UNIT 3 Flashcards
What is the Nervous system responsible for
Control and communication
What does the nervous system consists of?
brain, spinal cord, sensory organs, and all nerves within the body
What does the nervous system control?
bodily functions, both voluntary and involuntary
Two main systems of the nervous system
Central Nervous System
Peripheral Nervous System
What does the CNS consist of
brain and spinal cord
What does the PNS consist of
all the nerve fibres outside of the CNS
What are neurons
functional unit of the brain and are capable of generating and transmitting electrical signals
What are dendrites
Projections of a neuron that receive signals from other neurons
what are myelin sheath
Fatty substance that surrounds nerve cells. Myelin forms a sheath around the axon of the neuron, providing a layer of insulation and increasing the rate of transmission along the axon
what is an axon
Slender projection of a neuron that conducts electrical impulses away from the cell body and towards the next cell in the pathway. These electrical impulses are known as action potentials
What is a synapse (neuronal junction)
area that the electrical impulse is transferred from one neuron to the dendrites of a second neuron
lobes of the brain
Frontal
Parietal
Temporal
Occipital
What is the frontal lobe responsible for?
higher level cognitive functions and control of voluntary movement - planning, goal-directed behaviour, decision-making, complex problem-solving, cognitive control
What is the parietal lobe responsible for?
Processes information about temperature, taste, touch, and movement
What is the temporal lobe responsible for?
processes memories, integrating them with sensations of taste, sound, sight, and touch
What is the occipital lobe responsible for?
Vision
What is the most important brain area that undergoes major development in early adulthood?
Front portion of the frontal lobe
What covers the four lobes of the brain
Grey and white matter
White matter
Mostly found under the cortex and within the cerebrum. It contains myelinated axons
Grey matter
Mostly found within the cortex of the brain. It contains neuronal cell bodies and synapses
When does brain development peak and why?
Early to middle adulthood. - The amount of grey matter in the brain decreases with age and the amount of white matter increases
Why does grey matter decrease and white matter increase?
White matter volume increases by 1% annually during adolesce
- Myelination
- Axon growth
What happens to the brain during early adulthood
brain undergoes a period of accelerated growth marked by key changes
Stages of accelerated growth of the brain
- increased synaptic pruning
- Increased myelination
- improved connectivity
What is increased synaptic pruning
the process where extra neurons and synaptic connections are eliminated in order to increase the efficiency of neuronal transmission
What is increased myelination
Humans are born with little to no myelin in the CNS. Myelination occurs throughout childhood and into the period of accelerated growth seen during the late teens and early twenties
What is increased connectivity
Between different brain regions results in larger and more widely distributed neuronal networks, which is critical for a variety of higher level functions such as learning new complex information, integrating new learning, and applying it
What is substance use
The use of a psychoactive substance. This can include substances such as caffeine, alcohol, cannabis and other illicit drugs
What is substance misuse
The use of psychoactive substance In a way that causes and/or elevates the risk of reduced well-being and poor mental health. Examples: Regular or excess use, or use when one should be in class, studying or working, use of medication for purposes other than prescribes, using a medication in a higher dose or frequency, binge drinking or drinking a lot in short periods
What is substance use disorder
Clinically significant abuse or dependency which includes psychological and physiological aspects of an addiction
What happens during the critical period of brain development
brain is especially susceptible to toxins such as excessive alcohol and drug misuse.
What happens to the brain when substance abuse is present during the developmental period
structural and functional changes in the brain