PSY 1101 - Chapter 03: Biology & Neuroscience (Pt. 5) Flashcards
What is Brain Placticity?
the brain is changeable and modifiable (it is plastic)
- The brain changes with experience
What is Brain Laterality?
There’s no “left” or “right” brain, the two hemispheres are constantly working together to carry out functions
- Also known as Functional Asymmetry
What is Functional Asymmetry?
our two hemispheres do carry out similar functions, however each hemisphere seems to have its very own specialties
Ex: left hemisphere → associated with language and learning
How was Functional Asymmetry discovered?
Discovered through clinical observation, neuro-imaging techniques, and split brain patients
What are Split Brain Patients?
one of the way we learned about functional asymmetry is through split brain patients.
- Patients that suffered from severe seizures
- To relieve their seizures, doctors cut off their corpus callosum
In a split-brain patient, how are the RVF and LVF different?
If we flash information to the left visual field → it will go to the right side of the hemisphere
If we flash information to the right visual field → it will go to the left side of the hemisphere
How does a Normal Brain differ from that of a Split Brain Patient?
Normal Brain: Corpus colosseum communicate and anything shown in the right hemisphere will be communicated with the left hemisphere
Split Brain: If you flash an image to the right hemisphere, only the left side of the body will know about it (the left hemi will be left in the dark)
What does the Left Hemisphere control?
Controls language and speech, right side of body
What does the Right Hemisphere control?
Controls attention, memory, reasoning, and problem solving; left side of body
What is the Peripheral Nervous System?
- It consists of all the nerves in your body that is outside of the central nervous system
- It connects our bodies to the external world and to the CNS
What is the Main Function of the PNS?
Main job is to collect information from the outside world
- to send this information to the central nervous system
- to send information from the central nervous system to the outside world
What are the two divisions of the PNS?
- Somatic NS
- Autonomic NS
What is the Somatic NS?
Has two subdivision:
1. Sensory
2. Motor
What is the Sensory Subdivision of the Somatic NS?
Collects information from the external world and will send this to the cns via sensory neurons
- ears, nose, eyes, skin
What are the Axons of the Sensory Neurons called?
The axons of the sensory neurons are called afferent axons because they carry information from the body / the external world to the CNS
What is the Motor Subdivision of the Somatic NS?
Take motor info from cns and will transmit it to skeletal muscles using motor neurons
What are the Axons of the Motor Neurons called?
The axons of the motor neurons are called efferent axons because they carry information from the CNS to the body
What is the Autonomic NS?
It controls glands and visceral muscles
- muscles we do not have voluntary control over (e.g., heart, eyes)
What are the Divisions of the Autonomic NS?
- Sympathetic NS
- Parasympathetic NS
Are distinct but are constantly working together to maintain homeostasis
What is the Sympathetic NS?
Energizes, mobilizes, and prepares our bodies for fight or flight
What is the Parasympathetic NS?
Relaxes the body
- conserves energy and helps the body repair itself
- known as the rest and digest system
What is the Endocrine System?
The other major communication network in our bodies
- it consists of all of our glands in the body (ex: thyroid, pancreas, etc.)
- contains hormones
Example: Pineal gland (Found in brain; releases melatonin, the sleep hormone; regulates sleep-wake cycle)
What are Hormones?
Chemicals that carry messages from the endocrine to body tissue, organs, and to the brain
They’re so powerful they can INFLUENCE how we feel how we think and how we behave
What are the Three Types of Hormones?
- Hormones associated with Homeostasis
- Reproductive hormones
- Stress hormones
What are Hormones associated with Homeostasis?
ex: renin-helps regulate our blood pressure (insulin helps regulate our blood sugar)
What are Reproductive Hormones?
testosterone, estrogen
What are Stress Hormones?
cortisol , epinephrine
Stress hormones in the short term are very useful for our bodies. But if we’re stressed day in and day out (long term) can be very toxic
Ex: cortisol in long term can kill neurons in our brain
What is the Pituitary Gland?
considered to be the master gland in the endocrine system
- it controls almost all the other glands
- The pituitary also has its own boss and that is the Whypothalamus
What is the Hypothalamus?
Controls the endocrine system
How does the NS and Endocrine System work together?
distinct systems carry distinct functions but affect one another…
The nervous system controls the endocrine system but the hormones of the endocrine system can influence and affect the ns system
