Physio and Psychopharm Flashcards
Creation of new neurons is called
Neurogenesis
Where does neurogenesis occur
Hippocampus and caudate nucleus
Three parts to a neuron
Dendrite - receives info
Soma - nucleus, mitochondria, ribosomes, summate signals
Axon - transmits info from cell body to other cells, myelinated
Purpose of the golgi complex in neurons
Prepares neurotransmitters and other substances for secretion
Conduction
The travel of a message within a neuron
Electrical charge of a neuron at resting state
Negative
Action potential
An electrical signal that travels through the neuron once the dendrites receive a threshold amount of energy
All-or-none principle
Regardless of the amount of stimuli to a neuron, the action potential will always be the same strength
(It will fire, or it won’t)
Synaptic transmission
Transmission of information fo one nerve cell to another
Chemically mediated, involves the release of neurotransmitters into the synapse, and uptake by neighboring neurons
Neurotransmitters
Chemical substances that transmit signals from one neuron to another
Seven major: Ach, dopamine, serotonin, glutamate, GABA, norepinephrine, endorphins
Seven major neurotransmitters
Acetylcholine - muscle contraction
Dopamine - reward, movement, mood
Serotonin - sleep, arousal, aggression, mood
Norepinephrine - mood, attention, dreaming, learning
GABA - anxiety, mood control, sleep
Glutamate - learning and memory and LTP
Endorphins - analgesic properties
Acetylcholine
Found in the PNS - responsible for muscular contraction
Found in the CNS - REM sleep, memory
Acetylcholine is implicated in what major disease
Alzheimer’s - memory deficits
Drugs for tx reduce the breakdown of Ach: cognex, aricept, reminyl, exelon
Drugs used to slow the breakdown of Ach
Alzheimer’s
Aricept
Reminyl
Exelon
Cognex
Dopamine
Catecholamine (along with E and NE)
Personality, mood, memory, sleep, regulation of movement
Dopamine hypothesis
Predicts schizophrenia is a result of elevated dopamine levels or oversensitivity of dopamine receptors
Oversensitivity or excessive dopamine in the caudate nucleus causes…
Tourette’s
Degeneration of dopamine receptions in the substantia nigra and nearby areas
Parkinson’s symptoms
Elevated levels of dopamine in the mesolimbic system have been implicated in…
Reinforcement that comes with stimulant drugs
Norepinephrine
Mood, attention, dreaming, learning
Catecholamine hypothesis
Some forms of depression are due to lower than normal levels of norepinephrine
Serotonin
Mood, hunger, temperature, sex, arousal, sleep, aggression
Elevated levels of serotonin are implicated…
Schizophrenia
Autism
Food restriction associated with AN
Low levels of serotonin are implicated…
Aggression Depression Suicide Bulimia nervosa PTSD OCD
GABA
Eating, seizures, anx, motor control, sleep
Low levels of GABA have been associated with…
Anxiety disorders
Benzos and other drugs used to treat anx enhance the effects of GABA
Degeneration of cells that secrete GABA in the basal ganglia contribute to symptoms of…
Huntington’s disease
Glutamate
Learning, memory, long term potentiation
Excessive glutamate can lead to…
Seizures, Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s
The central nervous system consists of…
The brain and spinal cord
Five segments of the spinal cord
Cervical Thoracic Lumbar Sacral Coccygeal
Quadriplegia v paraplegia
Paraplegia - damage to the thoracic spinal area
Loss of sensory and voluntary functioning in the legs
Quadriplegia - damage at the cervical spinal area
Loss of sensory and voluntary functioning in the arms and legs
(Incomplete transection means some sensory or motor function may still remain)
Three layers of the meninges
Dura matter
Arachnoid space (full of CSF)
Pia matter
Cerebral ventricles
Four hollows in the Brian full of CSF
Hydrocephalus
Larger than normal cerebral ventricles
Caused by an obstruction in CSF flow
Job of the peripheral nervous system
Relay messages between the central nervous system and the body’s sensory organs, muscles, and glands
The divisions of the PNS
Somatic
- skeletal muscle control (voluntary)
Autonomic
- smooth muscle control (involuntary)
- sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions
Somatic nervous system
Part of the PNS
Carry information from body’s sensory receptors to the CNS and our to the skeletal muscles
Voluntary movement
Autonomic nervous system
Part of the PNS
Handle signals from the receptors in the body’s viscera, to the CNS, and out to the smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands
(Involuntary stuffs)
Contains sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions
Sympathetic nervous system
