AP Psychology Unit 2

Adrenaline

Hormonal equivalent to epinephrine

angular gyrus

I can't read aloud to the class because I have damage to my...

norepinephrine

Imbalance to this transmitter affects my mood and memory

Could say "comb"

In a split brain patient, if a comb is flashed in the right visual field and a saw is flashed in the left visual field then one could.....

somatosensory cortex

My fingers are more sensitive than my elbow so they must have more cortical tissue in "this" area

Somatic Nervous System

Needing to walk across the room to pick up papers, this branch makes you get out of your desk & move.

Internally-made....Ingested

Neurotransmitters are(blank) while Agonist/Antagonists are (blank)

pineal gland

Night to day, takes melatonin away

Low heritability

Students come from all over the world to attend UCLA. Would heritability of intelligence be?

Cortical tissue

The more sensitive the area, the more (blank) it has in the somatosensory strip.

axon terminals

bulb like structures at the end of an axon, which contains neurotransmitters that carry the neuron's message into the synapse (j)

agonist

blocks re-uptake, excites, mimics

glial cells

- "other" cells of Nervous System - cleans, feeds, and supports neurons - a.k.a. astrocytes - outnumber neurons 3 to 1

parietal lobe

- above temporal lobe, behind frontal lobe - receives and processes sensory information ( pain, touch, pressure), spatial attention - if damaged - difficulty reading, recognizing people; objects; or pain, lack of coordination

Central NS

- central nervous system - brain and spinal cord

neurotransmitter

- chemicals in terminal buttons that travel in the synaptic gap between neurons

Functional MRI

- combines MRI and PET scan - shows details of brain structure with information about book flow in brain

CAT

- computerized axial tomography - 3D picture - X-Ray - look for tumor - would not get any information about how active parts of the brain are

EEG

- electroencephalogram - detects brain waives - generalize brain function - widely used in sleep and dreaming research

glutamate

- excitatory neurotransmitter - memory

cerebral cortex

- gray wrinkled surface of a thin layer packed of neurons; divides into 4 lobes/2 hemispheres

visual cortex

- in occipital lobe, above cerebellum - receives visual input from retinas - if damaged - loss of vision, partial/ complete blindness

auditory cortex

- in the temporal lobe, beside ears - process auditory information - if damaged - loss of hearing

limbic system

- includes amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus - emotional control center of the brain - if damaged - sense of smell impairments, uncontrolled emotions

brain stem

- includes pons; medulla; midbrain - alertness, sleep, balance, startle response, basic vital life functions - if damaged - organ failure, difficulties balancing and moving

association areas

- integrates information from different receptors/ sensory areas that relay information to past experiences - if damaged - process of information slows down

Broca's area

- left frontal lobe, directly above temporal cortex - language production, comprehension of syntax - if damaged - broca's aphasia, repetitive speech

MRI

- magnetic resonance imaging - similar to CAT scan - more detailed picture - uses magnetic field to measure the density and location of brain material - gives information about the structure of the brain

efferent neurons

- motor - sends information to body parts for movement

PET

- position emission tomography - see what areas of the brain are most active during certain task - how much of a certain chemical parts of the brain are using

afferent neurons

- sensory - information to CNS from body parts

cranium

- skull - protects brain - if damaged - head injury, skull fracture

Curare

Ach antagonist to prevent squirrels from running away

reticular formation

After falling through the ice on a local pond little Johnny was trapped under the icy water for 10 minutes before the rescuers finally got him out. They were able to resuscitate his pulse and breathing but he did not regain consciousness for days. Disturbance of what specific part of Johnny's brain might have resulted in coma???

pons

All his life Ron had been a good sleeper. He often napped in the library and, yes, even in class. Playing football this fall however he received a exceptionally hard blow to the back of his head and neck. Now he suffers insomnia regularly - even sleeping pills don't seem to work. What part of the brain related to sleep may have been damaged?

thalamus

Allie was having a really bad week. On Monday while she was studying her vision got blurrier & blurrier until she could no longer see at all. On Tuesday she found she couldn't hear. On Wednesday her sense of taste went. On Thursday she lost her sense of touch. Her CAT scan revealed a single brain tumor was probably producing all of these deficits. What part of the lower brain is involved in all of these sensory processes?

Evolutionary Perspective

Although it contains hindsight bias, it does look at selective breeding & historically universal mating preferences

occipital lobe

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin reported seeing bright flashes of light during his mission. Scientists concluded that high energy cosmic waves must have stimulated his primary visual cortex. Where is this located?

Critical periods

Because Oxana was raised by dogs from age 3 to 6, she acts just like them. This occurred during her...

Homeostasis

Body's self-regulating systemS to create / maintain balance - i.e. axon firing, sympathetic/parasympathetic

NS/ES feedback loop

Brain - pituitary gland - others glands - hormones - BACK to brain

Dual processing

Brains ability to work simultaneously in the conscious & unconscious realm (i.e. fast thinking & slow thinking)

frontal lobe

Brett was a superior student and had a full scholarship, but following a head injury he can no longer plan, organize or follow through with tasks necessary for school. Where was his injury?

Interaction

Do I love a happy baby or is the baby happy because I love it?

