Neuroscience Flashcards
Ablation
surgically induced brain lesion
Absolute Refractory Period
the period that follows the onset of an action potential. During this period, a nerve impulse cannot be intiated
Absolute Threshold
The minimum of stimulus energy needed to activate a sensory impulse
Acetylcholine
a neurotransmitter found in both central and peripheral nervous systems linked to Alzheimer’s disease and used to transmit nerve impulses to the muscles
Adrenaline
a hormone that increases energy available for “fight or flight” reactions
All or nothing law
a law about nerve impulses stating that when depolarization reaches the critical threshold (-50 milivolts) the neuron is going to fire, each time, every time
Aphasias
Language disorders, which are associated with Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas in the brain
Apraxia
an impairment in the organization of voluntary action
Behavioral Stimulants
a class of drugs that increase behavioral activity by increasing motor activity or by counteracting fatigue, and which are thought to stimulate receptors for dopamine, norephinephrine, and serotonin
Broca’s Aphasia
impairments in producing spoken language associated with lesions to Broca’s area
Chlorpromazine
an antipsychotic drug thought to block receptor sites for dopamine, making it effective in treating the delusional thinking, hallucinations and agitation, commonly associated with sz
Circadian rhythms
internally generated rhythms that regulate our daily cycle of waking and sleeping, approximating a 24-hour cycle
Depolarization
the second stage in the firing cycle; occurs when the membrane’s electrical charge decreases–anytime the membrane’s voltage charge moves toward a neutral charge of 0 millivolts
Dopamine Hypothesis
a biochemical explanation for sz suggesting that the delusions, hallucinations, and agitation associated sz arise from an excess of dopamine activity at certain sites in the brain
Electronecephalograph (EEG)
it records a gross average of the electrical activity in different parts of the brain
Endorphins
peptides that are natural painkillers produced in the brain
Extirpation
a process of removing various parts of the brain and then observing the behavioral consequences
“Fight or flight” response
the emotional experience associated with the sympathetic nervous system and managed by the hypothalamus during the high arousal
Follicle-Stimulating Hormone
a hormone that is secreted by the pituitary gland to stimulate the growth of an ovarian follicle, which is a small protective sphere surrounding the egg or ovum
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)
a neurotransmitter that produces inhibitory postsynaptic potentials and is thought to play an important role in stabilizing neural activity in the brain
Gate Theory of Pain
a theory that proposes that there is a special “gating” mechanism in the spine that can turn pain signals on and off, thus affecting whether we can perceive pain
Genes
located on the chromosomes, they are the basic units of hereditary transmission
Gonadoptropic Hormone
hormones produced by the pituitary gland during puberty that activate a dramatic increase in the production of hormones by the testes or ovaries
Haloperidol (Haldol)
an antipsychotic drug thought to block receptor sites for dopamine, making it effective in treating the delusional thinking, hallucinations, and agitation commonly associated with sz
Homeostasis
a term referring to those self-regulatory processes that maintain a stable equilibrium
Hyperpolarization
an increase in the membrane potential that decreases the possibility of generating a nerve impulse
Innate releasing mechanism (IRM)
a mechanism in the animal’s nervous system that serves to correct the stimulus with the right response
Interneurons
neurons located in the spinal cord that connect sensory neurons with motor neurons to form the reflex arc
Lateral Inhibition
in visual perception, it is the process of inhibiting the response of adjacent retinal cells resulting in the sharpening and highlighting of the borders between dark and light areas
Law of Specific Nerve Energies
proposed by Johannes Muller, this law states that each sensory nerve is excited by only one kind of energy (e.g. light or air vibrations), and that the brain interprets any stimulation of that nerve as being that kind of energy
L-Dopa
a synthetic substance that increases dopamine levels in the brain and is used to treat motor disturbances in Parkinson’s Disease. When L-Dopa leads to an oversupply of dopamine in the brain, it can produce psychotic symptoms in Parkinson’s patients
Lithium
a drug used to treat bipolar disorder
Lutenizing hormone
a hormone associated with ovulation
MAO inhibitors
behavioral stimulants that reduce depression by inhibiting the action of an enzyme called MAO (monoamine oxidase), which normally breaks down and deactivates norepinephrine
