Biological Psychology
Terms
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- Acetylcholine
- EXCITATORY; funtions: muscle contractions, memory; deficit: Alzhiemer's
- Dopamine
- INHIBITORY; functions: voluntary muscle control, mood, learning and memory; deficit: Parkinson's
- Serotonin
- INHIBITORY; functions: arousal, awareness, sexual/emotional moods; deficit: anxiety, insomnia, depression
- Norepinephrine
- EXCITATORY; functions: heartbeat, learning, memory, emotion; deficit: depression
- Endorphins
- INHIBITORY; functions: pain perception; deficit: pain
- GABA
- INHIBITORY; function: allergies; deficit: anxiety
- Three neurotransmitters that involve emotion?
- Dopamine, Serotonin, Norepinephrine
- 4 problems with drug interation:
- block reuptake, mimic neurotransmitters, increase/decrease production of neurotransmitters in presynaptic gap, block receptor sites
- excitatory
- turns next neuron on
- inhibitory
- turns next neuron off
- agonist
- increases the effect of
- antagonist
- decreases the effect of
- Biological Psychology
- specialized brance of psych that studies the relationship between behavior and body processes and systems
- Complete the following communication sequence: dendrite, cell body, axon, _____, dendrite.
- neurotransmitter
- Endorphins are neurotransmitters that...
- act as the body's natural painkillers
- ______ are to the nervous system as ______ are to the endocrine system
-
dopamine, acetylcholine, endorphins; prolactin, oxytocin, growth hormone
remember the endocrine is hormones and making milk for babies! - The main communication like between the left and right cerebral hemispheres of the brain is the
- corpus callosum
- considerable evidence suggests that for most people, the ____ hemisphere of the brain is superior at langague abilities, whereas the ______ hemisphere is superior at nonverbal emotion expression
- left; right
- PET scans measure _________, whereas CAT and MRI scans provide a picture of _________.
- the brain's activity; the brain's structure
- List the four lobes of the forebrain
- frontal, occipital, temporal, parietal
- The effect of any particular neurotransmitter depends on:
- the receptor to which it binds
- The action potential is defined as:
- an electical impulse that sends signals from teh dendrites to the cell body to the axon
- neuron
- highly specialized cell that communicates information in electrical and chemical form; a nerve cell
- glial cells
- support cells that assist neurons be prodivind structual support, nutrition, and removal of cell wastes; manufacture myelin
- sensory neuron
- neuron that conveys information to the brain from specialized receptor cells in sense organs and internal organs
- motor neuron
- type of neuron that signals muscles to relax or contract
- interneuron
- type of neuron that communicates information from one neuton to the next
- cell body
- the part of a neuron that contains the nucleus; AKA soma
- dendrites
- multiple short fibers that extend from the neuron's cell body and receive information from other neurons or sensory receptor cells
- axon
- long, fluid-filled tupe that carries a neuron's messages to other body areas
- myelin sheath
- a white, fatty covering wrapped around the axons of some neurons that incrases ther communication speed
- action potential
- a brief electrical impulse by which information is transmitted along the axon of a neuron
- stimulus threshold
- the minimum level of stimulation required to activate a particular neuron
- resting potential
- state in which a neuron is prepared to activate and communicate its message if it receives sufficient stimulation (-70 mv)
- all-or-none law
- the principle that either a neuron is sufficiently stimulated and an action potential occurs or a neuron is not sufficiently stimulated and an action potential does not occur
- synapse
- the point of communication between two neurons
- synaptic gap
- the tiny space between the axon terminal and one neuron and the dendrite of an adjoining neuron
- axon terminal
- branches at the end of the axon that contain tiny pouches or sacs called synaptic vesicles
- synaptic vesicle
- tiny pouches or sacs in the axon terminals that contain chemicals called neurotransmitters
- neurotransmitter
- chemical messenger manufactured by a neuron
- synaptic transmission
- the process in which neurotransmitters are released by one neuron, cross the synaptic gap, and affect adjoining neurons
- reuptake
- the process by which neurotransmitter molecules detach from a postsynaptic neuron and are reabsorbed by a presynaptic neuron so they can be recycled and used again
- nervous system
- the primary internal communication network of the body; divided into the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system
- what is the break down of the nervous system?
