intro to psych chapter 2
glial cells
provide physical and metabolic supportto neurons; communicate with other cells; specific types have stem cell-like properties
Which gland(s) have the greatest influence over other components of the endocrine system?
Pituitary
Pancreas
Regulates the level of sugar in the blood (insulin and glucagon)
pineal gland
secretes melatonin
computed tomography (CT) scan
based on X-ray technology; good for imaging brain structure, especially when there is metal in the bod
What is the process whereby the structure and function of brain cells change in response to trauma, damage, or even learning?
neuroplasticity
Which part of the neuron carries messages to other cells?
axon
adreanal glands
A pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys; they secrete the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine which help to arouse the body in times of stress
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
-has good temporal but relatively poor spatial resolution; records the electrical activity of the brain through the use of scalp electrodes; both spontaneous activity and event-related potentials (ERP) can be studied -activity can be classified according to frequency and morphology; traditional bands include delta, theta, alpha, and beta
Lesioning studies
-study animals or humans with brain damage; damage may be by accident, injury, or in animals, deliberate; lesioning is an invasive technique -brain areas can be studied according to the location of lesions (injured or destroyed areas)
the association areas of the cortex devoted to making connections between incoming sensory information and stored memories, images, & knowledge; damage to right association areas can result in spatial neglect where individual fails to recognize the left side of the visual field
Broca's Area: found in left fontal lobe; coordinates brain areas responsible for speech production; damage to this area can result in Broca's aphasia Wernicke's Area: found in the left temporal lobe; plays a role in understanding the meaning of words
Which of the following techniques involves passing a mild current through the brain to activate certain structures without damaging them?
Electrical stimulation of the brain
The neurons of the sensory pathway contain
The neurons of the sensory pathway contain afferent neurons.
nervous system
a network of cells that carries information to and from all parts of the body
The venom of a black widow spider acts as a(n) ______ by mimicking the effects of acetylcholine.
agonist
If you were to develop a rare condition in which you were not able to remember to be afraid of certain situations, animals, or events, which part of the brain would most likely be damaged?
amyglada
central nervous system
consists of the brain and spinal cord
What part of the brain can sometimes be referred to as the "rind" or outer covering?
cortex
Which of the following is associated with pain relief?
endorphins
Which one of the following is NOT a function of glial cells?
generating action potentials
pituitary gland
gland located in the brain that secretes human growth hormone and influences all other hormone-secreting glands (also known as the master gland).
spinal cord
long bundle of neurons that carries information to and away from the brain; helps control pain response. spinal cord reflexes involve several different neurons (sensory neurons, interneurons, and motor neurons) spinal reflexes enable fast, often lifesaving, actions that do not require conscious thought
Hindbrain
medulla: Part of the hindbrain that controls heartbeat, breathing, and swallowing. pons: Part of the hindbrain that relays messages between the cerebellum and the cortex cerebellum: Part of the hindbrain that controls balance and maintains muscle co-ordination. reticular formation:
When a neuron's resting potential is occurring, the neuron is ______ charged on the inside
negatively
gonads
ovaries and testes (sex glands)
functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)
uses near-infrared light to measure cortical blood oxygen levels
frontal lobe
areas of the brain located in the front and top, responsible for higher mental pro- cesses and decision making as well as the production of fluent speech.
temporal lobe
areas of the cortex located along the side of the brain, starting just behind the tem- ples, containing the neurons responsible for the sense of hearing and meaningful speech.
brain stimulation studies
brain areas can also be studied through electrical stimulation -invasive: deep brain stimulation (DBS); optogenetics -noninvasive: repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS); transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
Which of the following techniques analyzes blood oxygen levels to look at the functioning of the brain?
fMRI
Functional MRI (fMRI)
images brain function through tracking changes in blood oxygen levels; increase in oxygen levels associated with increased functioning
limbic system
involved in emotions, memory, learning, & motivation thalamus: Part of the forebrain that relays information from sensory organs to the cerebral cortex. hypothalamus: Part of the forebrain that regulates the amount of fear, thirst, sexual drive, and aggression we feel. hippocampus: Plays a role in our learning, memory, and ability to compare sensory information to expectations. amygdala: Influences our motivation, emotional control, fear response, and interpretations of nonverbal emotional expressions.
the cerebral hemisphere some brain functions governed by one hemisphere more than the other; differences found due to work of various researchers (e.g., split-brain studies)
left hemisphere specializes in tasks that involve sequence and analysis (language, speech, handwriting, math) right hemisphere processes information in a more global sense (perception; visualization; spatial perception; recognition of patterns, faces, and emotional expression)
In which of the following lobes of the cortex would you find the primary visual cortex?
occipital
older methods
often relied on dissection techniques after death unable to directly observe function
glands
organs in the body that secrete chemicals; some affect functioning ofthe body but not behavior; others have widespread influence on the body and behavior
oligodendrocytes
produce myelin in the central nervous system. -myelin insulates axonsand speeds up transmission of neural message
Schwann cells
produce myelin in the peripheral nervous system
thyroid gland
produces hormones that regulate metabolism, body heat, and bone growth
endocrine glands
secrete chemicals called hormones into bloodstream; affect behavior and emotions by influencing the activity of the brain and by controlling muscles and organs such as the heart, pancreas, and sex organs
occipital lobe
section of the brain located at the rear and bottom of each cerebral hemisphere containing the primary visual centers of the brain.
parietal lobe
sections of the brain located at the top and back of each cerebral hemisphere containing the centers for touch, tem- perature, and body position.
Types of somatic nervous system:
sensory pathway: sensory neuronscarrying information to spinal cord and/or brain motor pathway: nerves that carry information to voluntary skeletal muscles
peripheral nervous system
somatic nervous system: controls the voluntary muscles of the body autonomic nervous system: controls automatic functions of the body (organs, glands, involuntary muscles)
neurons
specialized cells in nervous system; send and receive messages within that system
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
superior spatial resolution for structure
Which of the following would be active if you have just had an automobile accident?
sympathetic division
autonomic nervous system
sympathetic division: "fight-or-flight" functions— reacts to stressful events and bodily arousal parasympathetic division: "eat-drink-and-rest" functions— restores body to normal functioning after arousal and is responsible for day-to-day functioning of glands and organs
Neurotransmitters must pass from an axon terminal to the next dendrite by crossing a fluid-filled space called the
synaptic gap.
Which brain structure relays incoming sensory information?
thalamus
Neuroscience
the field of study that deals with the structure of the brain and components of the nervous system
the cortex
the outermost, wrinkledlayer of the brain; comprisedof left and right hemispheres, connected by corpus callosum; each hemisphere can be further divided into four lobes frontal lobes, temporal lobes, parietal lobes, occipital lobes
brain
true core of nervous system: takes information from senses, processes it, brain makes decisions, sends commands to rest of body; exhibits a great deal of neuroplasticity; may also change through neurogenesis
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
used for imaging function; involves injection of a radioactive tracerthat binds to glucose, records activity of cells that use radioactive glucose