PSYC 100 Chapter 3 Flashcards
(100 cards)
1
Q
Define Neuron
A
Cellular building block of the brain, a specialized kind of nerve cell found in the brain, spinal cord and
peripheral nervous system
2
Q
Define Neuroscience
A
Study of how nerves and cells send and receive information from the brain, body, and spinal cord
3
Q
Two parts of the nervous system
A
Central and peripheral
4
Q
Central nervous system
A
Brain and Spinal cord
5
Q
Peripheral nervous system
A
Sensory and motor nerves
6
Q
Two parts of peripheral
A
Somatic and Autonomic
7
Q
Somatic
A
Voluntary movement
8
Q
Autonomic
A
Automatic movement
9
Q
Two parts of autonomic
A
Sympathetic and Para-sympathetic
10
Q
Sympathetic
A
For exciting/dangerous situations
Life-threatening situations
- Increased heart rate, and breathing
11
Q
Parasympathetic
A
For more relaxed situations
-Digesting, salivating, etc
12
Q
Spinal cord
A
Part of the central nervous system, it connects the brain to the body
13
Q
Interneuron
A
Connects neurons to one another, interprets, stores, and retrieves information about the world, allowing you to make informed decisions before you act
14
Q
Cerebral cortex
A
The largest part of the cerebrum, it takes in sensory information and is responsible for higher function like your sense of mind and self
15
Q
The 5 lobes of the cerebrum
A
Frontal, Occipital, Parietal, Temporal, Insular
16
Q
The frontal lobe
A
Higher cognitive functions, thoughts, etc.
17
Q
3 parts of the frontal lobe
A
Pre-Frontal, Broca’s Area, Motor cortex
18
Q
Pre-frontal
A
Personality, Planning, Judgement
19
Q
Broca’s Area
A
Found in the Left Hemisphere, it is responsible for the production of language.
Damage to Broca’s area can lead to the inability to produce language.
20
Q
Motor cortex
A
Initiating motor movements
Premotor is for planning
21
Q
Parietal lobe
A
Sensory information and perception
22
Q
Section of the parietal lobe
A
Primary somatosensory (detects sensation) cortex
23
Q
Primary Somatosensory Cortex
A
Receives sensory information, areas that receive more sensory information are represented by larger areas in the brain
24
Q
Temporal Lobe
A
Hearing, Memory, and Language
25
3 sections of the Temporal lobe
Auditory cortex, Wernicke's Area, Visual recognition
26
Auditory cortex
Receives auditory information
27
Wernicke's area
The *comprehension* of language.
Damage to this area may cause someone to be able to produce language but not understand it
28
Visual recognition
Recognition of faces and objects
Damage to this area may cause facial blindness
29
Occipital Lobe
Responsible for vision
30
Cortex of the occipital lobe
Visual cortex
31
Visual Cortex
Receives visual info
Damage to this area may cause Hallucinations, blindness etc.
32
Insular lobe
beneath frontal and parietal, taste
33
The cortex of the Insular lobe
Primary taste cortex
34
Primary taste cortex
Internal states fo organs, maintaining homeostasis,
35
Left and right control?
Right and left
36
Corpus Callosum
Connects Hemispheres
Damage to this area may lead to a split-brain patient which gets their corpus callosum cut. Their hemispheres will not be able to communicate leading to perceptual difficulties.
37
Limbic system
Processes information about internal states; emotion, memory, motivation
38
5 parts of the limbic system
Thalamus, Hippocampus, Basal Glangia, Amygdala, and Hypothalamus
39
Thalamus
Switchboard: Sensory relay station
Damage can lead to sensory problems
40
Hypothalamus
Maintains internal states, controls the autonomic nervous system and pituitary gland
Damage can cause endocrine disorders such as diabetes, internal
temperature fluctuation
41
Amygdala
Excitement and fear
Damage can lead to the inability of feeling these and sense danger
42
Hippocampus
Memory formation
Damage can cause problems with forming new memories (mainly short-term)
43
Basal Glangia
Control of movement communicates with the spinal cord. Planning of action
Damage linked to Parkinson's
44
Brain Stem
collects sensory signals from the
body and sends signals down from the
brain to create movement. It also plays
a role in emotion - related changes
in your body, allowing you to show fear
Damage can be lethal
45
3 Parts of the brainstem
Pons, Medulla Oblongata and Midbrain
46
Midbrain
Reflexive eye movements, motivation to move
Damage can lead to movement disorders and difficulties with vision
47
Pons
Automatic movements like breathing, relays sensations like hearing, taste, balance to cortex and subcortex
Damage can lead to loss of sensation or motor control and difficulties with speech or swallowing
48
Medulla Oblongata
Controlling autonomic function, critical reflexes
Damage to this area causes problems with heart beat , vomiting,
49
Cerebellum
Coordination, precision, balance, accurate timing, cognition. Mostly automatic.
Damage will cause no difficultiy initiating movement but instead maintsinting balance and precision.
