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MCAT Psychology and Sociology > Overview of the Human Nervous System, Organization of the Brain and Types of Neurotransmitters > Flashcards

Overview of the Human Nervous System, Organization of the Brain and Types of Neurotransmitters Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the three main groups of cells in the nervous system?

A

sensory, motor, and interneurons

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2
Q

Interneurons are often involved in what?

A

reflexes

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3
Q

True or False.

The spinal and cranial nerves are part of the peripheral nervous system.

A

true

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4
Q

What neurotransmitter is the chief chemical for activating the parasympathetic nervous system?

A

acetylcholine

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5
Q

What is the connective tissue called that covers the brain?

A

meninges

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6
Q

What are the three layers of meninges, from outer to inner.

A

dura mater, arachnoid mater, and pia mater

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7
Q

What are some of the functions of the meninges?

A

protect the brain, anchor the brain, resorb CSF

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8
Q

What are the three divisions of the brain (common names only)?

A

hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain

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9
Q

What is the official name of the hindbrain?

A

rhombencephalon

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10
Q

What parts of the brain make up the hindbrain?

A

medulla oblongata, pons, and cerebellum

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11
Q

What is the official name of the medulla oblongata?

A

myelencephalon

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12
Q

What is the function of the medulla oblongata?

A

regulate vital functions such as heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure

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13
Q

What is the official name of the collective region of the pons and the cerebellum?

A

metencephalon

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14
Q

What is the function of the cerebellum?

A

maintain posture and coordinate bodily movements

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15
Q

What is the function of the pons?

A

relay sensory and motor information between the cortex and medulla

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16
Q

What is the official name of the midbrain?

A

mesencephalon

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17
Q

What is the main function of the midbrain?

A

coordination center of incoming sensory and motor information

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18
Q

What are colliculi?

A

types of nuclei

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19
Q

What does the inferior colliculi do?

A

receives sensory information from the auditory system

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20
Q

What does superior colliculi?

A

receives sensory information from the visual system

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21
Q

What is a neuropsychologist interested in finding out about the brain?

A

what parts of the brain do what function

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22
Q

What is a cortical map?

A

a map that has figured out what each part of the cortex does

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23
Q

What is an EEG?

A

an electroencephalogram, measures electrical activity in the brain and how brain cells communicate with each other

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24
Q

What part of the human brain is the largest and most developed?

A

the forebrain

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25
Q

What are the two developmental parts (official names) of the prosencephalon?

A

diencephalon and the telencephalon

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26
Q

What is the function of the thalamus? What mesencephalon structures is it by?

A

it is a signal relay center that sends out signals to the cerebral cortex; it is located near midbrain colliculi.

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27
Q

What is the difference between gray and white matter in the brain? Is the thalamus mostly made of gray or white matter?

A

gray matter is made of neuron cell bodies, while white matter is the myelinated sheaths; thalamus would be mostly be made of nuclei, so thus it is gray matter

28
Q

What are the three parts of the hypothalamus?

A

lateral hypothalamus, ventromedial hypothalamus, and the anterior hypothalamus

29
Q

What does the lateral hypothalamus do?

A

stimulates thirst and hunger

30
Q

What the ventromedial hypothalamus do?

A

stimulates satiety

31
Q

What does the anterior hypothalamus?

A

stimulates sexual arousal and awakeness

32
Q

What does the pituitary gland do?

A

release hypothalamic hormones

33
Q

What does the pineal gland do?

A

release melatonin

34
Q

What does melatonin do?

A

regulates circadian rhythms

35
Q

The diencephalon gives rise to what brain stuctures?

A

thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary, pineal gland

36
Q

The telencephalon gives rise to what brain structures?

A

basal ganglia, limbic system, and cerebral cortex

37
Q

What is the function of the basal ganglia?

A

coordinate muscle movement as they receive information from cerebral cortex

38
Q

What motor system do the basal ganglia use?

A

the extrapyramidal motor system

39
Q

What is a main difference that research has revealed regarding the cerebellum and basal ganglia?

A

cerebellum coordinates movements while being very dependent on visual cues (reason it is hard to balance when eyes are closed)

40
Q

What is the function of limbic system?

A

control emotion and memory

41
Q

What are the parts of the limbic system?

A

septal nuclei, amygdala, and hippocampus

42
Q

A patient who struggles with addiction likely has a dependency on stimulating what part of the limbic system too often?

A

septal nuclei

43
Q

What is the name of the projection that the hippocampus uses to interact with other portions of the limbic system?

A

fornix

44
Q

What does the amydala do?

A

promote defensive and agressive behaviors

45
Q

Describe what anterograde amnesia is in terms of memory loss.

A

“antero= going forward, a person can’t remember things that occurred after an injury

46
Q

Describe what retrograde amnesia is in terms of memory loss.

A

a person loses memory of things that occurred before an injury, like childhood memories

47
Q

What are the four lobes of the cerebral cortex?

A

frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal

48
Q

What are the three main parts of the frontal lobe?

A

prefrontal cortex, primary motor cortex, and Broca’s area

49
Q

What is the name of the indent the separates the front and parietal lobes?

A

central sulcus

50
Q

The central sulcus separates what two lobes?

A

the frontal and parietal

51
Q

What is the main part of the parietal lobe?

A

somatosensory cortex on post central gyrus

52
Q

What is the main part of the occipital lobe?

A

visual cortex

53
Q

What are the main parts of the temporal lobes?

A

auditory cortex and Wenicke’s area

54
Q

True or False.

It is a myth that there is a dominant hemisphere of the brain.

A

false

55
Q

What side of the brain is often considered to be the dominant hemisphere?

A

left

56
Q

What functions does the dominant hemisphere carry out?

A

analytical thinking, language production and comprehension, math skills, writing/reading

57
Q

What function does the nondominant hemisphere carry out?

A

intuition, creativity, facial recognition, music cognition, spatial processing, tone of voice recognition,

58
Q

What are some of the main neurotransmitters used to influence behavior?

A

acetylcholine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin

59
Q

True or False.

Acetylcholine is found in both the CNS and PNS.

A

true

60
Q

What does acetylcholine do?

A

transmit nerve impulses in PNS muscles for voluntary movement, regulated arousal in CNS

61
Q

True or False.

Epinephrine is found primarily in the sympathetic nervous system.

A

true

62
Q

What could low levels of norepinephrine lead to?

A

depression

63
Q

What does dopamine do? Where would it be found in the brain?

A

plays a role in smooth muscle movement and posture, found in basal ganglia

64
Q

What does serotonin do?

A

not entirely sure yet, likely mood, eating, sleeping, dreaming, social behavior (similar to norepinephrine)

65
Q

What does GABA do?

A

inhibits post-synaptic potentials by causing hyperpolarization, stabilizes neural activity

66
Q

What do endorphins do? What type of neurotransmitter is it?

A

painkiller, neuropeptie

MCAT Psychology and Sociology (8 decks)

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