psychology and the brain - 9/22 Flashcards
neurons
nerve cells
glia
support neurons by insulating them, synchronizing activity, and removing waste product
cell body
contains the nucleus of the cell
dendrites
“tree”
widely branching structures that receive transmissions from other neurons
axon
single, long, thin , straight fibers with branches near its tip
sends transmits information
action potential
an excitation that travels along an axon at a constant strength no matter how far it must travel
action potential in a nutshell
sodium enters the cell (excitation) and potassium leaves (return to resting potential)
synapses
gaps between one neuron and another
terminal bouton
presynaptic ending little bulge on the brances of an axon
when an action potential reaches the terminal bouton…
it releases a neurotransmitter
neurotransmitter
chemical that can activate receptors on other neurons
agonist
a drug that boosts the effect of a neurotransmitter
antagonist
a drug that block the effect of a neurotransmitter
acetylcholine
- movement, attention, learning, emotion
- alzheimers disease
-partial agonist
serotonin
- mood, hunger, sleep, arousal
- low amounts are linked to depression
- antagonist
norepinephrine
- controls alertness and arousal
- low amounts can depress mood
central nervous system
brain and spinal cord
peripheral nervous system
everything but brain and spinal cord
autonomic
involuntary behaviors
breathing, digestion, heartbeat
somatic
voluntary behaviors
muscle movements, waving hello
parasympathetic
“activated” when you are calm
sympathetic
activated when you are scared
“fight or flight”
EEG
electroencephalogram
measures brainwave activity and level of consciousness
MRI
magnetic resonance imaging
shows structure of the brain
CAT scan
computerized axial tomography
shows structure of the brain
more detailed than an MRI beause it shows the cross section
PET scan
positive emission tomography
shows function of the brain
for TBI patients to show if the brain is still “lighting up”
fMRI
functional MRI
combines MRI and PET scan
shows structure AND function of the brain
it is the only one that does this
cerebellum
-movements
- lets you move smoothly and rapidly
- controls timing
- affected by alcohol
- contains olfactory bulb (links smell to memories)
medulla
- receives sensory input from 5 senses and sends impulses for motor control of the head
- contains reticular formation (regulates the arousal of the brain including if your sleepy or awake)
thalamus
recieves sensory information from everythig but smell and sends it to appropriate areas of forebrain
cerebral cortex
left and right hemispheres
- left hemisphere controls right side of body
- has four lobes
occipetal lobe
- in charge of vision
- in the back of your head
parietal lobe
- specialized for touch sense (pain, temp, awareness of body parts)
temporal lobe
- located on the left ad right side of head
in charge of hearing - helps with complex vision cues
- contains wernickes area and brocas area
- amygdala
wernickes area
comprehension of a language
brocas area
production of a language
frontal lobe
- decision making, understanding of consequences
- primary motor cortex and fie movements
hypothalmus
- eating, drinking, sexual behaviors
- part of limbic system
hippocampus
- memory storage
- part of limbic system
limbic system
- emotional control center
