The brain unit 3 Flashcards
-Electrodes are places on the scalp that amplify recording of the waves of electrical activity across the brain surface
EEG
- A series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of the brain
Ct/Cat Scan
A technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer generated images that allow us to see structures within the brain
MRI
-Measures brain activity by detecting changes associated with blood flow
-When an area of the brain is in use, blood flow of that region also increases
FMRI
Case study analysis of victims who suffer from a brain injury, results in variation in normal behavior
Ex: Phineas Gage
Accidents
-Where the spinal cord connects to the brain
-The functions here are mostly done outside of our awareness and occur without any conscious effect (autonomically)
-The parts of this pat control basic biological functions that help keep humans alive
The Brain Stem
-Part of the stem
-The point at which the spinal cord enters the skull
-Controls heartbeats, breathing, blood pressure, and attention
-In the thickest part of the skull
Medulla
-Extends from the rear of the brain stem
-coordinates voluntary movements and balance
Cerebellum
-Extends from the spine to the thalamus in the middle of your brain
-Responsible for arousal (wakefulness) and attentivness
Reticular formation
-Receives sensory input from all the senses except smell and routes it to the proper area of the brain for processing
Thalamus
-The body’s thermostat
-Responsible maintaining homeostasis - internal balance
-Controls temperature, thirst, hunger, arousal, etc
-Relays communication between the brain and the endocrine system, via the pituitary gland
-Monitors hormones released into the bloodstream
Hypothalamus
-Processes and creates new memories
-If damaged you cant make new memories
Hippocampus
-Tied to emotions, especially those of aggression, rage, and fear
Amygdala
-Hypothalamus, Thalamus, Hippocampus, Amygdala
-Come together to create the ______
The Limbic System
-The intricate, wrinkled covering of the brain
- contains glial cells which hold neurons in place and provide nutrients to the myelin
General Cortex
-Right hemisphere controls the left side
-Left hemisphere controls the right side
-The 2 halves are connected by the Corpus Callosum
Two halves of the brain
-Language
-Math
-Logic
-Analytic thought
-Scientific thought
-Reasoning
Left Hemisphere
-Spatial abilities
-Facial recognition
-Visual imagery
-Music
-Creativity
-Emotional instincts
Right Hemisphere
-Frontal lobe
-Parietal lobe
-Occipital lobe
-Temporal lobe
The 4 lobes
-Mostly involved in abstract thought, making plans, judgements, speaking, and muscle movemens
-Contains the motor cortex
Frontal lobe
-Receives messages from the brain and sends the messages back to the muscles in order to control voluntary movements
Motor cortex
-Located in the left frontal lobe
-Controls language expression and the muscles involved with producing speech
Broca’s area
-Loss of ability to understand or express speech, caused by brain damage
Aphasia
-Knowing what you want to say but being unable to produce the words
Broca’s aphasia
-The portion of the cortex lying at the top of the head
-Includes sensory cortex
-Integrates your sensors information (sight sound, touch, taste,and smell combine to make sense of the world)
Parietal lobe
-Registers and processes touch sensations
Sensory Cortex
-Portion of the cerebral cortex roughly located above the ears
-Audio Processing
-Comprehension, naming, verbal memory, and other language functions
Temporal lobe
-Located in the left temporal lobe
-Interprets both written and spoke language
Wernicke’s Area
-Difficulty understanding words - either written or spoken
Wernicke’s Aphasia
-Located at the back of the head
-The part that processes visual information, including color, form, and motion
Occipital lobe
-The ability of the brain tissue to take on new functions
-Greatest in childhood
-Important if parts of brain are damaged or destroyed
-The younger you are the greater elasticity
Plasticity
-Awarness of yourself and the environment
-Experience of these behaviors include thoughts, sensations, and memories
Consciousness
-Natural life cycles that help to guide our levels of awareness and our behaviors
Biological Rhythms
-Seasonal changes affecting moods, appetite, sleep patterns
Annual Cycles
-Female Menstrual Cycle
Twenty-eight day cycle
-Sleep Cycle
Ninety-minute cycle
-Daily cycle of levels of alertness, hormones, body temperature, etc
Twenty-four Hour Cycle
-A cycle or rhythms that is roughly 24 hrs longs
-The cyclical daily fluctuations in biological and psychological processes
Circadian rhythms
When is peak mental alertness?
9 am and 9 pm
When is low mental alertness?
3 am and 3 pm
When is peak physical strength?
11 am and 7 pm
When is peak sensations?
3 am and 6 pm
When is peak sensitivity to pain?
3 am and 5 pm
When is peak degree of sleepiness?
