Unit 1 Flashcards
Psychology
Amygdala
Limbic system
Responsible for processing emotion-fear, anxiety
Located in the temporal lobe
Hippocampus
Limbic system
Memory is a major function
Located in the temporal lobe
Thalamus
Limbic system
Responsible for processing senses expect smell
Hypothalamus
Limbic system
Coordinates and communicates with the pituitary gland to release hormones
Pituitary gland
Endocrine system
Limbic system
Regulates hormones
Corpus callosum
Bridge between the right and left hemispheres;
Severing is a treatment for epilepsy
Left hemisphere
Sensory and motor of the right side of the body;
Speech, language and comprehension;
Analysis and calculations;
Time and sequencing;
Recognition of letters, numbers, and words
Cortext specialization
Division of functions between the right and left brain hemispheres
Broca’s area
Frontal lobe
Controls speech and muscle movement
FMRI
Brain scan that examines the function of the brain by measuring blood flow; scans have color.
Wernicke’s area
Temporal lobe
Plays a key role in languge
Right hemisphere
Sensory and motor of the left side of the body;
Creativity;
Spatial ability;
Context and perception;
Recognition of faces, places, and objects.
Reticular activating system (Reticular Formation)
Network of nerve fibers in the brain stem that help to control autonomic functions
Frontal lobe
Behind forehead
Involved in executive functions like planning and decision making
Autonomic nervous system
Peripheral nervous system
responsible for involuntary functions such as breathing, digestion, and coughing.
Cerebellum
Part of the brain that coordinates muscle movement; helps with balance and depth perception.
Temporal lobes
Above the ear
Responsible for functions including language comprehension (Wernicke’s area) and processing auditory information
Reflex arc
Neural pathway that bypasses sending messages to the brain so motor neurons can take emergency action
ex: touching a hot stove
EEG
Brain test that measures the electrical activity in the brain.
Brain plasticity
Brain’s ability to change, adapt, and rebuild neuro connections
Medulla
Brain stem
Manages autonomic functions;
Crossover point for nerves which creates contralateral hemispheric organization
Sympathetic Nervous system
Part of autonomic nervous system that controls the body’s ability to respond to stimuli; Pupils dilatate, increase heartrate, digestion SLOWS, bladder relaxes.
Parasympathetic nervous system
Part of the autonomic nervous system that allows the body to relax, conserve energy, calm down, pupils constrict, heartrate slow, digestion is stimulated, bladder contracts
Somatic nervous system
Controls voluntary movement
Glial cells
Cells that provide structure and insulations in the brain
Acetylcholine (ACH)
Neurotransmitter associated with memory, muscle action;
Malfunctions are linked to alzheimers
Myasthenia Gravis
Neurological condition where antibodies attack acetylcholine receptors causing disruption in neurotransmission
Neurons
Cells that transmit messages throughout the body to the brain.
Dopamine
Neurotransmitter associated with muscle movement;
Undersupply Schizophrenia; attention and emotions;
Oversupply Parkinson’s
Adrenaline
Hormone secreted by the adrenal glands that help cope stressful situations; flight or fight response
Oxytocin
Hormone produced by the hypothalamus;
Plays an important role in sexual arousal, romantic attachment, trust and parent-infant bonding
Substance P
Neurotransmitter responsible for sending pain messages, regulating mood and inflammation; oversupply linked to anxiety disorder
GABA
Inhibitory neurotransmitters;
natural tranquillizer that helps you calm down
(Turkey gooble, gooble)
Melatonin
Hormone produced by the pineal gland; associated with the sleep-wake cycle
Reuptake
Reabsorption of unused neurotransmitters by the sending neurons
Agonist
Increase neural action
antagonist
decreases neural activity
Heredity
Genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring.
Environmental factor
Refers to the external factors (nongenetic)
For example life experinces
Eugenics
based on evolution theory that seeks to predicate genetic defects and improve genetic make up in society.
Nature
Inherited traits
Nurture
Learned traits
Cell body
Cell’s life support center
Dendrites
Receives messages from other cells
Axon
Passes messages away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, and glands
Myelin sheath
covers axons and speeds neural impulses
Axon terminal
form connections with other neurons
Neural impuleses
electrical signal traveling down the axon
Synapse
space between two neurons
Example of a stimulant
caffeine and cocaine
Example of a depprasant
alcohol
Example of a hallucinogen
Marijana
Example of an opiod
Heroin
Partial lobe
processes and organizes info
behind the frontal lobe
MRI
Procedure that uses radio waves and magnets to make a map of the brain.
Lessioning
Deliberate destruction of brain tissue
N1
You fall to sleep;
everything slows and relaxes
Hypnogenic sensations-vivid imagery hallucinations feeling of floating or falling
Lasts 1-5 minutes
N2
Light sleep
Heartrate and respiration decrease;
body temps drop
memories are formed
sleep talking can happen
25 minutes
N3
deep sleep
body fully relaxes;
tissue repair and growth, cell regen, immune system strengthens
20-40 minutes
REM
90 minutes after N1
dreams stage
body is paralyzed- brain stem blocks communication between cerebral cortex and motor neurons.
REM rebound
increase in frequency, depth and duration of REM as a response to sleep deprivation, stress, drug withdrawal.
Activation synthesis theory
Dreams are our minds trying to make sense.
Consolidation theory
Sleep is necessary to the memory making process.
During REM brain integrates into existing memories to strengthen memory
Sleep apnea
Breathing to stop and start while sleeping
Night terrors
Screaming, crying, intense fear
not fully aware
Nightmares
Negative feeling as anxiety of fear that awakens you is remembered
REM sleep behavior disorder
Physically act out often violent sounds or arm and leg movements.
Insomnia
hard to sleep or stay asleep
Narcolepsy
Makes people drowsy during the day
Threshold for sight
30 miles
Threshold for sound
20 feet
Threshold for smell
1 drop in three rooms
Threshold for taste
1 tsp in a gallon of water
Threshold for touch
feel the fly wing on your check
Webers law
amount of change needed to produce a constant feeling.
Trichromatic theory
three colored cones (red, blue, green) work together so we can see the entire spectrum.
Cones (eye)
allows us to see color
rods (eye)
detect shapes and movement
Fovea (eye)
helps focus light
Cornea
outer transparent layer
bends light toward center of the eye
iris
Colored part of the eye
controls size of the pulpils
pupil
black part of the eye
controls how much light passes
lens
focus incoming light to the retina
retina
where transduction occurs
Audition
Biological process by which our ears process sound waves.
