ALL for UNIT 2, ALL UNIT 3
PET
Tracks where a temporarily radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain of the person given it performs a given task -uses a radioactive tracer to show how well organs and tissues are working Ex: Monkeys with an anxious temperament have brains that use more glucose in regions related to fear, memory, and expectations of reward and punishment
Agonist- neurons
(actor), mimics neurotransmitter, ex: morphine
Antagonist- neurons
(blocker), blocks neurotransmitter, ex: poison
Glial cells (glia)
(glia), provide protection and nourishment to neurons ex: if nerve cells are queen bees, glial cells are worker bees
Naturally get serotonin from
(inflates your mood) from the sun
Limbic System
3 parts: amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus Amy the hippo gets hypothermic when she drinks limeade
How many sections does the brain have and what are they
3 sections: hindbrain, midbrain, forebrain
Nervous system
6 parts, central, peripheral, autonomic, somatic, sympathetic, parasympathetic
CT
X-rays of the head generate images that may locate brain damage Ex: Children's brain injuries, shown in CT scans, predict impairments in their intelligence and memory processing
MEG
a head coli records magnetic fields from the brain's natural electrical currents -measures the magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain Ex: Soldiers with PTSD, compared with those who don't, show stronger magnetic fields in the visual cortex when they see trauma-related images
Thyroid gland
affects metabolism among other things
Somatomotor (motor) cortex:
back of frontal lobe, controls muscle movements, right next to somatosensory cortex
Occipital lobe
back of head, above cerebellum, how you see If you get hit in the head could make you "see stars" or temporarily blur vision
Frontal lobe
behind forehead, largest lobe, recognize future consequences, making judgements, planning/decision making, abstract thought, personality, somatomotor (motor) cortex, broca's Area
Genome
blueprint for building a human
central nervous system
brain and spinal cord
Neuroplasticity:
brain is able to change, build, reorganize damage, automatically. Ex: if you have a stroke and lose ability to speak, you're able to relearn to speak
Hindbrain- parts
brain stem, reticular formation, medulla, pons, cerebellum
Parkinsons
can't control muscles, causing lots of tics all over
Axon
carry signals from one end to another
Blindsight
condition where a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it
Cognitive neuroscience
connect the dots
Cell body
contains nucleus
Norepinephrine
controls alertness and arousal Undersupply linked to depression Oversupply linked to anxiety/mania
Autonomic nervous system
controls involuntary functions such as heartbeat, digestion, breathing, etc. breaks into sympathetic and parasympathetic
Right side of brain
controls left side of body, creative side
Somatic nervous system
controls voluntary functions, ex: walking Afferent Nerves: sensory neurons Efferent Nerves: motor neurons
Fraternal twins
dizygotic twins different eggs fertilized simultaneously, share the same genes as siblings but are not identical
Dual processing
doing things subconsciously but conscience is still working The idea that we have two "different" minds and that our brain works on two levels, a conscious and deliberate high road and an unconscious, automatic low road
Left side of brain
dominant, controls right side of body, why most people are left handed, flexed in school
depolarization
during the action potential when sodium is rushing into the cell making it more positive inside
All-or-nothing law/response
either neuron will or won't fire
EEG
electrodes placed on the scalp measure electrical activity in neurons Ex: Symptoms of depression and anxiety correlate with increased activity in right frontal lobe, a brain area associated with behavioral withdrawal and negative emotion
Amygdala
emotional memories, controls fear and anger
Glutamate
excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory, sends pain messages Undersupply linked to concentration problems Oversupply linked to seizures and migraines
Natural selection
explains how organisms adapt and change over time
sympathetic nervous system
fight or flight response; automatically accelerates heart rate, breathing, dilates pupils, slows down digestion
Somatosensory cortex
front of parietal lobe, controls 5 senses, right next to somatomotor cortex
Adrenal glands
help trigger the fight-or-flight response
Cerebellum
hindbrain, "little brain", back of brain, movement, memory, balance, judgement of time, sensory input, nonverbal learning, first part of brain impacted by alcohol
Pons
hindbrain, communicates the two halves of brain, connects hindbrain, midbrain, forebrain together, involved in respiration and REM sleep
Medulla
hindbrain, controls heartbeat, breathing, if damaged: death
Reticular formation
in hindbrain, controls arousal, if damaged: fall asleep and never wake up, or never fall asleep
Endorphins
influence the perception of pain and pleasure Undersupply linked to depression Oversupply can make people anxious/wired natural pain killers
GABA
inhibitory neurotransmitter; natural tranquilizer involved in calming Undersupply linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia
Myelin Sheath
insulates and protects axon
Wernicke's area
language comprehension
Forebrain
