Psychology Chapter 5 Neurons

Long term potentiation

A pattern of neural firing that strengthens synaptic connections over time.

noepinephrine

Active in the sympathetic nervous system response to danger. Increases alertness, blood pressure, and heart rate.

Epigenetics

An individual could change gene expression to adapt to the environment without having to wait generations for a trait to become active through the dna.

afferent neurons

Approach the brain.

cranial nerves

Are nerves that come out of the brain and generally send messages to the head and neck

all-or-none principle

Cells either fire (if the electrical charge inside the cell reaches a threshold.) or they don't fire, and when an action potential does occur in a cell, it always occur with the same charge.

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals necessary to pass signals.

Antagonists

Chemicals that inhibit or oppose the actions of neurotransmitters. They sit in receptor sites and block the neurotransmitters from binding with the receptors on the dendrites.

Serotonin

Connected to mood, emotion, appetite, sleep and sexual desire. Only 10% of serotonin is produced within the brain. High levels increase happiness, low levels are associated with depression.

Adrenaline

Epinephrine is the same chemical as adrenaline.

Critiques of evolutionary psychology

Evolutionary psychology identifies modern traits and looks backward to propose an explanation for why we have them.

Behavioral genetics

Focuses on discovering how genes and experiences interact and lead to specific behaviors and mental abilities.

Sensitive period/ critical period

For some behaviors or physical characteristics a particular environment is important at a particular time in life for the genetic information to be expressed. It's known as a sensitive period because the organism has a period of increased sensitivity to environmental influences.

Neurillema

Glial cells form a myelin sheath around the axons. It's a membrane. Protects the cell and creates a tunnel for regenerating the nerve fiber after damage.

twin studies

Identical twins are also known as monozygotic because one fertilized egg splits in half and develops into two people. The other twin most likely will develop the same disorders as the first twin .

Konrad Lorenz's study

Imprinting in ducks and geese. During a sensitive period Some connections between neurons in the brain become stronger .

Reuptake

In some cases, the originating neuron reabsorbs the chemicals in a process called reuptake.

Epinephrine

In the endocrine system, it is associated with energy. In the sympathetic nervous system it is associated with response to high emotion situations.

Terminal buttons

Little bulbs. They contain small sacs.

synapses

Neurons don't typically touch one another. They communicate chemically across very small gaps called synapses.

Electrochemical communication

Neurotransmitters from the terminal buttons of one cell are released into the synapses between the cell and other cells.

Receptors

Neurotransmitters that enter the synapse are picked up by receptors in the dendrites of adjoining neurons.

Neural firing

Process by which Information travels through a neuron. Neural firing is both electrical (within the neurons) and chemical (between the neurons).

Glial cells

Provide nutrition and protection for the neurons. Holds neurons together.

Genetic Mutations

Random errors in genre replication lead to changes in a species.

Genotype

Refers to the person's specific genetic blueprint, which is determined by the total pattern of chromosomes which was inherited by each parent.

Dopamine

Released into the pleasure centers of the brain specifically the nucleus accumbens, which is part of the mesolimbic or "reward" pathway.

Endorphins

Relieve pain and stress. It's released by the pituitary gland and its the brain natural aspirin.

CTE

Repeated damage to the brain cells is called chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Can result in memory loss, aggression, depression and other cognitive, motor, and behavior problems.

Vesicles

Small sacs that contain chemicals (called neurotransmitters) that are necessary to pass on the signals.

spinal cord

Some bundles of neuron axons join together in the brain stem; as those tracts exit the brain, they become a major part of the spinal cord.

sensory neurons

Take input received through sensory receptors throughout the body, such as in the skin, eyes, nose, ears, and tongue, and pass it on toward the brain and spinal cord to initiate a response. (Afferent neurons)

Neuroplasticity

The ability of the brain to create new neurons, form new neuron connections, and recruit neurons from other parts of the brain to perform functions once performed by the damaged neurons.

Phenotype

The actual characteristics a person develops, taken together.

Neurons

The basic units on which the entire brain and nervous system are built. No neurons, no brain.

Soma

The body of a nerve cell. Soma contains the nucleus and other parts that are important for the creation of proteins and membranes needed for a neuron to function.

action potential

The brief positive charge creates an electrical impulse known as an action potential.

Depolaization

The increase of sodium alters the balance of charge, making the cell more positive than it was hen it was resting. This change is known as depolarization.

resting potential

The inside of the neuron contains more potassium and chloride ions than the outside, and the outside contains more sodium ions than the inside.Because this imbalance creates a possibility of voltage change, the resting state is called the resting potential.

threshold

The point at which it fires, usually abut -55 mv.

Adaptation

The process by which an organism or species becomes better suited for life in its environment.

reciprocal determinism

The temperamental characteristics of the children influence the parent's behaviors, and the parent's behaviors influences the child's personality.

What happens when a neuron fires?

The voltage in Millivolts goes up and down as the time goes by.

inhibitory neurotransmitters

These inhibit (prevent) the next neurons from firing.

Terminal branches

They end in little bulbs.

Gene-environment interaction and personality

They play a role in almost any trait or behavior. They point a person in one direction.

motor neurons

Transmit signals from the brain to our muscles and other organs. Efferent neurons (exit the brain)

Dendrites

Tree-like protrusions extending from the cell body. Receive signals from other cells.

myelin sheath

Very important in nervous system and when it degenerates it disrupts communication in the central nervous system

Acetylcholine

Was the first neurotransmitter discovered. It is active in both the peripheral and central nervous systems. Its primary function in the somatic nervous system is to activate muscles and to carry out voluntary movement. It also plays a role in memory.

excitatory neurotransmitters

When these chemicals are released from the terminal buttons, they excite connecting neurons and cause them to fire.

Agonists

activate receptors for certain neurotransmitters and it makes the effects of the neurotransmitters stronger. Heroine, oxycodone, methadone, hydrocodone, opium, and morphine mimic the actions of endorphins throughout the entire nervous system .

Neuron

draw a neuron

Examples of adaptive behaviors

eating sweets, fight-or-flight response,

GABA

gamma-aminobutyric acid; the primary inhibitory transmitter that slows things down calming the nervous system. Natural tranquilizer.

heritablility

is a measure of the degree to which our traits are inherited

fight or flight response

occurs when people encounter something dangerous or even life-threatening and respond physiologically in a way that prepares them to flight or flee.

Glutamate

opposite of GABBA. It is involved with most normal operations of the brain, including thinking learning, and memory.

Axons

slender protrusions from the cell body, often called fibers

genome

the entirety of that individual's hereditary information.