Unit Three NeuroBiology Flashcards
describe the structural division of the nervous system
CNS- brain + spinal cord
PNS- somatic nervous system. autonomic nervous system.
describe the function of the somatic nervous system
controls mainly voluntary conscious actions
contains sensory + motor neurons
what is a sensory neuron
they take impulses from the sense organs to the CNS
what is motor neurons
take impulses from the cns to muscles and glands
describe the function of the autonomic nervous system
consists of sympathetic and parasympathetic systems
controls involuntary unconscious actions
describe the function of the sympathetic nervous system
(fight or flight)
increases heart rate
increases breathing rate
slows down peristalsis
slows down production of intestinal system
describe the function of the parasympathetic nervous system
( rest and digest)
decreases heart rate
decreases breathing rate
increases peristalsis
increases production of intestinal system
describe antagonistic
they have opposite effects
converging pathways
in converging neural pathway, impulses from several neurons travel to one single neuron.
this increases sensitivity to excitatory or inhibitory signals
eg. night vision
diverging pathways
in a diverging neural pathways impulses from one single neuron travels to several neurons so affecting more than one destination at the same time
increases coordination and fine motor control
eg. surgery
reverberating pathways
neurons later in the pathway links back with earlier neurons , sending the impulse back through the pathway this allows repeated stimulation of the pathway
eg. breathing
describe the cerebral cortex
center of conscious thought
recalls memories and alters behaviour due to experiences
brain functions in the cerebral cortex are localised
describe the structure and function of the corpus callosum
a band of fibres that connects both hemispheres of the brain and allows for information to be exchanged
describe the left cortex/cerebral hemisphere
controls the right visual field and controls the right side of the body
has speech area
describe the right side of the cortex/ cerebral hemisphere
controls the left visual field and controls the left side of the body
what is the function of the occipital lobe
sight
what is the advantage of a cortex which is extensively convoluted
to maximise surface area on the brain to make space for cells to connect
what areas is the cortex divided into
sensory, association, motor
what is the role of sensory areas
to receive nerve impulses from sense organs
process sensory organs
what is the role of association areas
processing language, personality, imagination and intelligence
what is the role of motor areas
send nerve impulses to he muscles+ glands
generate movement signals
define memory
memory is the storage, retention and retrieval of information including past experiences knowledge and thoughts
define short term memory
all information entering the brain passes through sensory memory and eters short term memory
describe sensory memory
sensory memory retains all the visual and auditory input recieved only for a few seconds. only selsected images and sounds are then encoded into short term memory
define long term memory
information is then either transferred to long term memory or discarded
what is the capacity of most people’s short term memory and how long does it typically last
7-9 pieces of information for 20-30 seconds at a time