Psych Chapter 5 Flashcards
What is a neuron?
Cells that receive, integrate and transmit info in the nervous system.
What are the three major parts of a neuron.
The Soma, Dendrite and Axon.
What is a Soma?
Its the cell body- contains the nucleus of the cell and keeps the cell alive.
What is the dendrite?
Branching tree like fiber- collects info from other cells and sends the info to the soma.
What is the Axon?
Long, segmented fiber- transmits info away from the cell body towards other neurons, muscles or glands.
What is a Myelin Sheath?
A layer of fatty tissue surrounding the axon of a neuron that both acts as an insulator and allows faster transmission of the electrical signal.
Axons branch out toward their ends, and at the tip of each branch is a ——
terminal button.
What is a Glial Cell?
Supply nourishments, remove waste, and provide insulation.
What is the electrochemical process?
An electrical charge moves through the neuron and chemicals transmit info between neurons.
What is a resting potential?
a state in which the interior of the neuron contains a greater number of negatively charged ions than does the area outside the cell
What is an action potential?
Change in electrical charge that occurs in a neuron when a nerve impulse is transmitted.
What happens when the action potential happens?
The number of positive ions exceeds the number of negative ions in the segment, and the neuron becomes positively charged.
What are the nodes of Ranvier?
Series of breaks between the sausage like segments of the myelin sheath.
What is the Refractory period?
A brief time after the firing of the axon in which the axon cannot fire again because the neuron has not yet returned to its resting potential.
What is a synapse?
Spaces between the cells
What are neurotransmitters?
Chemicals that communicate with other neurons.
When neurotransmitters are accepted by the receptors on the receiving neurons, their effect may be either:
Excitatory, and inhibitory
What are Excitatory and inhibitory?
Excitatory is when the neurotransmitters make he cell less likely to fire
Inhibitory is when the neurotransmitters make a cell less likely to fire
The same amount of inhibition and excitation =?
neuron stays at resting state
What is the process of neurotransmitters not being accepted?
- Breakdown of neurotransmitters by enzymes
2. Reuptake - neurotransmitters are reabsorbed into the terminal buttons, ready to be used again after the neuron fires.
what is Acetylcholine?
A common neurotransmitter used in the spinal cord and motor neurons to stimulate muscle contractions.
Alzheimer’s disease is associated with an undersupply of acetylcholine and nicotine acts like acetylcholine.
What is Dopamine?
Involved in movement, motivation and emotion. Produces feelings of pleasure when released by the brains reward system, and its also involved in learning.
what neurotransmitter is schizophrenia linked to?
Dopamine
What is released in response to behaviors such as vigorous exercise, orgasm, and eating spicy foods?
Endorphins
What is Glutamate
he most common neurotransmitter, it’s released in more than 90% of the brain’s synapses. Glutamate is found in the food additive MSG (monosodium glutamate).
what is serotonin
Involved in many functions, including mood, appetite, sleep, and aggression.
what is GABA
The major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain.
What is the medulla
Controls heart rate, breathing. Is the most basic structure needed to live. Are able to survive with just the Medulla.
What is the pons
Helps control balance, movements, walking.
what is the Reticular Formation
long narrow network of neurons that acts as a switch board. Filters stimuli and relays info to the right areas of the brain. Important in eating, sleeping and sexual activity. If electrocuted you live, if severed, you’ll fall into a coma.
what is the cerebellum
Receives sensory info from the body and the brain and is responsible for balance, coordination and speech. Alcohol effects the cerebellum in which we lose balance. Makes up 10% of the body’s weight. But has almost half of the brains neurons.
what is the limbic system
a brain area, located between the brain stem and the two cerebral hemispheres, that governs motion and memory.
what is the thalamus
filters sensory information that is coming up from the spinal cord and through the reticular formation. Egg-shaped structure above the brain stem
what is the Amygdala:
primarily responsible for regulating our perceptions of, and reactions to, aggression and fear. Two “almond-shaped” clusters
What is the Hippocampus
important in storing information in long-term memory. Two “horns” that curve back from the amygdala
what is the hypothalamus
contains a number of small areas that perform a variety of functions, including the regulation of hunger and sexual behavior, as well as linking the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland. Under (Hypo) the thalamus
What is the Cerebral Cortex?
the outer bark-like layer of our brain that allows us to so successfully use language, acquire complex skills, create tools, and live in social groups. Grey matter vs. white matter
The folding in the cerebral context is called the -?
Colocalization
The hills are called -?
Gyri
The shallow grooves (valleys) are called -?
Sulci
The deep grooves are called -?
Fissures
What is Brain Lateralization?
The idea that the left and the right hemispheres of the brain are specialized to perform different functions.
What is Corpus Callosum
The region that normally connects the two halves of the brain and supports communication between the two hemispheres.
What is the Frontal Lobe responsible for?
responsible primarily for thinking, planning, memory and judgement.
What is the parietal lobe responsible for?
Responsible primarily for processing info about touch, pain and pressure.
What is the occipital lobe?
Processes visual info
What is the temporal lobe responsible for?
Responsible primarily for hearing, language, and object recognition.
What is the purpose of the motor context?