-
Central (brain, spinal cord)
Peripheral (somatic nervous system, Autonomic nervous system (sympathetic nervous system, parasympathetic nervous system)) - nerve
- bundle of neuron axons that carries information in the peripheral nervous system
- central nervous system
- division of the nervous system that consists of the brain and spinal cord
- spinal reflexes
- simple, automatic behaviors that are processed in the spinal cord
- peripheral nervous system
- division of the nervous system that includes all the nerves lying outside the central nervous system
- somatic nervous system
- subdivision of the peripheral nervous system that communicates sensory information to the central nervous system and carries messages from the central nervous system to the muscles
- autonomic nervous system
- subdivision of the peripheral nervous system that regulates involuntary functions
- sympathetic nervous system
- branch of the autonomic nervous system that produces rapid physical arousal in response to perceived emergencies or threats; fight or flight response
- parasympathetic nervous system
- brance of the autonomic nervous system that maintains normal body functions and conserves the body's physical resources
- endocrine system
- a communication system composed of glands located throughout the body that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
- hormones
- chemical messengers secreted into the bloodstream by endocrine glands
- pituitary gland
- endocrine gland attached to the base of the brain that secretes hormones that affect the function of other glands as well as hormones that act directly on physical processes
- adrenal glands
- pair of endocrine glands that are involved in the human stress response
- adrenal cortex
- the outer portion of the adrenal gland
- adrenal medulla
- the inner portion of the adrenal gland; secretes epinephrine and norepinephrine
- gonads
- the endocrine gland that secrete hormones that regulate sexual characteristics and reproductive processes; ovaries in females and testes in males
- brain
- the main organ of the nervous system, made up of billions of neurons organized into a complex, integrated hierarchy of structures
- electroencephalograph (EEG)
- an instrument that uses electrodes placed on the scalp to record the brain's electrical activity
- CAT scan (computerized axial tomography)
- an instrument that produces two-dimensional pictures of brain structures using multiple x-rays that are reassembled by a computer
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanner (MRI)
- an instrument that provides three-dimensional, highly detailed views of the brain using electrical signals generated by the brain in response to magnetic fields
- PET scan (positron emission tomography)
- an instrument that provides color-coded images of brain activity by measuring the amount of glucose or oxygen used in different brain regions
- brainstem
- a region of the brain made up of the hindbrain and the midbrain
- hindbrain
- a region at the base of the brain that contains several structures that regulate basic life functions
- medulla
- a hindbrain structure that controls vital life functions such as breathing, circulation, and muscle tone
- pons
- a hindbrain strcutre that connects the medulla to the two sides of the cerebellum (a bridge over a PONd); helps coordinate and integrate movements on the two sides
- cerebellum
- a large, two-sided hindbrain structure at the back of the brain responsible for muscle coordination, fine motor movements, and maintaining posture and equilibrium
- reticular formation
- a network of nerve fibers located in the center of the medulla that helps regulate information, attention, arousal and sleep
- midbrain
- the smallest brain region, which helps coordinate auditory and visual sensation
- substantia nigra
- an area of the midbrain that is involved in motor control and contains a large concentration of dopamine-producing neurons
- forebrain
- the largest and most complex brain region, which contrains centers for complex behaviors and mental processes, made up of four lobes
- cerebral cortex
- the wrinkled outer portion of the forebrain, which contains the most sophisticated brain centers
- cerebral hemisphere
- the nearly symmetrical left and right halves of the cerebral cortex
- corpus callosum
- a thick band of nerve fibers that connects the two cerebral hemispheres and acts as a communication link between them
- temporal lobe
- an area on each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex near the temples which is the primary receiving area of auditory information
- occipital lobe
- an area at the back of each cerebral cortex hemisphere that is the primary receiving area for visual information
- parietal lobe
- an area on each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex located above the temporal lobe that processes somatic sensations
- frontal lobe
- the largest lobe of the cerebral cortex; processes voluntary muscle movements and is involved in thinking, planning, and emotional expression and control
- association areas
- areas of the cerebral cortex where information from different brain centers is combined and integrated
- thalamus
- a forebrain structure that processes sensory information for all sense, except smell, and relays it to the cerebral cortex
- hypothalamus
- a peanut-sized forebrain structure that is part of the limbic system and regulates behaviors related to survival, such as eating, drinking, and sexual activity
- hippocampus
- a curved forebrain structure that is part of the limbic system and is involved in learning and forming new memories
- amygdala
- an almond-shaped forebrain structure that is part of the limbic system and involved in emotion and memory
- limbic system
- a group of forebrain structures that form a border around the brainstem and that are invovled in emotion, motivation, learning, and memory
- aphasia
- the partial or complete inability to articulate ideas or understand spoken or written language due to brain injury or damage
- split-brain operation
- a surgical procedure that involves cutting the corpus callosum