Methylphenidate
a behavioral stimulant that increases alertness and decreases motor activity, and is used to treat hyperactive children who suffer from attention deficit disorder (also known as Ritalin)
Monoamine Theory of Depression
a theory that holds that too much norepinephrine and serotonin leads to mania, while too little leads to depression. It is also sometimes called the catecholamine theory of depression
Motor Neurons
neurons transmitting motor commands from the brain to the muscles along efferent fibers
Neurotransmitters
chemical substances that allow neurons to communicate with one another
Norepinephrine
also known as noradrenaline, it is involved in controlling wakefulness and alertness and is implicated in mood disorders such as depression and mania
Opiate Receptors
receptors that response to the body’s own naturally produced painkillers (endorphins) as well as narcotics such as heroin and morphine
Osmoreceptors
receptors in the hypothalamus that control the maintenance of water balance in the body
Phenothiazine
antipsychotic drugs thought to block receptors sites for dopamine, making the drug effective in treating delusional thinking, hallucinations and agitation commonly associated with sz
Phenylketonuria (PKU)
a degenerative disease of the nervous system occurring when a child lacks the enzyme needed to digest phenylalanine, an amino acid found in milk and other foods
Psychopharmacology
the science of how drugs affect behavior
Reception
the first step in all sensory information processing; each sensory system has receptors to react to the physical external energy
Refractory Period
the period following the firing of a neuron just before the neuron is able to fire again
Relative Refractory Period
the period following the absolute refractory period. During this time, the neuron will fire in response to a STRONG stimulus
Resting Potential
a slight electrical charge (-70 mV) stored inside a neuron’s cell membrane–a charge just waiting to be transformed into a nerve impulse
Rhodopsin
the only photopigment in the rods, it is made up of vitamin A derivative, called reinene, and a protein called opsin
Rods
located in the periphery of the retina, these are sensory receptors for vision that work best in reduced illumination, and only allow perception of achromatic colors, have low sensitivity to detail, and are not involved in color vision
Secondary Sex Characteristics
physical sex characteristics that do not appear until puberty–for females, enlarged breasts and widened hips; for males, facial hair and deeper voices
Sedative hypnotic drug
a class of drugs that slow down the functioning of the central nervous system by facilitating the action of GABA
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
behavioral stimulants that reduce depression by blocking the reuptake of serotonin and increasing serotonin in the synapse
Sensory neurons
neurons that transmit sensory information to the spinal cord and then to the brain through afferent fibers
Serotonin
a neurotransmitter loosely classified as a monoamine or biogenic-amine transmitter generally thought to play roles in regulating mood, eating, sleeping, and arousal–an oversupply of serotonin is thought to produce manic states; an undersupply is thought to produce depression
Single Cell Recording
a method of study in sensory perception that records the response cells by placing a microelectrode in the cortex
Synapse
the tiny gap between neurons
Tardive dyskinesia
resting tremors and jerky motor movements caused by disruptions of dopamine transmission
Thorazine
An antipsychotic drug thought to block receptor sites for dopamine, making it effective in treating the delusional thinking, hallucinations, and agitation commonly associated with sz
Transduction
the second step in sensory information processing where physical energy is translated into neural impulses or action potentials
Tricyclic antidepressants
behavioral stimulants thought to reduce depression by facilitating the transmission of norepinephrine or serotonin at the synapse
Vestibular Sense
the sense of balance of our bodily position relative to gravity
Visual Agnosia
an impairment in visual recognition whereby the person can see an object, but is unable to recognize what it is
Weber’s Law
a law stating that the change in stimulus intensity needed to produce a just noticeable difference, divided by the stimulus intensity of the standard stimulus, it is a constant
Wernicke’s aphasia
impairment in understanding a spoken language associated with damage to Wernicke’s area
Young-Helmhotz Theory (trichromatic theory)
a theory of color vision that suggests that the retina contains 3 different types of color receptors (cones), which are differentially sensitive to different red, blue or green, and all colors are produced by combined stimulation of these receptors