Controls and executes movements of the body by sending signals to the cerebellum and the spinal cord. The motor cortex controls both gross and fine motor control.
Just behind the motor cortex, in the parietal lobe is the somatosensory cortex.
What is the Somatosensory cortex?
Receives info from the skins sensory receptors and the movements of different body parts.
What is Contralateral Control?
The brain is wired such that in most cases the left hemisphere receives sensations from and controls the right side of the body, and vice versa.
What is the visual cortex?
It processes visual info.
What is the auditory cortex?
It processes hearing and language.
What is the Olfactory cortex?
Processes smells
What is the Gustatory Cortex?
Processes tastes
What is Neuroplasticity?
the brains ability to change its structure and function in response to experience or damage.
Our brains are the most “——” when we are young
plastic
True or false: brian cannot create new neurons to take place of old ones
false
What is Neurogenesis?
The forming of new neurons.
What are Nerves?
Bundles of interconnected neurons that fire in synchrony to carry messages
What is the sensory (afferent) neuron?
Its is a nerve that carries info from sensory receptors
what is the motor (efferent) neuron’s function?
A nerve that Transmits info to muscles an d glands
What is the interneuron’s function?
A nerve that communicates among other neurons
The nervous system can be divided into two parts:
Central nervous system and peripheral nervous system.
What is the Central Nervous Systems’ purpose?
made up of the brain and spinal cord and is charged with interpreting and responding to sensory information.
What is the Peripheral Nervous Systems’ purpose?
links the CNS to the body’s sense receptors, muscles, and glands
What is the Spinal Cord’s purpose?
Long, thin, tubular bundle of nerves and supporting cells that extends down from the brain.
What is a reflex?
an involuntary and nearly instantaneous movement in response movement in response to a stimulus.
What are the two systems of the PNS?
The Automatic Nervous system - controls the internal activities of organs and glands.
tHE sOMATIC NERVOUS SYSTEM- External skin and muscle (sense organs, muscle contraction)
The ANS (Automatic Nervous system) has two systems that are…
The Sympathetic Nervous System -prepares bodies for stress
The Parasympathetic system - calms the body and allows it to recover
What is the Endocrine system?
A network of glands in your body that makes the hormones that help cells talk to each other.
What is a Gland?
A group of cells that function to secrete hormones
What is a hormone?
A chemical that moves throughout the body to help regulate emotions and behaviours
What is the Pituitary Gland?
Controls the body’s growth, pain response, signals production of sex hormones, ovulation, menstrual cycle. Sometimes known as the “master gland”.
What is the purpose of the Pancreas?
Hormones produce and maintain stores of energy; regulates blood sugar levels. Most important is insulin.
What is the Pineal Gland?
Helps regulate the wake-sleep cycle. Hormones related is melatonin. Located in the middle of the brain.
What are the Thyroid and Parathyroid?
determines how quickly the body uses energy and hormones; controls the amount of calcium in the blood and bones. Located in the neck.
what does the Adrenal gland do?
Regulate salt and water balance, metabolism, immune system, sexual development and function. Most important is epinephrine and norepinephrine. Located atop each kidney.
What are the testes?
Male sexual reproduction and development. Most important is testosterone.
What are the Ovaries?
Female sexual reproduction and development, and pregnancy. Most important is estrogen and progesterone.
What is a lesion?
When a brain of a living organism is damage
Who was Phineas Gage?
Phineas Gage was 25-year-old railroad worker who, as a result of an explosion, had an iron rod driven into his cheek and out through the top of his skull, causing major damage to his frontal lobe.
Gage was able to return to work after the wounds healed but he no longer seemed to be the same person to those who knew him.
Before the accident he was said to be amiable, soft-spoken, and kind.
After the accident, people said he now behaved irritable, rude, irresponsible, and dishonest.
Based on this several psychologists have proposed that the area that was damaged during the accident, the Frontal Lobe, is involved in functions integral to our personality, reasoning, morality, and emotions.
What is Electroencephalography?
a technique that records the electrical activity produced by the brain’s neurons through the use of electrodes that are placed around the research participant’s head.
It tracks the brains signals across the the surface of the brain
What are the two ways of measuring electrical impulses?
Directly – by placing electrodes directly into the brain
Indirectly – by measuring the brain waves that pass through the skull with small sensors that stick to the skin
What is Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT)?
Computerized X-ray of brain
Multiple X-rays shot through brain at different angles
Computer combines these to produce an image
What is Positron-Emission Tomography?
Assesses biochemical changes in the brain as they happen
Commonly use glucose metabolism
Inject radioactive glucose-like substance
Monitor activity
What is Magnetic Resonance Imaging?
Powerful magnetic fields and radio frequencies used to generate image of the brain
Stimulates neurons (makes them vibrate)
Also known as a structural MRI
What is an fMRI?
type of brain scan that uses a magnetic field to create images of brain activity in each brain area. In fMRI a large magnet helps detect the amount of blood flow in different parts of the brain.
What are transcranial Magnetic Stimuli (TMS)?
a procedure in which magnetic pulses are applied to the brain of a living person with the goal of temporarily and safely deactivating a small brain region.
