PSY 1101 - Chapter 03: Biology & Neuroscience (Pt. 3) Flashcards

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1
Q

What are CT Scans?

A

Computerized Tomography

Uses x-rays that pass through the body, and can generate images of “slices” of the body

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2
Q

What are the Advantages to CT Scans?

A

Fast, cheap, and noninvasive

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3
Q

What are the Disadvantages to CT Scans?

A
  • Radiation exposure
  • Doesn’t allow us to see the brain in action, just the structure
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4
Q

What is an Example of Use of CT Scans?

A

Detect changes in structure due to disease

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5
Q

What is MRI?

A

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Uses magnetic fields to image alignments of hydrogen ions (different tissues have different amounts of water)

  • Exposure to very powerful magnetic fields
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6
Q

What are the Advantages to MRI?

A

Noninvasive, great precision, no radiation

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7
Q

What are the Disadvantages to MRI?

A
  • Really expensive, cannot have biomedical devices or metal in patients
  • Can only see structure of brain
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8
Q

What is an Example of MRI Use?

A

Detect changes in structure due to disease

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9
Q

What is fMRI?

A

Functional MRI

Uses magnetic fields to image alignments of hydrogen ions (different tissues have different amounts of water)

  • Exposure to very powerful magnetic fields
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10
Q

What are the Advantages to fMRI?

A

Noninvasive, no radiation, no injections or ingestions

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11
Q

What are the Disadvantages to fMRI?

A

Cardiovascular disease or compromised function can make measurements unreliable; delay between stimulus and output

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12
Q

What is an Example of fMRI Use?

A

Can measure activation during a task or following stimulation

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13
Q

What is a DTI?

A

Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Tracks and images water movement along neural pathways, and can measure density of neural tracts (bundles of axons)

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14
Q

What are the Advantages of DTI?

A

Noninvasive, no radiation, no injections or ingestions needed

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15
Q

What are the Disadvantages of DTI?

A

The interpretation can be difficult in tracts that have different kinds of fibers

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16
Q

What is an Example of DTI Use?

A

Study white matter degeneration in disease

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17
Q

What is a PET / SPECT?

A

Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography

Uses an ingested radioactive compound to track molecular changes

  • inject a radioactive substance
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18
Q

What is the Advantage to PET / SPECT?

A

You can see molecular changes in real time
- Allows us to see the brain in action
- Allows us to activity of neurotransmitters

19
Q

What is the Disadvantage to PET / SPECT?

A

Radiation exposure

20
Q

What is an Example of PET / SPECT Use?

A

Visualize the activity of specific neurotransmitters, can measure binding

21
Q

How did the different structures of the Brain come to be?

A

different parts of the brain were added while evolution progressed… some parts of the brain are newer and some are older

The different parts of the brain are always working together

22
Q

What are the Lower Brain Structures?

A
  1. Brain Stem
  2. Cerebellum
  3. Thalamus
23
Q

What is the Brain Stem?

A
  • Oldest part of the brain (over 500 000 000 years old)
  • Starts where the spinal cord ends and connects the brain to spinal cord
  • Relay station (all info going to or leaving the brain go through the brain stem)
  • Crossover point (info coming from left side of body will cross over to right side of brain, and vice versa)
  • Life centre of the brain
24
Q

Why is the Brain Stem the Life Centre to the Brain?

A

it contains structures that control vital functions that are
essential for survival:
- medulla, the pons and the RAS

25
Q

What is the Medulla?

A

we could lose a whole hemisphere of our brain and be fine, but if we lose the medulla, we will die.

  • It controls breathing
  • It controls heart beat
  • It controls swallowing (essential for survival)
  • It controls blood pressure
  • It controls vomiting (also important)
26
Q

What are the Pons?

A
27
Q

What is the RAS?

A
28
Q

Where is the RAS located?

A
29
Q

What are the Functions of RAS?

A
30
Q

What are the Diseases linked to RAS?

A
31
Q

What is the Cerebellum?

A

Next most ancient part of the brain, Cervelet in French
- It is only 1/10th of the brains volume
- OVER HALF of the brain neurons are found in the cerebellum
- neurons have 20X the connections than other neurons in the brain

32
Q

What does the Cerebellum Control?

A

Cerebellum controls:
- voluntary movements
- balance
- muscle tone

33
Q

What happens when the Cerebellum is injured?

A

when the cerebellum is injured, we may have a hard time standing up or maintaining their balance

34
Q

What is the Cerebellum Involved in?

A

Involved in the learning of motor skill () that become automatic

ex. typing

35
Q

What did Recent Research discover about the Cerebellum?

A
  • Seems to be involved in higher mental functioning like -learning and memory
  • Seems to be involved in reasoning
  • Seems to be involved in creativity
  • Linked and associated with learning
  • Linked and associated with autism
  • Seems to be important for the cognitive development

When you drink alcohol, your cerebellum is drunk also (that’s why you get tipsy)

36
Q

What is the Thalamus?

A

Considered to be a relay station
- all of our senses except for smell, sends info to the thalamus
- thalamus relays the information to the other brain areas
- It receives information from higher brain areas, and relays to lower brain areas

37
Q

What does the Thalamus Filter?

A

Not just a relay station
- It also filters the incoming information and highlights what it thinks is important

38
Q

What is the Limbic System?

A

It consists of a number of different structures

Linked and associated to:
- Learning
- Memory
- Emotion
- Motivation

39
Q

What is the Hippocampus?

A

Linked and associated with the formation of new memories and maintenance of a cognitive map

40
Q

What would happen if your Hippocampus was removed?

A

If your hippocampus is removed, you can no longer make new memories however you can remember old memories

*basically whoever you meet after having it removed, you will never remember them for the rest of life

41
Q

What is a Cognitive Map?

A

a mental representation of a space

42
Q

What is the Hippocampus vulnerable to?

A

Hippocampus is vulnerable to stress
- Chronic stress is bad for the brain but particularly the hippocampus
- Chronic stress kills neurons in the hippocampus
- One of the first parts of the brain to be hit with Alzheimer’s

43
Q

What is Amygdala?

A

Is linked/associated with:
- aggression
- the experience of emotions, particularly fear
- the perception of emotions
- experiencing emotional memories

44
Q

What is the Function of Amygdala?

A

To detect threats in our environment and to sound the alarm

  • It can detect and react to threatening stimuli in our environment even though were not consciously aware of them