Neuroscience and Behavior Flashcards
What are neurons?
cells that are highly specialized to receive and transmit information from one part of the body to another
What do sensory neurons do?
convey information about the environment from specialized receptor cells in the sense organs to the brain
What do motor neurons do?
communicate information to the muscles and glands of the body
What do interneurons do?
communicate information between neurons
What are the basic components of neurons?
the cell body, dendrites, and axon
What is the cell body of a neuron? What does it contain?
- the part containing structures that process nutrients, providing the energy the neuron needs to function (aka the soma)
- it contains the nucleus
What are dendrites?
the part of the neuron that receives messages from other neurons
What is an axon?
The part of the neuron that carries information from the neuron to other cells in the body (including other neurons, glands, and muscles)
What are myelin sheaths? What do they help with?
- white fatty coverings that are wrapped around the axons of some neurons in the brain
- they insulate axons to increase the speed of neurotransmission
What is an action potential?
a brief electrical impulse that transmits information along the axon of a neuron
What is a stimulus threshold?
The minimum level of stimulation required to activate a particular neuron
What is a resting potential
the state in which a neuron is prepared to activate and communicate its message if it receives sufficient stimulation
What is the 1st step of Action potential? What are the conditions of the cell? What happens?
- Resting Potential
- the inside of the cell is negatively charged
- outside of the cell is positively charges
- A -70 mV charge inside the cell
- Na and K channels are closed
What is the 2nd step of the Action potential? What are the conditions of the cell? What happens?
- Stimulus threshold
- the cell body receives a critical amount of stimulation from other cells
The action potential is initiated
neuron is considered polarized
What is the 3rd step of the Action potential? What are the conditions of the cell? What happens?
- Depolarization
- Na channels open
- positively charged Na ions flow into the neuron
- Inside the cell becomes positively charged
- Outside the cell becomes negatively charges
- Na channels close
What is the 4th step of the Action potential? What are the conditions of the cell? What happens?
- Repolarization
- K channels open
- Positive K ions flow out of the cell
- inside the cell become negatively charged
- outside the cell becomes positive charged
What is the 5th step of the Action potential? What are the conditions of the cell? What happens?
- Refractory period
- positive K ions continue to leave the neuron
- outside the cell becomes more positively charges
- inside the cell becomes more negatively charges
- neuron returns to resting potential
What is a synapse?
the point of communication between two neurons
Which neuron is the presynaptic neuron and which is the postsynaptic neuron?
The presynaptic neuron is the message-sending neuron and the postsynaptic neuron is the one message-receiving neuron
How do neurons communicate?
when the presynaptic neuron is activated it generates an action potential that travels to the end of the axon
What are axon terminals, synaptic vesicles, and neurotransmitters?
- Axon terminals: small branches at the end of the axon
- synaptic vesicles: tiny sac in the axon terminal
- Neurotransmitters: chemical messengers manufactured by the neuron
What are inhibitory vs excitatory neuronal inputs?
- Inhibitory: reduce the likelihood of an action potential
- Excitatory - increases the likelihood of an action potential
What two primary systems are the nervous system split into?
The central and peripheral nervous system
What is the central nervous system? And what is it responsible for?
- the division of the nervous system that consists of the brain and the spinal cord
- responsible for being the central processing center; processing every action thought, feeling, and sensation you experience
What are spinal reflexes?
simple automatic behaviors that occur w/out any brain involvement
What is the peripheral nervous system? What does it control?
- the division of the nervous system that includes all the nerves lying outside the central nervous system
What are the communication functions of the peripheral nervous system handles by?
by its two subdivisions: the somatic and autonomic nervous systems
What is the somaic nervous system?
the subdivision of the peripheral nervous system that receives information from sensory receptors along sensory nerves and communicates it to the central nervous system
What is the autonomic nervouse system?
the subdivision of the peripheral nervous system that regulates involuntary functions such as heartbeat, blood pressure, breathing, and digestion
What are the involuntary functions regulated by the autonomic nervous system controlled by?
The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
What is the sympathetic nervous system?
the branch of the autonomic nervous system that is the body’s emergency system, rapidly activating bodily systems to meet threats or emergencies
What are some example of thigns the sympathetic nervous system may do when stimulated?
activate fight or flight, dialate pupils, inhibit salication, made breathing more rapid or shallow, increase heart rate, increase sweat, inhibit digestion
What is the parasympathetic nervous system?
the branch of the autonomic nervous system that conseves and maintains your physical resources
What are some thing the parasympathetic nervous system may do to the body when stimulated?
activate the body’s “rest and digest” mode, contract pupils, stimulate salivation, make breaths slower and deeper, decrease heart rate, decrease sweat, stimulate digestion
How does the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems complement each other?
The sympathetic nervous system stimulates the body’s fight or flight while the parasympathetic nervous system returns the body to its resting state
What is the endocrine system?
the system of glands, located throughout the body, that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
Is the endocrine system part of the nervous system?
No, but it interacts with it in important ways
What does the endocrin system use to transmit information from one part of the body to another?
chemical messengers
How do endocrine glands communicate information from one part of the body to another?
hormones
What are hromones? What do they regulate and influence?
- chemical messengers secreted into the bloodstream
- they regulate physical processes and influence behavior
What is the hypothalamus?
