1
Q
what are neurons and what are the 2 different types
A
- specialized cells that carry messages throughout the nervous system
1. afferent (sensory) neurons: relay messages from sense organs, receptors to the brain or spinal cord
2. efferent (motor) neurons: signals from brain, spinal cord to glands, muscles; movement
2
Q
what are interneurons
A
- thousands of times more numerous than sensory or motor neurons
- carry information
- transmits between neurons in brain and neurons in spinal cord
3
Q
what are the 3 parts of a neuron
A
- cell body: contains the nucleus, carries out metabolic functions
- dendrites: branch-like extensions of neuron, receive signals from other neurons
- axon: slender, tail-like extension of neuron, transmits signals to dendrites or cell body of other neurons, transmits signals to muscles, glands, other parts of the body
4
Q
what are glial cells
A
- hold neurons together
- remove waste products (dead neurons); handle metabolic tasks
- make myelin for cell transmission tasks (pain transmission)
5
Q
what are synaptic clefts
A
- gaps between axon terminals
- fluid-filled
6
Q
what is a synapse
A
- axon terminal of sending neuron communicates with receiving neuron across synaptic cleft
7
Q
what is resting potential
A
- neuron is at rest (not firing)
- inside axon normally more negative than positive ions
- at rest, neuron carries negative electrical potential (charge) compared to fluid outside cell
8
Q
what is action potential
A
- neuron is stimulated; positive ions flow into axon
- membrane potential changes to positive value
- sudden, brief reversal is called action potential
9
Q
what is the all or none law
A
- neuron fires or does not
10
Q
what is the myelin sheath
A
- white, fatty coating around some axons
- speed up conduction
- impulses up to 100 times faster along axons with myelin sheath
11
Q
what is excitatory
A
- neuron fires
12
Q
what is inhibitory
A
- neuron does not fire
13
Q
what are receptor sites
A
- the ‘lock’
- sites on dendrite or cell body of neuron
- interacts with neurotransmitters
14
Q
what is reuptake
A
- neurotransmitters are taken from synaptic cleft into the axon terminal
15
Q
what is acetylcholine
A
- neurotransmitter
- excitatory or inhibitory effects
- excites skeletal muscle fibres
- inhibits heart muscle fibres
- excited neurons involved in learning new information
16
Q
what are the 4 types of monoamines
A
- dopamine
- norepinephrine
- epinephrine
- seratonin
17
Q
what is dopamine
A
- excitatory and inhibitory
- for learning, attention, movement, reinforcement
- ability to feel pleasure
18
Q
what is norepinephrine
A
- eating habits
- alertness
- wakefulness
19
Q
what is epinephrine (adrenalin)
A
- affects metabolism of glucose
20
Q
what is seratonin
A
- inhibitory
- mood, sleep, impulsivity, aggression, appetite, depression, anxiety disorders
21
Q
what are the 3 amino acids
A
- glutamate
- GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)
- endorphins
22
Q
what are the 2 main parts of nervous system
A
central nervous system - brain - spinal cord peripheral nervous system - connects CNS to all other parts of body
23
Q
what is the spinal cord
A
- extension of the brain
- links body with brain
- sensory information can reach brain
- brain can send messages to muscles, glands, body parts
24
Q
what are the 3 parts of the brainstem
A
- medulla
- reticular formation (reticular activating system)
- pons
25
what is the brainstem
- begins at side where spinal cord enlarges as it enters the skull
26
what is the medulla
- controls automatic functions
| - heartbeat, breathing, blood pressure, coughing, swallowing
27
what is the reticular formation (RAS)
- regulates arousal and attention
| - screens messages entering brain
28
what is the pons
- plays role in movement, sleep, dreaming
29
what is the cerebellum
- means 'little cerebrum'
- contains two hemispheres
- executes smooth, skilled body movements
- regulates muscle tone and posture
30
what is the thalamus
- relay station for information flowing into and out of higher brain centres
- learn new and verbal information
- regulates sleep cycles
31
what is the hypothalamus
- regulates hunger, thirst, sexual behaviour, emotional behaviours
- regulates internal body temperature
- regulars our biological clock
32
what is the amygdala
- part of the limbic system
- responses to aversive stimulu
- learned fear responses
- associations between external events and emotions
33
what is the hippocampus
- part of the limbic system
| - LTM, navigational 'maps'
34
what 2 structures of the brain are part of the limbic system
1. amygdala
| 2. hippocampus
35
what is the cerebrum
- two cerebral hemispheres
| - connected by corpus callosum
36
what is the corpus callosum
- thick band of nerve fibres
| - transfer of information, coordination of activity between hemispheres
37
what is the cerebral cortex
- covers cerebral hemispheres
- higher mental processes
- language, memory, thinking
- cortex = grey matter
38
what are the 4 different lobes of the brain
1. frontal lobe (motor cortex, special language centres)
2. parietal lobe (somatosensory cortex)
3. occipital lobes (primary visual cortex)
4. temporal lobes (primary auditory cortex)
39
what does the frontal lobe do
- moving, speaking, thinking
- motor cortex, broca's area and front assoc areas
- motor cortex: controls voluntary body movements
- broca's area: prod, land, directing pattern muscle movements, required to produce speech sounds
- forntal association: thinking, motivation, planning, impulse control, and emotional responses. if damaged or major changes, drastic changes to emotional responses
40
what does the parietal lobe do
- sense of touch - hands. somatosensory cortex for touch, pressure, temp and pain
- reception, processing of touch stimuli
- lobes contain somatosensory cortex
- awareness of body movements and position
41
