Psych Unit 2 Flashcards
Brainstem (Medulla and Pons)
connects the the spinal cord and the brain and includes:
Medulla - heartbeat, respiration, and blood pressure
Pons - sleep and arousal
Pituitary Gland
the most influential gland under the influence of the hypothalamus, it regulates stress, growth, reproduction and controls other glands –> Master Gland
Adrenal Glands
primarily hormones related to stress / anxiety (epinephrine, adrenaline, cortisol) and also androgens (sex hormones) developing male sex characteristics (converted into estrogen in females)
Pineal Gland
produces melatonin for regulating sleep patterns
Thyroid Gland
produces hormones that regulate metabolism, body heat, and bone growth - surrounds trachea in the neck
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
connects the brain and spinal cord to all other neurons in the muscles, organs and senses in the periphery of the body
Somatic Nervous System
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
Parts of a Neuron
-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)
Action Potential
a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
Refractory Period
a period of inactivity following an action potential during which a new action potential cannot be initiated
All-or-None Response
a neuron either firing or not firing, it must reach -55 mV for action potential to begin
Neurotransmitters
chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gap to transmit information from one neuron to another
Reuptake
a neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron
Agonist
A chemical that stimulates a response that mimics the action of a neurotransmitter by binding to a receptor site (heroin, oxycodone, morphine)
Antagonists
Chemical substances that block the action of a neurotransmitter (botox)
Sensory (afferent) and Motor (efferent) Neurons
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
Glial Cells
cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons
Cerebral Cortex
the outer surface of the brain and associated with higher level processes with each cerebral hemisphere subdivided into four lobes with different functions
Frontal Lobes
part of the cerebral cortex that lies just behind the forehead; executive functioning (problem solving, reasoning, personality, willpower)
Motor Cortex
at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements
Parietal lobes
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
Somatosensory Cortex
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
Occipital lobes
part of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head which receives visual information from the opposite visual field
Temporal lobes
part of the cerebral cortex lying roughy above the ears each of which revives auditory information primarily from the opposite end
Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas
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
Cerebellum
“little brain” at the rear of the brainstem controls fine motor control, posture, balance and enables nonverbal learning and memory
Limbic system
part of the brain involved in our behavioural and emotional responses, includes thalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus
Thalamus
the brains ‘traffic director’ at top of brainstem, it directs messages to the sensory areas and transmits them to cerebellum and medulla
Hypothalamus
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
Amygdala
part of the limbic system, a lima bean sized neural cluster linked to emotion including rage and fear (angry lima bean)
Heritability
the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes; may vary depending on population range and the environment
Endocrine System
the body’s “slow” chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
Central Nervous System (CNS)
the brain and the spinal cord - primarily involved in coordinating incoming sensory messages and outgoing motor messages
Autonomic Nervous System
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).
Hippocampus
part of the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage
Corpus Callosum
large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carries messages between them
Split Brain (Sperry)
a condition in which the two brain hemispheres are isolated by cutting the nerves that connect them
Lesioning
brain tissue destruction, can be a naturally or experimentally caused
CT (computed tomography) scan
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)
PET (positron emission tomography) scan
a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) vs. fMRI (functional MRI)
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
Plasticity (Gazzaniga)
the brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience
identical twins (monozygotic) and fraternal twins (dizygotic)
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
Depressants
drugs (such as alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions
Stimulants
drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine, and the more powerful amphetamines, cocaine, and Ecstasy) that excite neural activity and speed up body functions.
Hallucinogens
psychedelic drugs, such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input
Sleep Cycle
a period of sleep lasting about 90 minutes and including one or more stages of NREM sleep, followed by REM sleep
Circadian Rhythm
the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle
Sleep Disorders
serious and consistent sleep disturbances that interfere with daytime functioning (such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, sleepwalking, sleep paralysis, narcolepsy)
Charles Darwin
inspired evolutionary psychology that the studies behavior and the mind using principles of natural selection (genes vs. the environment)
