neuropsychology Flashcards

1
Q

Reflex

A

An automatic, stereotyped movement produced as the direct result of a stimulus

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2
Q

The Neuron:
number

A

10 billion to a trillion
(most popular estimate is 86 billion)
10,000 connections each

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3
Q

The Neuron:
parts

A

dendrites
cell body (or “soma”)
axon
terminal endings (or terminal buttons)

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4
Q

Nerve Impulse

A

= ACTION POTENTIAL

Potential quite literally means energy

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5
Q

Resting Potential

A

-70 mV

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6
Q

What does the stimulation of neurons let in?

A

Na+ ions

which makes the inside more positive: -70, -69, -68, -67

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7
Q

What happens when there are enough Na+ ions in for the potential to be reduced to -55 mV?

A

The doors (ion gates) to the cell membrane are flung open allowing for Na+ to rush in.

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8
Q

What is the maximum potential?

A

+40 mV

potential shoots up to +40 mV, so the inside is now positive relative to the outside (the ACTION POTENTIAL)

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9
Q

What and how is potential reduced back to -70 mV?

A

Ion pumps work to reduce potential back to -70 mV by pushing positive ions out (actually K+ because Na+ goes out slower; then ANOTHER pump takes Na+ back out and puts K+ back in)

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10
Q

What mV is considered a threshold?

A

-55 mV

below that voltage, there is no action potential – firing is “all-or-none”

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11
Q

True of False: More intense stimulation causes a more intense action potential.

A

FALSE

Just more frequent ones (up to 1000/sec!), and in more neurons

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12
Q

What part of the neuron does action potential travel down?

A

Axon

action potential travels down length of axon by depolarizing neighboring areas

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13
Q

What speed does action potential travel?

A

50 to 100 m/sec

NOT at speed of electrical current in wire

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14
Q

Synapse

A

Gap between two neurons (the presynaptic and the postsynaptic neurons)

terminal endings of presynaptic neuron relay impulse to dendrites of postsynaptic neuron

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15
Q

What do terminal buttons contain?

A

Little sacs (“vesicles”) of chemicals (“neurotransmitters”)

at action potential, vesicles burst and release neurotransmitters into synapse

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16
Q

What opens ion gates to allow Na+ inside in the first place?

A

Neurotransmitters

Receptor molecules on membrane of dendrite are like little locks to be opened

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17
Q

What is it called when neurotransmitters let Na+ inside?

A

excitatory (more likely to fire) because potential is getting smaller, toward -55

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18
Q

What is it called when a gate is opened that pushed positive K+ ions out?

A

Inhibitory (less likely to fire) because potential is getting larger (e.g., -70, -71, -72)

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19
Q

NERVOUS SYSTEM (“NS”)

A

central
peripheral
somatic
autonomic
sympathetic
parasympathetic

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20
Q

central

A

center
(brain, spinal cord)

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21
Q

peripheral

A

outside of center
(everything else aside from brain & spinal cord)

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22
Q

somatic

A

body
(muscles, senses)

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23
Q

autonomic

A

self rule
(vital functions: heart rate, breathing, digestion, reproduction)

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24
Q

sympathetic

A

excited states
- arousal: mobilizes for emergency (speeds heart and lungs, inhibits digestion and sexual function)

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25
Q

parasympathetic

A

vegetative, calm states
- calm: conserves energy (slows heart and lungs, etc.)

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26
Q

hindbrain

A

medulla
pons
cerebellum

cat transected above hindbrain: can move but not act

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27
Q

medulla

A

breathing, heartbeat, blood circulation

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28
Q

pons

A

arousal and attention

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29
Q

cerebellum

A

integration of muscles to perform fine movements, but no coordination / direction of these movements; balance

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30
Q

midbrain

A

forms movements into acts; controls whole body responses to visual and auditory stimuli

cat transected above midbrain can act, but without regard to environment: without purpose

31
Q

forebrain

A

thalamus
hypothalamus
basal ganglia
limbic system
cerebral cortex

  • cat transected above limbic system: acts normal, with purpose but clumsy
32
Q

thalamus

A

sensory and motor relay center (to various cerebral lobes)

33
Q

hypothalamus

A

controls responses to basic needs (food, temperature, sex)

34
Q

basal ganglia

A

regulates muscle contractions for smooth movements

35
Q

limbic system

A

memory [hippocampus (seahorse)] and emotion [amygdala (almond)]

