AP Psychology, Brain and Neurons

what part of the brain contains the medulla oblongata?

the brain stem.

What is action potential?

the change in electrical potential associated with the passage of an impulse along the membrane of a muscle cell or nerve cell.

What is threshold?

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

If the body does not have enough potassium, what happens to the neurons?

they will struggle to fire, because there will not be enough positively charged ions to trigger the firing of a neuron.

purpose of adrenal glands

trigger fight-or-flight response produces adrenaline

At a synapse, what do neurotransmitters released by the sending neuron do?

They bind to receptors at the receiving neuron, which opens ion channels.

Carl Wernicke discovered the region of the brain that is responsible for

Language comprehension

what is the purpose of the reticular formation?

multitasking, arousal and alertness

What is a major role of the temporal lobe?

object recognition

what is the purpose of the cerebral cortex? and what is it?

outer layer of the brain is what makes humans 'human'

What is the purpose of somatosensory cortex? where is it located?

parietal lobe receive information about touch, temperature and body movement

what is the purpose of the frontal lobe

planning, decision making, processing new information

what is the purpose of the hippocampus?

process conscious and explicit memories

What is the purpose of the temporal lobe?

processing auditory information, recognizing faces

The parietal lobe is most involved in

processing sensory information, spacial processing

what is the purpose of the occipital lobe?

processing visual information

purpose of gonads

produce sperm and hormones

what is the medullar oblongatas purpose?

regulates body functions like respiration and body circulation/heart beat

purpose of the pancreas

regulates level of sugar in blood by releasing hormones

Purpose of the pituitary gland

release hormones that gives instructions to the other glands growth hormones.

Michael Gazzaniga is best known for

studying split brain patients

purpose of glial cells

support and care for neurons provide nutrients and myelin guide neural connections clean up ions & neurotransmitters

what is the purpose of hypothalamus?

tells the pituitary gland when to release its hormones

What is neuroplasticity?

the ability of the brain to form and reorganize synaptic connections, especially in response to learning or experience or following injury.

What is Oxytocin?

a hormone released when a person is under stress, but also plays a role in social bonding.

where is the reticular formation?

brainstem

what is contained in the central nervous system and what is its functions?

Brain and spinal chord in charge of making decisions for the body

The idea that there is a part of the mind that is not directly accessible to awareness but still drives a person's thinking and behavior is most directly attributable to

Sigmund Freud

What is the affect of low testosterone?

Fatigue

What is a synapse?

Gap between neurons

What was the conclusion of the large-scale Minnesota twin study?

Identical twins raised apart have the ability to be just as similar and dissimilar as twins raised together.

What is the fatty casing that helps speed up neural transmissions in the neuron called?

Myelin Sheath

the neuron goes from being _______ charged to briefly being _______ charged, and finally returns back to being ____ charged again.

Negatively, positively, negatively

What is contained in the peripheral nervous system? What is its fucntions?

Nerves or bundles of axons responsible for gathering information and transmitting info to and from the central nervous system

Purpose of the thyroid gland

Parathyroids regulate levels of calcium in the blood affects metabolism

What are GABA reuptake inhibitors? ( GRI )

a drug that blocks the reuptake of gamma-aminobutyric acid. they stay in synapses and stops neurons from firing

What is Cortisol?

a hormone that is released by the adrenal gland when a person is under stress

An adult with a healthy sleep cycle is most likely to enter REM sleep

after cycling through the NREM sleep stages

What is a beta blocker?

antagonists that prevent neurotransmitters from binding to the postsynaptic neurons

How do antagonists function?

by blocking receptors to prevent other neurotransmitters from binding to the neural receptors

what is the purpose of the cerebrum?

enable perceiving, thinking and speaking

what is the purpose of the cerebellum?

enables nonverbal learning and skill memory, helps judge time, control emotions, discriminate sound/textures, and coordinate movement.

What is a hormone most associated with the fight or flight response?

epinephrine

the magnitude of the negative charge in a neuron is ______ regardless of the strength of the input signal it receives.

fixed

what is the pons function ( Brain stem )

help coordinate movement and control sleep

What are the effects of an agonists?

increase likelihood that a postsynaptic neuron will fire.

where is the location of Wernicke's area? what is its purpose?

inside temporal lobe comprehension of speech

What is the major role of the thalamus?

it relays most sensory signals to the cortex

what is the purpose of the amydala?

linked with emotions of aggression and fear

What is the purpose of the parietal lobe?

mathematical and spatial reasoning, touch