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AP Psychology > U3: Biological Bases: The Brain and Nervous System > Flashcards

U3: Biological Bases: The Brain and Nervous System Flashcards

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1
Q

EEG

A

measures changes in brain electrical activity through electrodes placed on the head

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2
Q

CAT scans

A

generate cross-sectional images of the brain using X-ray pictures taken from different angles

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3
Q

MRI

A

use of powerful electromagnets and radio waves to get 3D structural image of brain

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4
Q

Functional MRI (fMRI)

A

allow scientists to view brain as it is working

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5
Q

PET scan

A

diffusion of radioactive glucose in the brain, allows observation of what brain areas are at work

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6
Q

nervous sytem

A

divided into two: central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS)

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7
Q

central nervous system (CNS)

A

brain and spinal cord

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8
Q

peripheral nervous system (PNS)

A

all other nerves in the body except brain and spinal cord

- subdivided into somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system

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9
Q

neurons

A
  • nerve cells
  • form a network that extends to the spinal cord
  • nerves = interconnected neurons
  • nerves of spine are responsible for conveying information to and from the brain and the PNS
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10
Q

afferent neurons

A
  • sensory neurons
  • nerves that send information to the brain
  • “afferent connections arrive to the brain”
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11
Q

efferent neurons

A
  • motor neurons
  • nerves that convey information from the brain
  • “efferent neurons are exiting the brain”
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12
Q

reflexes

A
  • quick and involuntary responses to environmental stimuli
  • movement where control is by direct transmission from afferent to efferent cells at the spinal cord, not involving the brain
  • path of reflex arc: from sensory neurons to motor neurons
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13
Q

somatic nervous system

A
  • part of PNS

- responsible for voluntary movement of large skeletal muscles

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14
Q

autonomic nervous system

A
  • part of PNS
  • controls nonskeletal or smooth muscles (like heart or digestive tract); these muscles aren’t usually under voluntary control
  • can be further divided into sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
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15
Q

sympathetic nervous system

A
  • associated with processes that burn energy
  • responsible for heightened state of physiological arousal/flight or fight response
  • increase in heart rate and respiration, decrease in digestion and salivation
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16
Q

parasympathetic nervous system

A
  • responsible for conserving energy

- helps in calming down: lowers heart rate, sends blood to stomach for digestion, returns body to homeostasis

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17
Q

hindbrain

A
  • oldest part of the bran to develop in evolutionary terms

- composed of cerebellum, medulla oblongata, reticular activating system, and pons

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18
Q

cerebellum

A
  • in hindbrain

- controls muscle tone and balance

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19
Q

medulla oblongata

A
  • in hindbrain

- control involuntary actions/basic life functions (i.e. digestion, breathing, heart rate)

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20
Q

reticular formation (RAS)

A
  • in hindbrain

- controls arousal (wakefulness and alertness)

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21
Q

pons

A
  • in hindbrain

- bridge between regions of the brain, passes neural information from one region to another

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22
Q

midbrain

A

tectum and tegmentum

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23
Q

tectum and tegmentum

A
  • in midbrain
  • tectum = roof of brain, tegmentum = floor of brain
  • govern visual and auditory reflexes
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24
Q

forebrain

A

made up of limbic system and cerebral cortex

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25
Q

limbic system

A
  • composed of thalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, and hypothalamus
  • the emotional center of the brain
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26
Q

thalamus

A
  • in limbic system, forebrain

- relays sensory information; receives and directs sensory information from visual and auditory systems

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27
Q

hippocampus

A
  • in limbic system, forebrain

- involved in processing and integrating memories

28
Q

amygdala

A
  • in limbic system, forebrain

- implicated in the expression of anger and frustration

29
Q

hypothalamus

A
  • in limbic system, forebrain
  • controls temperature, water balance, hunger, and sex drives
  • orchestrates activation of sympathetic nervous system and endocrine system
  • lateral hypothalamus: “on switch” for eating
  • ventromedial hypothalamus: “off switch” for eating
30
Q

cerebral cortex

A
  • part of the forebrain
  • wrinkled outer later of the brain
  • involved in higher cognitive functions like thinking, planning, language use, and fine motor control
  • receives sensory input (sensory cortex) and sends out motor information (motor cortex)
  • covers two sides of brain: left and right cerebral hemispheres
  • can be divided into four lobes: frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital
31
Q

corpus callosum

A
  • in forebrain

- a band of connective nerve fibers that join the right and left hemispheres

32
Q

left hemisphere

A

typically specialized for language processing

  • broca’s area: expressive aphasia = loss of ability to speak
  • wernicke’s area: receptive aphasia - inability to comprehend speech
33
Q

right hemisphere

A

process certain kinds of visual and spatial information

34
Q

roger sperry

A

demonstrated that the two hemispheres can operate independently of each other, proved this with experiments of split brain patients
- contralateral processing

