biological basis of cognition (exam1, 3)

nueroscience, brain structures and areas, impacts of brain injuries, brain imaging, and animal studies

neuron

information messengers that use electrical and chemical signals to send info to the brain and body

dendrites

receives information from other cells

cell body

processes information

axon

passes information to terminal buttons

myelin sheath

covers axon and speeds up neural impulses

terminal buttons

connect with other neurons and share information

synapse

small gap between neurons where communication occurs

neural impulse

an electrochemical signal that travels down the axon to transmit information

resting potential

the negative charge and neutral state of a neuron before firing (-70 millivolts)

action potential

when the neuron is stimulated and sodium ions depolarize that moves along the axon (max charge)

absolute refractory period

after firing when no action potential can be triggered regardless of stimulus strength

relative refractory period

allows action potentials to be triggered only if they are a stronger than normal stimulus

neurotransmitters

molecules used by the nervous system to relay messages between neurons

acetylcholine

excitatory chemical that communicates with muscles associated with learning, memory, and attention

dopamine

inhibitory chemical that regulates motivation, pleasure, and mood (deficiency could result in schizophrenia or parkinsons)

parallel distributed processing

simulates brain like functioning and processing

network of neurons

thousands of billions of neurons communicating to process information

similarities between PDP and NN

1. interconnected neurons

2. receives input and provides and output

3. units are either firing or off

4. connections can be strengthened or weakened

differences between PDP and NN

1. NN is large and complex, neurons react differently to different neurotransmitters

2. PDP is small and simple, ignores differing reactions to different neurotransmitters

thalamus

sensory relay station that directs signals to their proper cortical region

corpus callosum

bridge of tissue between the two hemispheres of the brain

amygdala

stores emotional memory and “fight or flight” response

hippocampus

forms and stores memories

cortex

outer most layer of the brain responsible for high level functions

frontal lobe

located at the front, controls voluntary movement, decision-making, personality, and speech production (broca’s area)

parietal lobe

behind the frontal lobe, processes sensory information such as touch, temperature, pain, and spatial awareness

temporal lobe

located on the sides, processes auditory information, language comprehension (wernicke’s area), and memory.

occipital lobe

located at the back, processes visual information

contralaterality

the left side of the brain receives information from and controls the right side of the body and vise versa

optic chiasm

x-shaped neural structure at the base of the brain, located below the hypothalamus where crossing of optic nerve fibers occurs (critical for vision)

left hemisphere

specializes in language processing

right hemisphere

specializes in spatial capabilities

chimeric face

split emotion faces used to measure hemispheric dominance

associations

the links between thoughts and emotions in your mind, which create and shape your behavior and performance

dissociations

a protective mechanism where the brain detaches from reality, thoughts, feelings, or memories to cope with overwhelming stress or trauma

double dissociations

demonstrates that two mental processes are independent of one another, occurs when two patient cases show opposite patterns of impairment