largest, most complex of the brain layers, involved in memory, emotion, reasoning, personality, communication, complex thought, and other cognitive functions, has the cerebral cortex (all the lobes)
Genetic predisposition
likelihood of developing a disease or condition based on their genetic makeup
Cerebral Cortex
lobes- frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital
Broca's area
make speech, next to ear
fMRI
measures blood flow to brain regions by comparing continuous MRI scans -measures brain activity in specific parts of the brain Ex: Years after surviving a near plane crash, passengers who viewed material related to their trauma showed greater activation in the brain's fear, memory, and visual centers than when they watched footage related to 9/11 terrorist attacks
Thalamus
midbrain, "switchboard", most important part of brain, top of brainstem, directs messages, receives sensory info, limbic system
Corpus Callosum
midbrain, connects two halves of brain, can be cut in half to treat epilepsy/seizures
Monist
mind, body, soul all one entity, all die together, body just dead, the end
Identical twins
monozygotic single fertilized egg that splits, all the genes are the same
Seretonin
mood, hunger, sleep, arousal Undersupply linked to depression
Midbrain
movement, sensation, allows for communication between hindbrain
Acetylcholine (ACh)
muscle action, learning, memory Undersupply linked to Alzheimer's disease Oversupply linked to paralysis (Black Widow venom)
Before neuron can fire again ___
neg ions need to return, refractory period
Once polarized ___
neuron is back to resting potential
Interneurons
neurons in the brain and spinal cord, that serve as an intermediary between sensory and motor neurons; carry info around the brain for processing
Vesicle holds ____
neurotransmitters (the messages)
Reuptake
once the neurotransmitter sends the message it goes back to be recycled
Sequential processing
only processing one thing at a time Ex: Move your dominant foot in a counterclockwise direction while writing the number 3 repeatedly at the same time.
Auditory Cortex
organization and processing of auditory info
Visual cortex
organization and processing of visual info
MRI
people sit or lie down in a chamber that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to provide a map of brain structure - detailed Ex: People with a history of violence tend to have smaller frontal lobes, especially in regions that aid moral judgment and self-control
Molecular genetics
prenatally what the person will look like
Wernicke's Aphasia
problems with speech, grammar jumbled
Hippocampus
processes and holds explicit memories (name, family, etc.), limbic system
Neurogenesis:
produce new neurons
Schwann cells
produces myelin for the myelin sheath
Dendrites
receives signals from other neurons
Hypothalamus
regulate endocrine system, homeostasis, "reward" system, puberty, limbic system, controls pituitary gland A brain tumor that results in obesity would most likely be located in the area of hypothalamus
Parathyroids
regulate the level of calcium in the blood
Pancreas
regulates the level of sugar in the blood
Parasympathetic nervous system
rest and digest; Automatically slows the body down after a stressful event
When neuron is not firing
resting potential, negative charge
Terminal branches
send signals to next neuron
peripheral nervous system
sensory and motor neurons that connect to brain and spinal cord breaks into autonomic and somatic
3 neurons
sensory, motor, interneurons
Temporal
side of head above ears, auditory, wernicke's area, auditory cortex, recognizes faces
Synapse (synaptic gap)
small space between neurons
Nodes of Ranvier
spaces between Schwann cells
Brain stem
the oldest part of the brain, responsible for automatic survival functions, at the base of skull above spinal cord
duelist
the religious perspective on death, has some sort of afterlife, mind and soul carry on
Absolute threshold- neurons
too many positive then neuron fires, ex: if I pull a rubber band it'll eventually break, you've reached the threshold, rain cloud being filled with water
Parietal lobe
top of head, receives sensory input for touch, somatosensory cortex
Angular gyrus
understand written language and what it means
Dopamine
voluntary movement, learning, attention, emotion Undersupply linked to Parkinson's Oversupply linked to schizophrenia
action potential
when firing an impulse, a neuron is active and ions are exchanged. The ions are scrambled or depolarized.
resting potential
when not firing (or at rest), a neuron has a slightly negative charge. The ions are aligned or polarized.
Reuptake inhibitors
Drugs that interfere with the reuptake of neurotransmitters in the synapse so that a greater amount remains in the synapse
Nature vs. Nurture
Genes vs. Environment, which one plays a bigger role in psychological traits or behaviors, ex: twins separated at birth
Survival of the fittest
Natural selection, adaptation, mutation Everything in psychology is biological
Cortisol
Release point: adrenal glands Function: Maintain homeostasis (stress hormone)
Adrenaline
Release point: adrenal glands Function: prepare body for emergencies (fight or flight response)
Oxytocin
Release point: pituitary gland Function: facilitate lactation and improve relationships (bonding hormone)
Repolarization
Return of the cell to resting state, caused by reentry of potassium into the cell while sodium exits the cell.
