervous system?

A

the body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous system

44
Q

What occurs after action potential?

A
  1. Neurotransmitters are sent into the synapse

2. During the process of reuptake they either excite or inhibit the new neuron

45
Q

What are vesicles?

A

Pouches of neurotransmitters that are held in the axon terminal

46
Q

What is the difference between presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons?

A

Presynaptic - sending

Postsynaptic - receiving

47
Q

What do the nodes of ranvier do?

A

Gaps found between the myeline sheath. Their function is to speed up action potentials

48
Q

What is the function of the cerebral cortex?

A

Largest part of the brain that controls understanding and comprehension

49
Q

What is the function of the corpus callosum?

A
  1. Physically connects the hemispheres of the brain

2. Allows you to feel emotion when reading a poem

50
Q

What is the function of the thalamus?

A

Relay station (like a mailman) for all sensory information except smell, found at the very top of the brainstem

51
Q

What is the function of the olfactory bulb?

A
  1. Processes and interprets smells
52
Q

What is the function of the hypothalamus?

A
  1. Regulates homeostastis of the body

2. Controls temperature, hunger, thirst, sexual desire, homeostasis

53
Q

What is the function of the pituitary gland?

A

Controls hormone levels in the body and bosses the hypothalamus around

54
Q

What is the function of the amygdala?

A

Interprets emotion and facial expressions, especially fear

55
Q

What is the function of the hippocampus?

A
  1. Creates new memories and chooses which to move from short to long term memory
  2. Located in the temporal lobe
56
Q

What is the function of the cerebellum?

A

Controls posture, balance, and voluntary movements

57
Q

What is the function of the basial ganglia?

A

Coordinates thoughts and voluntary movement together

58
Q

What is the function of the pons?

A
  1. Relay station between the brain and spinal cord
  2. Controls the chemicals for sleep and wakefulness, respiration, swallowing, bladder control, hearing, equilibrium, taste, eye movement, facial expressions, facial sensation, and posture.
59
Q

What is the function of the medulla?

A

The most important part of the brain that controls automatic functions such as breathing and basic reflexes

60
Q

What is the function of the spinal cord?

A
  1. Sends messages to and from the brain and the rest of the brain
  2. Comprised of interneurons that connect sensory and motor neurons
61
Q

What is the function of the suprachiasmatic nucleus?

A

Controls the circadian rhythm of the body through sensory of light and temperature

62
Q

What is the function of the reticular formation?

A
  1. Regulates the level of energy felt throughout the day

2. Controlled by the SCN and tells the pons what chemicals to secrete

63
Q

What part of the brain helps you walk on a balance beam?

A

cerebral cortex

64
Q

What part of the brain tells you that someone is scary adn that you should run away?

A

amygdala

65
Q

What part of the brain allows you to read a poem and feel meotional afterwards?

A

corpus callosum

66
Q

What part of the brain will determine how tall you will grow?

A

pituitary gland

67
Q

What part of the brain wakes you up in the cmorning?

A

suprachiasmatic nucleus

68
Q

What is the part of the brain that allows you to think about and analyze a math problem?

A

cerebral cortex

69
Q

What part of the brain helps you cool down when you get a fever?

A

hypothalamus

70
Q

What part of the brain allows you to smell cologn?

A

olfactory bulb

71
Q

What part of the brain isn’t working when you forget where you put your phone?

A

cerebral cortex

72
Q

What part of the brain allows you to dream at night?

A

suprachiasmatic nucleus

73
Q

What part of the brain keeps your heart beating 24 hours a day?

A

pons

74
Q

What part of the brain allows you to think that you want candy adn walk over to the kitchen to get some?

A

basal ganglia

75
Q

What part of the brain takes what you see and sends it to the back of the brain for process?

A

cerebral cortex

76
Q

What part of the brain tells your body that it’’s morning vs. night?

A

suprachiasmatic nucleus

77
Q

What part of the brain allows you to scratch the itchy mosquito bite on your leg?

A

thalamus

78
Q

What is the cerebral cortex?

A

The body’s ultimate control and information-processing center which is comprised of an intricate fabric of cells covering the cerebral hemispheres

79
Q

How is the cerebral cortex of a frog different from that of a humans?

A

The cerebral cortex of a human is larger, thereby allowing greater learning and adaptability. Whereas the frog is run by many automatically controlled processes

80
Q

What is the function of the frontal lobe?

A
  1. Involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements
  2. Located just behind the forehead and contains the motor cortex
81
Q

What is the function of the parietal lobe?

A
  1. Responsible for receiving sensory input for touch and body position
  2. Located toward the top of the head by the back and contains the somatosensory cortex
82
Q

What is the function of the occipital lobe?

A
  1. Controls areas that receive information from the visual fields
  2. Located at the back of the head above the cerebellum
83
Q

What is the function of the temporal lobe?

A
  1. Responsible for the receiving information from the opposite ear and for the emotional center and memory formation region
  2. On both sides of the head, behind the ears and contains the limbic system
84
Q

What is the function of the motor cortex?

A
  1. Controls voluntary movements
85
Q

What body areas occupy the greatest amount of cortical space?

A

Areas requiring precise control such as the finger and mouth

86
Q

Why are association areas important?

A

Association areas are involved in higher mental functions—interpreting, integrating, and acting
on information processed in other areas.

87
Q

What is Broca’s area?

A

Controls speech production on the left side of the frontal lobe

88
Q

What is Wernicke’s area?

A

Controls the understanding of speech on the left side of the temporal lobe

89
Q

What is the function of the somatosensory cortex?

A

Controls the processing and sensation of touch and movement in the parietal lobe

90
Q

What are association areas?

A
  1. Connects neural networks to each other and allows you to think about how one piece of information relates to another
  2. Located in the cerebral cortex

AP Psychology (3 decks)

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