Neuroscience biology & behavior (329 E1) Flashcards
Neurotransmitters: inhibitory / calming
serotonin
GABA
Overpruning can disrupt normal brain functions and connectivity.
Neurotransmitters: excitatory
dopamine
glutamate
Neurotransmitters: other
acetylcholine
histamine
norepinephrine
key term: apraxia
difficulty controling fine and gross movements
key term: amygdala
processes emotions, anxiety, fear and pleasure
key term: neuroplasticity
the lifelong ability of the brain to reorganize neural pathways based on new experiences -> as we learn, experience, acquire new knowledge and skills pathways are laid down -> to learn or memorize a fact or skill, there must be persistent functional changes in the brain that represent the new knowledge
the ability of the brain to change w/ learning
key term: synaptic pruning
neurological process removes unnecessary / damaged neuronal structures
-improves networking capacity
-Pruning = weeding out weaker synapses
-as brain develops, simple is replaced by complex
what scans show the structure of the brain
CT
MRI
what scans show the function of the brain
PET
SPECT
fMRI
major functions of the brain
-maintenance of homeostasis
-regulation of ANS & hormones
-control of biological drives & behaviors (cycle of sleep & wakefulness, circadian rhythms)
-conscious mental activity
-memory
-social skills
corpus callosum
relays information between the two cerebral hemispheres
-if damaged, people cannot integrate emotions and logical information
if left (logical) brain side is dominant
less ability to feel emotion
if right (emotional) brain side is dominant
difficult to control emotions and problem solve; loss of object constancy
limbic system
learning, memory, emotions and visceral responses (gut feelings)
-abnormal functioning leads to excessive emotional response
hippocampus
memory and controls the endocrine & immune systems
-affected by alcohol, can cause korsakoff syndrome
korsakoff syndrome
cannot form memory even though they have intake intelligence
basal ganglia
coordinates and aids in moving skeletal muscles
perception to reality of signals
1) PNS sends signal
2) touch sensation is evaluated in the sensory cortex
3) the hippocampus remembers if you have a memory of this feeling/touch, what it was like and what is expected to happen
4) the amygdala determines if there is an emotional connection
5) the basal ganglia causes an action like withdrawing from touch or returning the touch
serotonin
(inhibitory) modulates mood, emotion, sleep, pain and appetite as related to mood, temperature, regulation and some cognitive function
serotonin is decreased in what disorders
depressive and anxiety disorders
use meds to inhibit reuptake
dopamine
(excitatory) pleasurable feelings, complex motor activities, plays a role in hallucinations when in excess
+fine muscle movement, integration of emotions and thoughts and decision making
what does dopamine stimulate
hypothalamus to release hormones like sex, thyroid and adrenal
dopamine is decreased in
depression & addiction
dopamine is increased in
mania and positive symptoms in schizophrenia
norepinephrine
level in brain affects mood, attention, and arousal, & stimulates sympathetic branch of ANS for fight or flight stress response
norepinephrine is decreased in
depression
norepinephrine is increased in
mania, anxiety and schizophrenia
GABA
(major inhibitory mechanism) reduces anxiety, aggression and stress; regulates norepinephrine, adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin
GABA is decreased in
anxiety, mania and schizophrenia
GABA is inversely related with
anxiety
inc GABA, dec anxiety
glutamate
excitatory action
increased glutamate may result in
seizure activity and neurodegeneration in alzheimer’s
glutamate is decreased in
psychosis, autism, OCD, depression and schizophrenia
acetylcholine
cognitive functioning & sleep wake cycles
acetylcholine is decreased in
alzheimer’s and sleep disorders
acetylcholine is increased in
depression
overpruning is seen in
schizophrenia
decrease in stress will
decrease cortisol levels which positively impacts the PNS