Part of the autonomic nervous division in the PNS
Associated with arousal and expenditure of energy
Parasympathetic nervous system
Part of the autonomic division of the PNS
Involved in conservation of energy and relaxation
Five stages of CNS development
Proliferation - new cells produced inside neural tube (2.5wks)
Migration - neurons move to final destination and aggregate (8wks)
Differentiation - neurons develop axons and dendrites
Myelination - glial cells insulate neurons (postnatal)
Synaptogenesis - formation of synapses (postnatal)
Structural neuroimaging techniques
CAT - xray of the brain
MRI - uses magnets to display brain structures
CAT v MRI
MRI is $$$, CAT is cheaper
MRIs don’t use xrays, better resolution and more detail, can be 3D and provide images at any angle
Functional neuroimaging techniques
fMRI - best resolution, info on brain activity (blood oxygenation)
SPECT - similar to PET with lower resolution
PET - activity thru glucose metabolism, oxygen consumption, blood flow
Structures of the hindbrain
Medulla - life sustaining
Cerebellum - movement coordination and balance
Pons - integration of movement between left and right sides of the body
Medulla
Part of the hindbrain
Swallowing, coughing, life sustaining functions (breathing, heartbeat, blood pressure)
Damage causes death
Damage to the medulla causes
Death
Pons
Part of the hindbrain
Plays a role in the integration of movements in the left and right sides of the body
Cerebellum
Part of the hindbrain
Balance, posture, coordinated movement (when with basal ganglia)
Damage results in ataxia (slurred speech, tremors, loss of balance)
What part of the hindbrain is substantially impacted by alcohol
Cerebellum
Structures of the midbrain
Inferior and superior colliculi - routes for visual and auditory info
Substantia nigra - motor activity and reward systems
RAS - consciousness, arousal, wakefulness
Interior and superior colliculi
Part of the midbrain
Paths for the transmittal of visual and auditory information (respectively)
Substantia nigra
Part of the midbrain
Involved in motor activity and reward systems
Reticular activating system
Part of the reticular formation in the midbrain
Consciousness, arousal, wakefulness
Damage = coma
Damage to the reticular activating system could result in…
Disruption in sleep-wake cycles
Can produce permanent, coma-like sleep
Structures of the forebrain
Thalamus - sensory switchboard Hypothalamus - homeostasis and 4 Fs Basal ganglia - planning, organizing, coordinating voluntary movement Amygdala - emotion and memory Hippocampus - learning and memory
Limbic system
Located in the forebrain
Contains amygdala and hippocampus
Learning, memory, emotion
Thalamus
Located in the forebrain
Acts as a relay station for the processing of sensory information
Wernike-Korsakoff Syndrome and the thalamus
Thiamine deficiency causes atrophy in areas of the thalamus
(Usually the result of chronic alcoholism)
Begins with Wernicke’s symptoms - confusion, dysfunctional eye movements, ataxia
End with Korskoff symptoms - amnesias and confabulation
Hypothalamus
Structure in the forebrain
Vital functions (4 Fs and homeostasis)
Contains the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) - sleep wake cycles and circadian rhythms
Suprachiasmatic nucleus
Located in the hypothalamus of the forebrain
Responsible for regulating sleep-wake cycles and circadian rhythms
Basal ganglia
In the forebrain
Planning, coordination, and execution of voluntary movement
Consists of: substantia nigra, caudate nucleus, puts men
Amygdala
Located in the limbic system of the forebrain
Takes care of motivational activities, and attaches memory and emotion
Flashbulb memories
Kluver-Bucy Syndrome
Damage to the amygdala and temporal lobes
Reduced rear and aggression
Altered eating habits
Hypersexuality
Psychic blindness - inability to recognize meanings of events or objects
Hippocampus
Located in the limbic system of the forebrain
Learning and memory
Consolidation of declarative memories into LTM
Corpus callosum
Bundle of fibers that connects the right and left hemispheres
(If severed, the two hemispheres operate as separate, independent brains)
Contralateral representation
Left hemisphere controls the functions of the right side and vice versa
(Exception of olfaction)
Brain lateralization
Each hemisphere of the brain is specialized for a specific function
R - dominant - spatial processing (geometry), neg emos, nonverbal memory, nonlanguage sounds
L - dominant - language, verbal memory, positive emotions, speech, reading, writing
How was the function of each cerebral hemisphere initially discovered and researched?
