The Biology Of Mind And Consciousness Flashcards
Study the links between our biology and our behavior.
Biological psychologists
Everything psychological - every idea, every mood, every urge is…
Biological
The messages that neurons carry are nerve impulses called
Action potential’s
________ differ, but each consists of a cell body and it’s branching fibers
Neurons
The neurons bushy _______ fibers receive messages and conduct them toward the cell body
Dendrite
From there, the cells ______ fiber sends out messages to other neurons or to muscles or glands
Axon
The messages that neurons carry are nerve impulses call. These electrical signals travel down axons at different speeds.
Action potentials
Messages travel faster along axons that are covered in a layer of fatty tissue called a
Myelin sheath
Supporting our billions of nerve cells are nine times as many spidery
Glial cells a.k.a. glue cells
Neurons interweave so tightly that even with a microscope you would have trouble seeing where one ends and another begins. But end they do, in a meeting place is called
Synapses
What is the branch of psychology that studies the links between behavior and biology?
Biological psychology
When a neuron fires an action potential, the information travels through the axon, the dendrites, and the cell body, but not in that order. Please please three structures in the correct order.
Dendrites, cell body, axon
Each neuron is itself a miniature decision making device, reacting to signals it receives from hundreds, even thousands, of other neurons. Most of these signals are _________, somewhat like pushing a neuron’s gas pedal. Others are ___________, more like pushing its break.
Excitatory, inhibitory
At the synapse, the impulse triggers the release of _________ molecules, chemical messengers That can cross the synaptic gap
Neurotransmitter
In a final step, called ______, The sending neuron absorbs any left over at neurotransmitters in the synapse.
Reuptake
How does our nervous system allow us to experience a difference between a slap and a tap on the back?
Stronger stimuli, the slap, cause more neurons to fire and to fire more frequently than happens with weaker stimuli, the tap.
What happens in the synaptic gap
Neurons send neurotransmitters, chemical messengers, across this tiny space between one neurons terminal branch and the next neuron dendrite or cell body
The endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine are all chemical messengers called
Neurotransmitters
Each function or capability of the nervous system , Such as hearing a sound or moving your thumb, is controlled by a specific cluster of neurons, a neural network, in a specific area of the brain.
Functional specialization
Each neural network or functional area is interconnected with and influenced by other networks in other regions of the brain
Complex communication
This is the innermost region of the brain that controls basic life functions
The brain stem
The area where the spinal cord enlarges as it enters the brain —- Controls breathing and heartbeat and is the point where nerves going to and from each side of the brain cross over to connect with the opposite side of the body.
Medulla
This sits on top of the _____ and is Latin for bridge. This plays some role in sleep and dreaming
Pons
A narrow band of nerve fibers that runs up through the middle of the medulla and pons. This helps with alertness and attention
Reticular formation
Is located just behind the Medulla and pons at the base of the skull. The cerebellum coordinates balance and voluntary muscle movement
Cerebellum
The _______ is a small area where the brain stem thins out just above the pons. This separates the lower portion of the brain ( cerebellum, medulla, pons and associated structures, which together are sometimes called the ________) from the upper portion of the brain (The cerebral cortex and associated structures, sometimes referred to as the _______
Midbrain, hindbrain, forebrain
Sits on top of the midbrain like a cap. It serves as the brains of Maine sensory switchboard, routing incoming information from all the senses to higher brain regions, except smell
Thalamus
The old part of the brain also contains a set interconnected structures collectively known as _____ which is involved in emotion and certain forms of memory
Limbic system
The ______ is involved in memory, especially memory for factual knowledge and events. If damages, you would probably lose your ability to form new memories
Hippocampus
The _____ influences aggression and fear. Damage reduces aggressive behavior in most animals and seems to disrupt their experience of fear
Amygdala
The ______ contains neurons that regulates hunger, thirst, body temperature, and sexual behavior. It also contains the so called ______ that are involved in learning from rewards and punishments.
Hypothalamus, pleasure centers
The hypothalamus is the main link between the nervous system and the endocrine system. It secretes hormones that control the _______, which influences hormone release by other glands, which in turn on monitored by the hypothalamus
Pituitary gland
The most complex functions of human behavior are linked to the most highly developed part of the brain, _______. This is the newest part of the human brain.
Cerebral cortex
The cortex itself is a thin sheet of nerve cells covering the surface of the left and right ______. The part of the brain that you would see if the top of the skull were removed
Cerebral hemispheres
The top front of the brain behind the forehead
Frontal lobe
The top rear of the brain
Parietal lobe
On the side of the brain, near the bottom, behind the temple
Temporal lobe
At the rear of the brain, near the bottom
Occipital lobe
The frontal lobe’s contain an area called the _____ that controls voluntary muscle movement, such as moving a finger or taking a step.
Motor cortex
The Parietal lobes contain the ______ also called the sensory cortex, which processes information from the skin, muscles, and joint. The body senses
Somatosensory cortex
The nerve fibers from the right side of the body cross over to the left sensory cortex, and the nerve fibers from the left side of the body cross over to the right sensory cortex
Contralateral pathways
A touch on your nose would be processed in the lower portion of the sensory cortex, while a touch on your toes would register near the top of the sensory cortex
Upside-down representation
The more sensitive a body region, the greater the area of sensory cortex that is devoted to it. Note that the hand and the face take up the largest sections of the sensory cortex
Proportional representation
The Temporal lobe’s contain the ______ , Which processes information from the ears
Auditory cortex
The occipital lobes contain the ______, which processes information from the eyes
Visual cortex
Most people show _____ or hemispheric Asymmetry for some cognitive tasks
Hemispheric specialization
A wide bundle of perhaps 200 million neurons that connects the two hemispheres
Corpus callousness
Individuals who to have had surgery to cut the corpus callosum
Split brain patients
And impaired use of language
Aphasia
Damage to this area, on the left frontal lobe, disrupts speaking
Broca’s area
Damage to the _____ at the junction of the left temporal lobe and the left parietal lobe disrupts the ability to read aloud
Angular gurus
Damage to ______, in the left Temporel lobe, disrupts the language comprehension
Wernicke’s area
The left hemisphere generally controls
Language