what does the occipital lobe do
- reception and interpretation of visual info
- primary visual cortex: where vision registers in cerebral cortex
- associated areas: hold memories of past visual experiences and enables us to recognize what is familiar to us
42
what does the temporal lobe do
- reception and interpretation of auditory stimuli
- primary auditory cortex - where hearing registers in cortex
- sound registers in primary auditory cortex and goes to wernicke's area
43
what is Wernicke's area
- in the left lobe of the temporal lobe
- for comprehending the spoken word and in formulating coherent written and spoken language. usually 95% of people - left hemisphere
44
what is Wernicke's aphasia
- speech is fluent but incomprehensible to others
45
what is Broca's area
- located in the left hemisphere of the frontal lobe
| - where speech is produced, controls production of speech sounds
46
what is Broca's aphasia
- damage and impairment in ability to produce or use language
- know what they want to say but cannot
- speak little or not at all
- can understand language
47
what is lateralization
- specialization of cerebral hemisphere
48
what is the left hemisphere of the brain used for
- language and mathematics
- controls right side of body
- coordinates complex movements
49
what is the right side of the brain used for
- visual-spatial relations
- controls left side of body
- how we 'hear' language
- creativity and intuition
- recognizing and expressing emotion
50
what is split brain operation
- performed in severe cases of epilepsy
- corpus callosum is cut, separating cerebral hemispheres
- usually lessens severity and frequency of grand mal seizures
51
in testing the individual sides of the brain, if we were to flash an orange on the right side of the screen, what would happen? and if it were flashed on the left?
right side orange
- image is transferred to the left (talking) hemisphere, so the split-brain patient will report seeing an orange
left side orange
- image is transferred to the right (non-verbal) side of the brain, so the patient will say they saw nothing, but will be able to point it out by touch
52
brain growth throughout the lifespan
- brain grows in spurts
- spurts in childhood and adolescence correlated with major advances in physical and intellectual skills
- brain gains and loses synapses throughout life
- brain weight begins to decline around the age of 30
53
where will neurons be regenerated in the brain
- in the hippocampus
| - damaged neurons can sprout new dendrites and can re-establish connections with other neurons
54
causes of brain damage
- stroke (most common)
- head injury (concussion)
- disease (encephalitis, meningitis, whooping cough)
- tumours (press and destroy)
- drug abuse (O2 lack)
55
if a stroke were to occur in the right hemisphere vs left hemisphere what would likely be affected
- left: speech
| - right: paralysis
56
what does alcohol do to the brain
- damages ends of neurons (dendrites) which results in problems conveying messages between the neurons
57
what is plasticity
- the brain's ability to reorganize and compensate for brain damage
58
what is EEG
- electroencephalogram: record of brainwave activity
59
what are the 4 types of brain waves and how are they measured
measured using EEG
1. beta
2. alpha
3. theta
4. delta
60
what is a microelectrode
- a tiny wire that can be inserted into a single neuron
61
what is a beta wave
- brain wave of 13 or more cylces per second
- occurs when individual is alert
- person is mentally or physically active
62
what is an alpha wave
- 8-12 cycles per second
- occurs when individual is awake
- person is deeply relaxed
63
what is a theta wave
- slow brain wave
- during light sleep, trances, just before deep sleep
- just before awakening
64
what is a delta wave
- slowest brain wave
- frequency is 1-3 cycles per second
- slow-wave or deep sleep
65
what is a CT scan
- computerized axial tomography
- computerized cross-sectional images of brain structure
- an x-ray tube circles the head and shoots pencil thin x-rays through the brain (scanning for images)
66
what is an MRI
- magnetic resonance imaging
- produces cleaner, more detailed images of the brain than a CT scan
- no radiation
- used to find abnormalities in the CNS and other body systems
67
what is a PET scan
- position emission tomography
- identifies malfunctions that cause physical and psychological disorders
- maps the patterns of blood flow, oxygen use, and consumption of glucose
- injected with radioactive glucose or inhales O2 laced with low-level radioactivity
68
what is an fMRI
- functional magnetic resonance imaging
| - images both brain activity and brain structure
69
what is a SQUID
- superconducting quantum interference device
70
what is a MEG
- magnetoencephalography
71
what is the peripheral nervous system
- nerves connecting the CNS to the body
- sends information to other parts of the body
- receives information from other parts of the body
72
what is the somatic nervous system
- all sensory nerves transmitting information from sense receptors to the CNS
- all motor nerves relaying messages from the CNS to skeletal muscles
73
what is the autonomic nervous system
- transmits messages between the CNS and the glands
| - also transmits between CNS and cardiac muscles
74
what are the 2 divisions of the autonomic nervous system
1. parasympathetic nervous system
| 2. sympathetic nervous system
75
what is the sympathetic nervous system
- automatically mobilizes body's resources
| - prepares body for action during emergency
76
what is the parasympathetic nervous system
- once emergency is over, brings bodily functions back to normal
77
what are the advantages of an fMRI over a pet scan
- advantages over PET:
1. no injections (radioactive or otherwise)
2. faster (1 sec vs 1 min)
3. more accurate
Social Science
flashcards
Decks in class (14)
# Cards
