Psych Unit 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

Brainstem (Medulla and Pons)

A

connects the the spinal cord and the brain and includes:
Medulla - heartbeat, respiration, and blood pressure
Pons - sleep and arousal

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2
Q

Pituitary Gland

A

the most influential gland under the influence of the hypothalamus, it regulates stress, growth, reproduction and controls other glands –> Master Gland

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3
Q

Adrenal Glands

A

primarily hormones related to stress / anxiety (epinephrine, adrenaline, cortisol) and also androgens (sex hormones) developing male sex characteristics (converted into estrogen in females)

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4
Q

Pineal Gland

A

produces melatonin for regulating sleep patterns

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5
Q

Thyroid Gland

A

produces hormones that regulate metabolism, body heat, and bone growth - surrounds trachea in the neck

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6
Q

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

A

connects the brain and spinal cord to all other neurons in the muscles, organs and senses in the periphery of the body

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7
Q

Somatic Nervous System

A

part of the peripheral nervous system that controls voluntary movements, transmits and receives messages from the senses and is involved in reflex actions without the involvement of the CNS

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8
Q

Parts of a Neuron

A

-Dendrites (branching extensions to receive messages)
-Soma (cell body)
-Axon (neuron extension passes electrical messages)
-Myelin Sheath (covers axon, speeds up messages)
-Terminal (sends neurotransmitters)
-Synapse (the gap between neurons)

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9
Q

Action Potential

A

a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

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10
Q

Refractory Period

A

a period of inactivity following an action potential during which a new action potential cannot be initiated

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11
Q

All-or-None Response

A

a neuron either firing or not firing, it must reach -55 mV for action potential to begin

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12
Q

Neurotransmitters

A

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gap to transmit information from one neuron to another

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13
Q

Reuptake

A

a neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron

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14
Q

Agonist

A

A chemical that stimulates a response that mimics the action of a neurotransmitter by binding to a receptor site (heroin, oxycodone, morphine)

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15
Q

Antagonists

A

Chemical substances that block the action of a neurotransmitter (botox)

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16
Q

Sensory (afferent) and Motor (efferent) Neurons

A

sensory - neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord
motor - neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands

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17
Q

Glial Cells

A

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons

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18
Q

Cerebral Cortex

A

the outer surface of the brain and associated with higher level processes with each cerebral hemisphere subdivided into four lobes with different functions

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19
Q

Frontal Lobes

A

part of the cerebral cortex that lies just behind the forehead; executive functioning (problem solving, reasoning, personality, willpower)

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20
Q

Motor Cortex

A

at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

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21
Q

Parietal lobes

A

part of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear that registers and processes touch, pressure, temperature, pain and includes the sensory cortex

22
Q

Somatosensory Cortex

A

at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations - has been mapped to show where specific signals are received

23
Q

Occipital lobes

A

part of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head which receives visual information from the opposite visual field

24
Q

Temporal lobes

A

part of the cerebral cortex lying roughy above the ears each of which revives auditory information primarily from the opposite end

25
Q

Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas

A

Broca’s - in the left frontal lobe, expresses language by directing muscle movements involved in speech
Wernicke’s - in the left temporal lobe, processes language comprehension and expression

26
Q

Cerebellum

A

“little brain” at the rear of the brainstem controls fine motor control, posture, balance and enables nonverbal learning and memory

27
Q

Limbic system

A

part of the brain involved in our behavioural and emotional responses, includes thalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus

28
Q

Thalamus

A

the brains ‘traffic director’ at top of brainstem, it directs messages to the sensory areas and transmits them to cerebellum and medulla

29
Q

Hypothalamus

A

is below the thalamus and part of the limbic system, it directs eating, drinking, body temperature, and helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland - linked to emotion and reward

30
Q

Amygdala

A

part of the limbic system, a lima bean sized neural cluster linked to emotion including rage and fear (angry lima bean)

31
Q

Heritability

A

the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes; may vary depending on population range and the environment

32
Q

Endocrine System

A

the body’s “slow” chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream

33
Q

Central Nervous System (CNS)

A

the brain and the spinal cord - primarily involved in coordinating incoming sensory messages and outgoing motor messages

34
Q

Autonomic Nervous System

A

Part of the peripheral nervous system - controls vital functions (heartbeat, breathing) and acute stress response (fight or flight).

It’s sympathetic system arouses, parasympathetic calms (PARents calm down their kids).

35
Q

Hippocampus

A

part of the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage

36
Q

Corpus Callosum

A

large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carries messages between them

37
Q

Split Brain (Sperry)

A

a condition in which the two brain hemispheres are isolated by cutting the nerves that connect them

38
Q

Lesioning

A

brain tissue destruction, can be a naturally or experimentally caused

39
Q

CT (computed tomography) scan

A

a series of x-ray photographs from different angles and combined into a composite representation of a slice through the body (also called a CAT scan)

40
Q

PET (positron emission tomography) scan

A

a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task

41
Q

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) vs. fMRI (functional MRI)

A

MRI - uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce images to distinguish various soft tissues

fMRI shows brain function by revealing blood flow of successive MRI scans

42
Q

Plasticity (Gazzaniga)

A

the brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

43
Q

identical twins (monozygotic) and fraternal twins (dizygotic)

A

Identical twins - develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms
Fraternal twins - twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs; no genetically closer than brothers and sisters, but they share a fetal environment

44
Q

Depressants

A

drugs (such as alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions

45
Q

Stimulants

A

drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine, and the more powerful amphetamines, cocaine, and Ecstasy) that excite neural activity and speed up body functions.

46
Q

Hallucinogens

A

psychedelic drugs, such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input

47
Q

Sleep Cycle

A

a period of sleep lasting about 90 minutes and including one or more stages of NREM sleep, followed by REM sleep

48
Q

Circadian Rhythm

A

the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle

49
Q

Sleep Disorders

A

serious and consistent sleep disturbances that interfere with daytime functioning (such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, sleepwalking, sleep paralysis, narcolepsy)

50
Q

Charles Darwin

A

inspired evolutionary psychology that the studies behavior and the mind using principles of natural selection (genes vs. the environment)