35
Q

contralateral processing

A
  • right visual field is processed on the left, more verbal side of the brain
  • left visual field is processed on the right, more visual side of the brain
36
Q

association areas

A

areas of cerebral cortex

  • responsible for associating information in the sensory and motor cortices
  • damage to this area can lead to apraxia (inability to organize movement), agnosia (difficulty processing sensory input), alexia (inability to read), and agraphia (inability to write)
37
Q

frontal lobe

A

responsible for higher level thought and reasoning, including working memory, paying attention solving problems, making plans, forming judgments, and performing movements

38
Q

parietal lobe

A

handles somatosensory information, home of primary somatosensory cortex, receives information about temperature, pressure, texture, and pain

39
Q

temporal lobe

A

handle auditory input and is critical for processing speech and appreciating music

40
Q

occipital lobe

A

processes visual input

41
Q

soma

A

nucleated cell body of a neuron

42
Q

dendrites

A

branching out from the soma, they receive input from other neurons through receptors on their surface

43
Q

axon

A

long, tube-like structure that responds to input from the dendrites and soma, it transmits a neural message down its length and passes its info to other cells

44
Q

myelin sheath

A

fatty coat surrounding the axon, they serve as insulation for the electrical impulses carried down the axon and also speed up the rate at which electrical information travels down the axon
- the better insulate, the fast and more efficient the sending of action potentials

45
Q

nodes of Ranvier

A

the small gaps between the myelin, they help seep up neural transmission

46
Q

terminal buttons

A
  • knobs on the branched end of the axon
  • they come very close to the cell body and dendrites of other neurons but they don’t touch
  • they send neurotransmitters
47
Q

synapse

A
  • the gap between the terminal buttons of one neuron and dendrites of another
  • terminal buttons send neurotransmitters across the synapse where they bind with receptors on subsequent dendrites
48
Q

neurotransmitter

A
  • chemical messenger
  • communication between cells happens via neurotransmitters, which bind to receptors on the dendrites of the adjacent neurons
49
Q

resting membrane potential

A
  • electric potential across the plasma membrane of approx. -70 millivolts
  • interior of the cell is negatively charged compared to positively charged exterior
50
Q

action potential/nerve impulse

A
  • a disturbance in the resting membrane potential
  • is the depolarization of the plasma membrane that travels along an axon
  • depolarization: a change in the membrane potential from the resting membrane potential to a less negative, or even positive, potential
  • movement of ions into and out of neuron through ion channels, leading to eventual release of neurotransmitter
  • repolarization returns the membrane potential to normal
  • all or none; are generated or not
51
Q

absolute refractory phase

A
  • after neuron is fired

- period where no amount of stimulation can cause the neuron to fire again

52
Q

relative refractory phrase

A
  • after absolute refractory phrase

- when neuron needs much more stimulation than usual to fire again

53
Q

excitatory neurotransmitters

A

excite the cell or cause the neuron to fire

54
Q

inhibitory neurotransmitters

A

inhibit or stop the cell from firing

55
Q

reuptake

A

process where neurotransmitter that is released is absorbed back into the cell, instead of it conducting the impulse to the next cell

56
Q

acetylcholine

A

affects memory function, as well as muscle contraction, particularly in the heart

57
Q

serotonin

A

related to arousal, sleep, pain sensitivity, and mood and hunger regulation

58
Q

dopamine

A

associated with movement, attention, and reward

- imbalances may play a role in parkinson’s disease and in schizophrenia

59
Q

GABA

A

inhibitory neurotransmiter

60
Q

glutamate

A

excitatory neurotransmitter and the all-purpose counterpart to GABA

61
Q

norepinephrine

A

affects levels of alertness

- lack of it is implicated in depression

62
Q

endorphins

A

the body’s natural pain killers

63
Q

endocrine system

A
  • another way which various parts of our bodies relay information to one another
  • works through glands, which release hormones
64
Q

hormones

A
  • affect cell growth and proliferation
  • affect body for long periods of time
  • coordinate with a wide range of responses
  • present in the bloodstream
65
Q

pituitary gland

A
  • primary gland of endocrine system
  • aka master gland
  • releases hormones that control hormonal release by other glands
  • located under hypothalamus (which controls it)

AP Psychology (13 decks)

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