- a complex structure that is found just beneath the thalamus
- it’s the direct link between the endocrine system and the nervous system via the pituitary gland
Which structure in the brain primarily regulates the signals that trigger the secretion of hormones?
the hypothalamus
What is the pituitary gland?
a pea-sized gland under the brain that regulates the production of other hormones by many of the glands in the endocrine system
What are the adrenal glands?
a pair of endocrine glands that are involved in the stress response (also play a key role in fight-or-flight response)
Which glands are stimulated when the sympathetic nervous system is activated? Which hormones are release?
- adrenal glands
- epinerphrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine
What is neuroplasticity?
the brain’s ability to change function and structure
What is functional plasticity?
the brain’s ability to shift functions from damaged to undamaged areas
What is structural plasticity?
the brain’s ability to change its physical structure in response to learning, active practice, or environmental influences
What is neurogenesis? What were scientists old thoughts on this?
- the development of new neurons
- scientists used to think humans didn’t experience neurogensis after birth
Where is it now believed that neurogenesis occurs?
the hippocampus and olfactory bulb (responsible for odor perception)
What is the brainstem?
a region of the brain made up of the hindbrain and midbrain
What is the hindbrain? What does it connect?
- a region at the base of the brain containing several structure that regulate basic life functions
- connects the spinal cord with the rest of the brain
What structures make up the hindbrain?
the medulla, pons, and cerebellum
What is the medulla?
a hindbrain structure that controls vital life functions
What is the pons? Where is it located?
- a hindbrain structure that connects the medulla to the two sides of the cerebellum and helps coordinate and integrate movements on each side of the body
- above the medulla
What is the cerebellum?
a lare, two-sided hindbrain structure at the back of the brain that is responsible for muscle coordination and equilibrium
What is the midbrain?
an important relay station that contains centers involved in the processing of auditory and visual sensory information
What is the forebrain?
the largest and most complex brain region which contains centers for complex behaviors and mental processes (aka cerebrum)
What is the limbic system?
a group of forebrain structures that form a border around the brainstem and are involved in emotion, motivation, learning, and memory
What is the hippocampus?
a large forebrain structure that is part of the libmic system and embedded in the temporal lobe in each cerebral hemisphere
what is the thalamus?
a round forebrain structure located within each cerebral hemisphere that processes sensory information (expect smell)
What is the amygdala? What does it do?
- an almond-shaped cluster of neurons at the base of the temporal lobe
- it’s involved in a variety of emotional responses
What is the cerebral cortex?
- the wrinkled outter portion of the borebrain, which contains the most sophisticated brain centers
What is the cererbal cortex mainly composed of?
neuron cell bodies, unmyelinated zons, and capillaries (giving it a light grayish appearance) which is generally described as gray matter
What is the difference between gray and white matter?
- Gray matter descriebs the neuron cell bodies, unmyelinated axons, and capillaries that make up the cerebral cortex
- white matter describes the myelinated axons that extend inward from the cerebral cortex (have a white appearance b/c of fatty myelinated axons)
What are cerebral hemispheres?
the nearly symmetrical left and right halves of the cerebral cortex
What is the corpus collosum? What does it serve as?
- the thick band of axons that connects the two cerebral hemispheres and acts as a communication link between them
- serves as the primary communication link between the left and right cerebral hemispheres
What are the 4 lobes of the brain? What’s the pneumonic to remember their locations?
- occipital, parietal, temporal, and frontal
- a fist, fingers = frontal, parietal = other side of palm, temporal = thumb, occipital = wrist/other
What is the occopital lobe? How does it process data?
- an area at the back of each cerebral hemisphere that is the primary receiving area for visual information
- it processes visual info contralaterally
What does contralateral mean?
cortical representation or processing is on the opposite side of the brain relative to the body
What is the parietal lobe?
an area on each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex above the temporal lobe that process the body’s sensations
What is the somatosensory cortex? How is information processed this region?
aparietal region specialized in touch processing
What is the temporal lobe?
an area on each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex, near the temples, that is the primary receiving area for auditory information
What is the auiditry complex?
a temportal cortex that processes sound (contralaterally represented)
What is Wernicke’s area?
- a temporal area that is important for processing language
- damage to this area causes Wernicke’s aphasia
What is the frontal lobe? What does it do?
- the larges lobe of each cerebral hemisphere
- it processes voluntary muscle movements and is involved in thinking, planning, and emotional control
What is the primary motor cortex?
a band of tissue on the frontal lobe where muscle movements of different body parts are represented
What is the prefrontal cortex? What is it known as?
- a portion of the frontal lobe located in front of the motor strip that coordinated a number of cognitive functions in humans (thinking, attention, and regulating emotion)
- known as the “central executive” of the brain and is where personality resides
How does brain damage help us understand the brain?
- if we know what is damage in a system, seeing how that system fail can tell us about its function
What is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)? What does it do?
- strong controlled magnetic field interfaces with neurons’ electrical impulses
- it interrupts cognition in specific locations
What is is the procedure involving the corpus collosum? what is its intended purpose?
- a procedure where the corpus callosum is served fully or partially
- performed to relieve epileptic seizures
What is split brain? How does it effect the brain?
- a state where due to damage, the corpus callosum communication between the hemispheres is limited
