unit 3: neuroscience Flashcards
phrenology
- suggested that bumps on your skull represented different mental abilities.
- we now know this was wrong, but it was correct in the different mental processes that were in different parts of the brain.
Neuron
the billions of interconnected cells our bodies communicate through
Dendrite
Receive messages from other neurons
Cell body
aka. soma
The life support center of the neuron
axon
Send messages out of a neuron to another neuron through its axon terminals
axon terminals
In which of the place that the axon sends its messages out of a neuron to
Myelin sheath
A fatty substance that cover some axons and makes for a faster transmission of information
action potential
When a neuron is firing
Resting potential
When a neuron is not firing
Polarization
Negative present
Depolarization
Positives are allowed in
Hyperpolarization
Fire, resting, go flood with negative
Threshold
If enough positive ions are allowed in the neuron passes, it’s threshold
All or none-response
- A neuron either fires or doesn’t.
- If it surpasses its threshold it will fire at the same intensity, every time
Refractory Period
the time it takes for a neuron to recharge to be able to fire again once it has already fired
Synapse
The gap between the axon of one neuron, and then dendrite of another
Neurotransmitter
When a neuron fires, its axon releases neurotransmitters, which are picked up by another neuron’s dendrites
Reuptake
When neurotransmitters are reabsorbed back into the sending neuron
acetylcholine (ach)
function: muscle movement; memory
ex. of malfunctions: (lack) Alzheimer’s disease; (lack) muscle movement
dopamine
function: learning, attention, short-term happiness
ex. of malfunctions: (excess) Schizophrenia
serotonin
function: long-term happiness
ex. of malfunctions: (lack) depression
norepinephrine / epinephrine
function: alertness & arousal
ex. of malfunctions: (lack) depression
GABA (gamma-amnobuyric acid)
function: (inhibitory) slows the body down
ex. of malfunctions: (lack) seizures, tremors, insomnia
glutamate
function: (excitatory) speeds the body up
ex. of malfunctions: (excess) migraines, seizures
endorphines
function: pain & pleasure
ex. of malfunctions: (lack) pain
Lock and key mechanism
Neurotransmitters and receptors fit together like a lock and key
Agnoist
Drugs that can be, that can enable neurotransmitters to fire
antagonist
Can block Neurotransmitters from firing
The nervous system
- All nerve cells
- it is very speedy
The central nervous system (CNS)
Neurons in the brain and spinal cord
The peripheral nervous system (PNS)
Neurons everywhere else (besides brain and spinal cord)
somatic nervous system
Works when you try to move your muscles
(the peripheral nervous system is split into two parts)
Autonomic nervous system
Works with your organs that mostly work automatically
(the peripheral nervous system is split into two parts)
Sympathetic nervous system
Automatically arouses the body when it needs it
(the peripheral nervous system is split into two parts)
Parasympathetic nervous system
Calms the body automatically when it needs it
(the peripheral nervous system is split into two parts)
Sensory neurons
Carry information to the CNS
Motor neurons
Carries information away from the CNS to the muscles and glands
neural network
Interconnected neurons in the brain
Endocrine system
- A slower system that works with the nervous system
- it releases hormones into the bloodstream that affects the brain and the body
hormones
The endocrine system releases them into the bloodstream that affect the brain and the body
glands
an organ in the human body
Pituitary gland
- “Master gland”
- controls other glands
- located in the brain
- controls growth
Thyroid and parathyroid gland
- located in the throat area
- regulates metabolism and controls amount of calcium in the blood
adrenal gland
- located in kidneys
- released norepinephrine / epinephrine (adrenaline) which triggers “fight or flight”
gonads
- located in and around the reproductive organs
- help in development and regulate and release testosterone and estrogen
pancreas
controls blood sugar
lesion
destroy part of an animal’s brain and see what happens (its function)
clinical observation
humans brain that’s already damaged and see what they can’t do
EEG
(electroencephalogram)
- metal electrodes strapped to the skull to see what parts are active
function - not structure
PET scan
radioactive glucose to see what areas of the brain are active
MRI
uses powerful magnets to get a detailed picture of the brain
structure
CAT scan
uses x-ray to get a detailed picture of the brain
fMRI
shows both structure and function - MRI that can also show brain activity
brainstem
- the oldest part of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells and entering the skull
- it is responsible for automatic functions that keep us alive
parts: medulla, reticular formation, thalamus, cerebellum, pons
medulla
the base of the brainstem and controls your heartbeat and breathing
reticular formation
nerve network in the brainstem that deals primarily with arousal (awake and alert)
thalamus
receives information from the senses (except smell) and routes it to the brain to figure out what is going on
cerebellum
- “little brain”
- attached to the rear brainstem it helps with coordination and balance
pons
works with facial expressions and dreams, and is the bridge from your lower to higher functions within the brain
limbic system
a doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebellum that deals with things such as: fear, anger, aggression, and food and sex drives
amygdala
linked to the emotions of: fear, aggression, anger
hippocampus
involved with memory
hypothalamus
- aka: the reward center
- involved with: eating, drinking, body temperature, and emotions
- animals that have their hypothalamus stimulated will go through extreme pain and difficulty to continue having that sensation
cerebral cortex
the neural cells that cover the cerebral hemispheres and are the body’s ultimate control and information processing center
frontal lobe
- (forehead)
- motor cortex: motor movement: personality, decision making, logically thinking
parietal lobe
- (top to rear head)
- sensory cortex (sense of touch)
occipital lobe
- (back head)
- visual function
temporal lobe
- (side of the head)
- auditory function
motor cortex
- located at the rear of the frontal lobe
- controls voluntary movements
sensory cortex
- located in the parietal lobe
- receives information from skin surface and senses
visual function
located in the occipital lobe
auditory function
located in the temporal lobe
association areas
- areas in the brain that we don’t know their exact form
- the areas take information from our inputs and connect it to our memories to help us make sense of it all
aphasia
the impairment of language
broca’s area
the area that deals with the production of speech
wernicke’s area
the area that deals with the use of meaningful language
angular gyrus
help us comprehend written words (read)
plasticity
our brain’s plasticity we are referring to its ability to heal or modify itself after an injury
left vs. right hemisphere
one brain is divided into 2 hemispheres…
RIGHT
- controls visual-spatial
- artistic ability
- left side of the body
LEFT
- controls language
- right side of the body
- dominant hemisphere (for other things too - some people who suffer from seizures can have their corpus callosum (the area that connected to two hemispheres) severed, it typically gets rid of seizures
corpus callosum
(the area that connected two hemispheres) severed, it typically gets rid of seizures
split-brain patients
some people who suffer from seizures can have their corpus callosum (the area that connected two hemispheres) severed, it typically gets rid of seizures
with the corpus callosum severed, an object presented in the right visual field can be named. left can’t.