50
Endocrine system
A network of glands that produces and releases hormones into the bloodstream to regulate the body’s activities
51
Hormone
The blood-borne chemicals that travel through the circulatory system enabling the brain to regulate the body’s activities.
52
Pituary gland
The master endocrine gland, located at the base of the brain, regulates hormone production in other
glands.
53
Adrenal glands
located on top of the kidneys; produce ~50 hormones, active in stressful situations
-Adrenaline and cortisol
-Boost energy and increase heart rate,
blood pressure, and blood-sugar
levels
-Central to the stress response
54
Parts of the neuron
Axon, Dendrite, Terminal Branch, Cell body/Soma
55
Axon
Located between cell body and Terminal branches, it transports signals to other cells
56
Myelin Sheath
Made up of glial cells, insulates the axon
57
Glial Cells (glia)
insulate and support neurons, and serve as cellular glue between neurons, also contributing to brain development.
-Greater Myelination associated with positive differences in brain activities
Myelin shrinks with normal aging
Degredation of Myelin (Demyelination)- neurodegenerative disease
58
Dendrite
Receives signals from other cells
59
Cell body/Soma
Creates proteins and new cell components
60
Terminal branch
converts electrical signals into chemical messages to other neurons
61
Action Potential:
Rapid sequence of changes in the voltage across a membrane, occurs when a neuron sends information down an axon, away from the cell body.
Resting potential
Rises to threshold
Rapidly depolarizes
Rapidly repolarizes then Hyperpolarizes-Refractory period
Returns to resting potential
62
Resting state (polarized state)
negative intercellular environment
+positive extracellular environment
63
Depolarization
positively charged ions flood into the neuron, setting a chain reaction as
they spread down the axon, causing more channels to open
64
Repolarization
positive ions out, returning to the resting potential.
65
Synapse
the space between
the terminal branches of the
sending neuron and the
dendrites of the receiving
neuron.
66
Neurotransmission
converting the electrical
signal into a chemical one and pass to the next neuron. Occurs at the Terminal branch
67
Refractory period
The period of time required for a neuron to return to its resting state before it can fire another action potential
68
Receptors
recognize and bind with specific
neurotransmitters
69
Removal mechanisms for leftover neurotransmitters
Diffusion, Degredation, Reuptake
70
Diffusion
Drift out the snyapse
71
Degredation
Chemical reaction that breaks down the neurotransmitters
72
Reuptake
neurotransmitters are reabsorbed
into the presynaptic terminal (a selective process)
73
Amino Acids trigger?
Glutamate, GABA, etc
74
Monoamines trigger?
Dopamine, Serotonin
75
Acetylcholine
an inhibitory and an excitatory signal, supporting heart, skeletal muscle, and cognitive function
76
Agonist
A chemical that mimics the action of a neurotransmitter
77
Antagonist
block these effects, competing with both naturally occurring neurotransmitters and agonists for
target receptors
78
Neural Plasticity
refers to the brain’s ability to change, even into adulthood
can be in response to learning or disease/injury
79
4 basic processes of Neural Plasticity
axon and dendrite growth
synaptogenesis
pruning (apoptosis)
myelination
80
How is learning done?
through synapse formation, long term potentiation or changes in dendritic shape
81
Neurogenesis
The process by which new brain cells are born in adult brains.
82
EEG
Electrodes placed on the scalp measure
electrical activity in the brain
-high temporal resolution (milliseconds)
-non invasive
-affordable
-low spatial resolution
83
fMRI
Strong magnetic fields used to visualize neural activity in the brain (using blood flow as an indicator of activity)
-High spatial resolution (1-5 mm^3)
-Non invasive
-Low temporal resolution (1-2 seconds)
-Expensive
84
PET
Neuroimaging, can be used to diagnose Alzheimers disease
-Good spatial resolution
-Poor temporal resolution
85
MEG
-Good temporal resolution
-Bad spatial resolution
86
CT
X-ray images of brain from different angles to make 3D structure
Exposes patients to dangerous radiation
87
Single cell recording
Insert a microelectrode inside the
brain to study electrical activity of a single neuron or a small area.
-mostly on animals
-ok temporal resolution
-ok spatial resolution
88
Brain scans
Image= Experimental-Control
89
Good spatial resolution
MRI, fMRI, Single-Cell recording, PET
90
Good temporal resolution
EEG/ERP, MEG, Single-Cell recording
91
Heritability
Percentage of the variability in a trait across a group of individuals that is due to genes, tells us nothing about how
changeable a trait is
92
Genotype
Genetic Makeup
93
Phenotype
Observable traits
94
Natural Selection
Populations change gradually over time
Some individuals have adaptations making them better suited for the environment
95
allele
A variant form of a gene; humans have two alleles per gene, one inherited from each parent
96
family studies
Extent to which the trait “runs in the family”
Similar genes and environment
97
Monozygotic
2 twins share 100% same genes
98
Dizygotic
2 twins share 50% of their genes
99
Twin studies
Same environment
50-100% shared genes
100
Adoption studies
Shared genes with biological family
Shared environment with adopted family