36
Q

cerebral cortex (or “neocortex”)

A

four lobes (frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal); seat of “higher” intellectual functions

37
Q

cerebral hemispheres (or cerebrum)

A

corpus callosum
cerebral cortex

38
Q

corpus callosum

A
  • connects hemispheres
  • each hemisphere controls OPPOSITE SIDE of body
  • large band of neural fibers
  • largest “commissure” (or pathway between hemispheres) of the brain
  • but not the ONLY one!
39
Q

cerebral cortex (= skin or bark)

A

1 to 3 mm thick; 2 or 3 ft square if flattened out

higher motor, sensory, and intellectual functions

40
Q

Localization of Cortical Function

A

Phineas Gage & Paul Broca

41
Q

Phineas Gage (1848)

A

personality in brain

  • explosion sent iron rod through skull removing part of frontal lobe (probably pre-fontal area)
  • resulting personality change from responsible and gentle to argumentative, impulse and vile
  • but this description is probably exaggerated
42
Q

Paul Broca (1865)

A

identified region in patient’s brain responsible for speech

43
Q

Carl Wernicke (1874)

A

identified separate region responsible for comprehension

44
Q

FOUR LOBES of cortex

A

anatomical areas:
frontal lobe
parietal lobe
occipital love
temporal lobe

45
Q

frontal lobe

A

planning; social behavior; motor control

front of brain

46
Q

parietal lobe

A

somatosensory (sense of touch)

on top and forward back of brain

47
Q

occipital lobe

A

vision

back of brain

48
Q

temporal lobe

A

hearing, memory

side of brain

49
Q

TWO GENERAL RULES of cortical function

A
  1. Left and Right Hemisphere
  2. Front and Back
50
Q

Left Hemisphere

A

language

51
Q

Right Hemisphere

A

spatial abilities

52
Q

Front

A

expression / actions / plans

53
Q

Back

A

reception / perceptions / interpretations

54
Q

Damage to Non-Primary (“Association”) Cortex

A

pre-frontal lesions
apraxia
agnosia
neglect
aphasia

55
Q

pre-frontal lesions

A

loss of planning, moral reasoning, sensitivity to social context

or…loss of initiation of action, deliberation

56
Q

apraxia

A

(“no doing”)

failure in sequencing components of actions; inability to organize moments

  • FRONTAL - lesions just forward of motor corte
  • NOT paralysis, as from motor cortex lesion
57
Q

agnosia

A

(“no knowing”)

deficit in interpreting, categorizing, labeling, knowing

  • OCCIPITAL (visual) or TEMPORAL (auditory) lesions
  • sensory systems themselves (e.g., eyes) are okay
58
Q

neglect

A

RIGHT hemisphere (PARIETAL) damage causes inattention to whole left side

59
Q

aphasia

A

LEFT hemisphere (FRONTAL or TEMPORAL) damage causes deficits in language function

disorder of language

  • left hemisphere brain lesions
60
Q

expressive aphasia

A

cannot produce speech

  • lesion to BROCA’S AREA (frontal assoc. area)
61
Q

receptive aphasia

A

cannot understand speech - and consequently cannot produce speech

  • lesion to WERNICKE’S AREA (temporal assoc. area)
62
Q

receptive aphasia

A

cannot understand speech - and consequently cannot produce speech

  • lesion to WERNICKE’S AREA (temporal assoc. area)
63
Q

Functional Areas

A

association cortex
motor cortex
somatosensory cortex
broca’s area
auditory cortex
wernicke’s area
visual cortex

64
Q

motor cortex

A

damage to this area means you cannot move

65
Q

somatosensory cortex

A

feeling of the skin

66
Q

broca’s area

A

language

67
Q

association cortex

A

non-primary areas of brain

68
Q

auditory cortex

A

hearing

69
Q

wernicke’s area

A

understanding a language

70
Q

visual cortex

A

seeing

71
Q

split brain studies

A

sever corpus callosum to reduce severity of seizures

leaves patient mostly normal, but with left and right brain independent in subtle ways

72
Q

note visual pathways

A

left side of each eye sends info to left hemisphere

right side of each eye sends info to right hemisphere

73
Q

left visual field goes to…

A

right hemisphere

74
Q

right visual field goes to…

A

left hemisphere