3 am and 3 pm
-The Circadian rhythms related to wakefulness and sleep are controlled by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) which is ___
A cluster of neurons in the hypothalamus
-Sleep disturbances
-Daytime fatigue & sleepiness
-Physical complaints
-Cognitive difficulties
-Poor psychometric coordination
-Mood disturbance
Jet lag
-Sleep promotes physiological processes that restore and rejuvenate the body & mind
NREM - bodily restoration
REM - Mind restoration
Restorative Theory of Sleep
-Rapid eye movements & dreaming occur
-Voluntary muscle activity is surpressed
REM Sleep
-Quiet, typically dreamless sleep in which rapid eye movements are absent
NREM (Non-rem) Sleep
-Transition from wakefulness to sleep (drowsy stage)
-May experience hypnagogic hallucinations and/or myoclonic jerks
Pre-Sleep
-Twitching of the limbs that accompanies a falling sensation while sleeping
-Caused by the brains misinterpretation of relaxed muscles as falling
Hypnic Jerk
-Transition stage from wakefulness to sleep
-First 5-10 minutes of sleep
-Gradually dispengage from the sensations of the surrounding world
-Still able to regain consciousness easily
-Some hypnagogic experiences continue here
Stage 1: Alpha waves (NREM 1)
-15 to 20 minutes
-Breathing becomes rhytmical
-Some small muscle twitches
-Brain activity begins to slow down
-Sleep spindles
Stage 2: Theta waves (NREM 2)
-Quick burst of brain activity that last for a second or two
Sleep spindles
-Deepest sleep
-Most sleep disorders occur during this time
-Heart rate, blood pressure, & breathing drop to their lowest levels
-body is busy removing lactic acid from muscles, supplying growth hormones, and fortifying the immune system
-Slow Delta waves
-Sleeper is oblivious to the outside world
-May take 15 minutes or more to regain consciousness
Stage 3: Delta waves (NREM 3)
Sleep cycle
Pre-Sleep – Stage 2 – Stage 3 – Stage 2 – REM – Stage 2 – Stage 3 – Stage 2 – REM
-The brain becomes more active and generates small, fast brain waves
-Visual & motor neurons fire during this stage, but voluntary muscle ,movements are suppressed (SLEEP PARALYSIS)
REM Sleep
-When you dream
-Paradoxical sleep
- muscles are relaxed, but other body systems are active
REM (Rapid Eye Movement)
How long does the REM cycle last?
1st = 15 minutes
The first sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes total (from stage 1 through REM)
-The less time we spend in REM sleep in one night, the longer amount of time we will spend in REM sleep the next night
REM Rebound Sleep
-Cycle between NREM & Rem sleep throughout the night
-Each cycle last about 90 minutes
-Just before & after Rem sleep you typically change body positions
-As the night goes on, stage 3 & 4 get shorter and REM sleep increases
Sleep cycles
-Very common
-Vagus, uncreative thoughts about real-life events
Sleep thinking
-Images passing through a sleeping persons mind
5 basic characteristics:
-Intense emotions
-Illogical
-Bizarre sensations
-Bizarre details are accepted
-Images are hard to remember
Dreams
We dream every night (more than once) but often don’t remember
-We remember dreams that occur close to waking
Remembering dreams
-Allan Hobson and Robert Mccartes
-Dreams are from neural activity that spreads upward from the brain Stem
-DREAMS are the brains attempt to make sense of random neural “static’
Activation Synthesis Theory of Dreaming
-We dream to process information and consolidate our memories from the day
-Dreams help sift, sort, & fix the days experiences in our memory
Consolidation Dream Theory
Not getting the right amounts of sleep
Sleep deprivation
-Fatigue
-Impaired concentration
-IMMUNE SUPPRESSION
-Irritability
-Slowed performance
Effects of sleep loss
-A person is unable to fall asleep, stay asleep, or feel adequately rested by sleep
Insomnia
-Occurs in stage 3
-The sleeper can move around objects and walk, but poorly coordinated
Somnambulism (sleep walking
-Person repeatedly stops breathing during sleep
-Carbon dioxide builds up in the blood, classes a momentary awakening, during which the sleeper snorts or gulps for air
Sleep Apnea
-Excessive daytime sleepiness & brief lapses into sleep throughout the day
-Can fall asleep at any time, arousals usually trigger sleep - laughter, anger, surprises, sex
-Instantly lose muscular control, and enter REM sleep, often with terrifying dreams
-loss of cells in the hypothalamus
Narcolepsy
-A sleep disorder in which you physically act out vivid, often unpleasant dreams with vocal sounds and sudden, often violent arm and leg movements during REM sleep when you should be paralyzed
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
Changes mood & perception
Psychoactive drugs
-Drugs that reduce neural activity
-Slow body function
-Alcohol - most widely abused
-Lowers inhibitions
Depressants
-Depress neural function
-Mimics endorphins
Opioids
-Drugs that excite neural activity
-Speed up body function
-Produce feelings of optimism & boundless energy
-Arouse behavior & increase mental awareness
Simulants
What does Cocaine block the reuptake of?
Dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin
-Drugs that distort perception and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input
Psychedelics/hallucinogens
-Depressant
-Initial high followed by relaxation and inhibition
-Depression, memory loss, organ damage, impaired reactions
Alcohol
-Depressant
-Rush of euphoria, relief from pain
-Depressed physiology, agonizing withdrawal
Heroin
-Stimulant
-Increased alertness and energy
-Anxiety, restlessness, insomnia in high doses
-Uncomfortable withdrawal
Caffeine
-Stimulant
-Euphoria, alertness, and energy
-Irritability, insomnia, hypertension, seizures
Methamphetamine
-Stimulant
-Rush of euphoria, confidence, and energy
-Cardiovascular stress, suspiciousness, depressive crash
Cocaine
-Stimulant
-Arousal, relaxation, sense of well being
-Heart disease, cancer
Nicotine
-Mild Hallucinogen
-Enhanced sensation, pain relief, distortion of time, relaxation
-lowered sex hormones, loss of memory, lung damage
Marijuana
Examples of a depressant?
-Alcohol
-Barbiturates
-Tranquilizers
-Valium
Examples of an opioid?
-Opium
-Morphine
-Heroine
-Vidocin
-Oxycodone
-Fentanyl
Examples of a stimulant?
-Caffeine
-Nicotine
-Amphetamines
-Cocaine
Examples of a hallucinogen?
-LSD
-Marijuanna
-Mescalime
-Pesote
