Psych unit 2 (shortened) Flashcards
Spinal cord
carries sensory and motor info from body to brain
Brain stem
oldest part of brain; located just above the spinal cord; responsible for regulating all basic body functions such as heartbeat, breathing, etc. (part of brain that keeps us alive)
Medulla oblongata
regulates basic survival functions, i.e. heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, digestion
Pons/reticular formation
acts as a connector between medulla and cerebellum; responsible for certain movements such as swallowing, facial expressions, and bladder control, etc.
Reticular formation
arousal and sleep cycles
Cerebellum
located at base of brain; known as “little brain”; responsible for balance, coordination and fine motor movements
Thalamus
relay station; receives sensory information from the body and sends to the appropriate receiving part of the brain
Limbic system
part of brain made up of hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus and pituitary gland
Hypothalamus
controls autonomic functions – our body’s thermostat. Regulates the following: body temperature, hunger, thirst, sex drive; signals the pituitary gland to work- endocrine system
Amygdala
pea shaped structures linked to emotion - aggression and fear; “fight or flight” response
Hippocampus
enables formation of new long-term memories by transferring them from short term memory
Pituitary gland
known as “master gland”; produces stimulating hormones that promote secretion by other glands
Pineal gland
–part of endocrine gland that produces melatonin that helps regulate circadian rhythms
Corpus Callosum
connects the two hemispheres allowing them to communicate with each other
Cingulate gyrus
part of limbic system important in linking behavioral outcomes to motivation
Basal ganglia
regulates initiation of movements, balance, eye movements and posture
Related to Motor area
Occipital lobes
responsible for vision; contralateral
Visual cortex
processes and makes sense of visual stimuli; located in occipital lobe
Parietal lobes
involved in processing somatosensory information; contralateral
Angular gyrus
in parietal lobe; involved in a number of processes related to language, number processing and spatial cognition
Sensory cortex
located in the front of the parietal lobe; receives all sensory information from the body
Temporal lobes
on side of the head; center for hearing; mostly contralateral. Front: smell
Wernicke’s area
– located in left temporal lobe; responsible for understanding language and making meaningful sentences, language comprehension and expression
Frontal lobes
lobe responsible for judgment, decision making, personality; reasoning part of our brain that distinguishes humans from animals
Motor cortex
responsible for all of our movements
Broca’s area
in left frontal lobe; controls production of speech
Cerebral cortex
outer layer of brain; center for higher-order processes; size of large pizza in humans
Association areas
– areas of cerebral cortex that do not have specific sensory of motor functions but are involved in higher mental functions such as thinking, planning and communicating
Neurotransmitter
chemical messengers that send information from one neuron to another
Afferent neurons
sensory neurons; receive sensory messages from body and send them to brain
Efferent neurons
motor neurons; involved in voluntary movement; send messages from brain to various muscles of the body
Interneurons
– located in spinal cord and brain; act as relay station between afferent and efferent neurons; also responsible for reflexes
Glial cells
consider glue of nervous system; nourish, support and protect neurons in brain and spinal cord
Cerebral cortex
Sensory info & movement. Thinking planning judgment
Cerebral cortex
Sensory info & movement. Thinking planning judgment
Somato sensation
Skin sensation in parietal lobes