Thru split-brain patients (had corpus callosum removed for seizure control)
Show object in left visual field - right hem - can pick the object out from behind screen with left hand (can’t say item or pick with right hand)
Show object in right visual field - left hem - can name and select image with right hand (can’t select with left hand)
Four lobes of the cerebral cortex
Frontal
Parietal
Temporal
Occipital
Important structures of the frontal lobe
Primary motor cortex - motor humunculous, execution of movement, damage results in loss of muscle tone
Supplementary motor area - planning and control of movement
Premotor cortex - control of motor movement in response to external sensory stimuli
PFC - executive function, emotion
Broca’s area - expressive language center
Function of the primary motor cortex
Involved in the execution of movement
Contains motor homunculous
(Damage is determined by where on the homunculous it is - weakness occurs on the opposite side of the body)
Damage to the primary motor cortex results in…
Loss of reflexes and flaccid hemiplegia (loss of muscle tone) in areas of the body that are contralateral to the damage
Purpose of the supplementary motor area
Planning and control of movement
Learning new motor sequences, mental representation of movement (includes other areas)
Function of the premotor cortex
Control of movement in response to external, sensory stimuli
Broca’s Area
Located in inferior left frontal lobe
Major motor speech area - responsible for expressive language
Function of the prefrontal cortex
Involved in a variety of complex behaviors - emotion, attention, self-awareness, executive function
Damage to each region of the prefrontal cortex…
Dorsolateral area - dorsal convexity dysexecutive syndrome
(Impaired judgement, insight, planning, and organization)
Orbitofrontal area - orbitofrontal disinhibition syndrome
(Pseudopsychopathy, poor impulse control, emo lability, aggression, lewd comments and inappropriate sexual behavior)
Mediofrontal area - mesial frontal apathetic syndrome
(Pseudodepression, reduced emo range, diminished verbal and motor output, extremity weakness, sensory loss, impaired spontaneity)
Damage to the dorsolateral area of the prefrontal cortex
Dorsal convexity dysexecutive syndrome
Impaired insight, judgement, planning, and organization
(Concrete, perseverative, trouble learning from experience, neglect hygiene, reduced sexual interest, apathetic)
Damage to the orbitofrontal area of the prefrontal cortex
Orbitofrontal disinhibition syndrome
(Pseudopsychopathy)
Emotional lability, distractibility, poor impulse control, impaired social insight
(Explosive aggressive outbursts, inappropriate humor, lewd comments, engage in inappropriate sexual behavior)
Damage to the mediofrontal area of the prefrontal cortex
Mesial frontal apathetic syndrome
(Pseudodepression)
Impaired spontaneity, reduced emotional reaction, diminished motor and verbal behavior, lower extremity weakness and sensory loss
(Bored, lack motivation, may seem dep without neg cognitions and dysphoria)
Important structures of the parietal lobe
Somatosensory cortex
Governs sensation of temperature, pressure, pain, proprioception, gustation
Common symptoms of parietal lobe damage
Apraxia (inability to perform motor movements despite no issues with motor functioning)
Somatosensory agnosia
Anosognosia (inability to recognize ones own symptoms or disorders)
Damage to the right (non-dominant) parietal lobe
Contralateral neglect (loss of knowledge or interest in the left side of the body)
Damage to the left (dominant) parietal lobe
Ideational apraxia - inability to carry out sequences of actions
Ideomotor apraxia - inability to carry out a single action in response to a command)
Gerstmann’s Syndrome - finger agnosia, right-left confusion, agraphia, acalculia
Agraphia
Aka dysgraphia
Inability to write
Acalculia
Inability to perform simple calculations
Important structures of the temporal lobe
Auditory cortex - processes auditory information
Wernicke’s Area - comprehension of language
Damage to the auditory cortex of the temporal lobe
Results in auditory agnosia
Auditory hallucinations
Other disturbances in auditory sensation and perception
Important structures of the occipital lobe
Visual cortex - responsible for visual perception, recognition, and memory
Damage to the occipital lobe (generally)
Visual agnosia
Visual hallucinations
Cortical blindness
Psosopagnosia
Caused by lesions at the junction of occipital, parietal, and temporal lobes
Inability to recognize familiar faces
Left occipital lobe damage
Simultagnosia (inability to see more than one aspect of an object at a time)
Two theories of color vision
Trichromatic color theory - red, grn, blu receptors that form all other colors
Opponent-process theory - bipolar receptors (r-g, b-y, b-w) stimulated (and inhibited) in different ways produce the colors we see
Trichromatic theory of color vision
Young-Helmholtz
There are three types of color receptors (r, b, g) that are activated in different intensities to produce all the colors we perceive
Opponent-process theory of color vision
Hering
Three types of bipolar cells are stimulated and inhibited in different ways to account for all the colors we perceive (r-g, b-y, b-w)
What phenomenon supports opponent-process theory
Negative after-images
Color blindness
Often the result of a genetic deficiency
(Recessive x-linked trait)
Most common in men
Most common type of color blindness is inability to distinguish between red and green
Achromatopsia
Color blindness
Binocular depth perception cues
Convergence (eyes turn inward the closer an object gets)
Retinal disparity (each eye sees a different, the closer the image the more disparate the two images)
Convergence
Binocular cue
Turning inward of the eyes as an object gets closer (and vice versa)
Retinal disparity
Binocular cue
Our two eyes see the world from two different views…the closer an object, the greater the disparity of the two images
Monocular depth perception cues
Relative size
Interposition of objects (overlap)
Linear perspective
Motion parallax
Purpose of monocular cues
See depth perception for objects at greater distances
Location of the primary olfactory cortex
Orbitofrontal cortex
Processing of olfactory memory
Amygdala