High heritability

Drew recently adopted 2 infants who are only a few month apart in age, but not biologically related. He raises them as if they are twins, treating them almost identically. Would intellectual differences be estimated as having low or high heritability?

temporal lobe

Extensive damage here impacts my hearing, comprehension & possibly facial recognition - this is going to make school a real struggle

dopamine

Gary the gambler releases "this" to his reward centers in the limbic system - too much: agitation ,anxiety, feelings of pleasure, high energy and libido, reward seeking, linked with schizophrenia too little: depression, muscle rigidity

corpus callosum

Gwen's brain has a congenital anomaly (a difference in brain anatomy that she was born with) - it lacks the main connection between the right and left hemispheres. What was Gwen born without

Cerebral Lateralization

It is difficult to swing your leg 1 direction & write in cursive at the same time/side due

hypothalamus

Jan suffered a concussion in an auto accident. Since that day she has noticed a dramatic decrease in her sexual libido, a lack of appetite, and an absence of thirst. What part of her brain might have been affected by the accident?

amygdala

Jeanette suffers from focal epilepsy (seizures localized in just 1 part of brain). Her seizures trigger extreme emotions - most often extreme fear followed by a rage response. When she is not having seizures Jeanette has trouble recognizing emotions in other people. What part of the limbic is being affected?

Wernicke's area

Leon's car was broadsided by a semi causing Leon's head to smash against the driver's side window damaging his temporal lobe cortex. Now he can't understand what people say to him.

glutamate

Major excitatory transmitter, thank goodness this glutton helps with memory

GABA

Major inhibitory transmitter that is associated with anxiety

Left hand

Marci is a split brain patient. When her eyes are closed and an object is placed in one of her hands, she cannot name the object. Which hand is the object in?

cerebellum

On Justin's 21st birthday and he and his buddies celebrated a bit too much. When the police stopped Justin's car, he couldn't walk a straight line or balance on 1 foot. He nearly missed his face altogether when asked to touch his nose while his eyes were closed. What part of the brain has been impaired?

hippocampus

Paul suffered a case of encephalitis (a brain infection) while in college. He received good medical attention but still the infection damaged certain parts of his brain. He has been unable to store new long-term memories since his illness. What part of the brain did the encephalitis damage?

Adoption studies

Research that shows the role of environment (i.e. attitude, values, manners, faith, etc...)

Twin Studies

Research that shows the role of genetic predisposition (i.e. personality traits, agression, etc...)

serotonin

SSRIs act as an agonist for "this" transmitter thanks to blocking reuptake

Reuptake

SSRIs are agonists because they block "this" process & leave more serotonin in the synapse

Hormones

The slower, chemical "siblings" to neurotransmitters that are released into the bloodstream

Autonomic Nervous System

This branch controls automatic / unconscious body functions - including both arousal and calming

motor cortex

Uncle Ed suffered a stroke which damaged a portion of his cortex. He shows some weakness and partial paralysis of his right leg. What area of his cortex was affected by the stroke?

medulla

Walking down a dark N.Y. street late at night you suddenly feel the metal barrel of a pistol press against your head and hear the instructions "Don't move a muscle while I slip your wallet out of your pocket". Unfortunately you do move, the gun is fired and the bullet enters the brain. Breathing and heart beat stop almost immediately.

Aphasia

What is the name of the condition that has impaired use of language due to damage of the cortex?

pituitary gland

Yikes! I've stopped growing AND can't get messages to my other glands.

acetylcholine (ACh)

You're a contestant in a Survivor game and must use a blow-dart to kill small animals to eat for dinner. The poison on the blow-dart paralyzes the animal's muscles by interfering with the neurotransmitter than normally causes muscles to contract. Which transmitter is this?

Peripheral NS

You're taking a short cut thru a back yard to get to your car and encounter 2 unrestrained pit bulls that catch sight of you & begin pursuit. You run faster than you have ever run before, & dive into your car just in the nick of time. It takes 10 minutes for your pulse & breathing to slow down to normal. What part of the nervous system calms down your body in this situation?

dendrites

a branched fiber that extends outward from the main cell body and carries information into the neuron

nodes of ranvier

allows an action potential to propagate quickly down an axon, small gaps form on axons between myelin sheath

cell body

contains nucleus, connected to dendrites and axon

major fissures

deep wrinkles that separate the lobes of the cerebrum

neural impulse

electrical signal traveling along an axon

axon

extended fiber that conducts information from the cell body to the terminal buttons; travels in the form of an electric charge (action potential)

synapse

gap that serves as a communications link between neurons

myelin sheath

insulating covering that surrounds an axon with multiple spiral layer of myelin

lesion

natural or man made destruction of brain tissue

all or none principle

neuron either fires completely or doesn't fire at all

resting potential

neuron ready to fire

inhibitory neurotransmitter

neurotransmitters makes the receiving neuron LESS likely to generate an action potential

excitatory neurotransmitter

neurotransmitters makes the receiving neuron MORE likely to generate an action potential

antagonist

prevents release, blocks, inhibits

endocrine system

system of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream ( controlled by hypothalamus)

plasticity

the ability for a brain hemisphere to adapt and do functions the other side did