psych (anatomy and memory) -mcat

Basal ganglia

coordinate muscle movement as they receive information from the cortex and relay this information (via the extrapyramidal motor system) to the brain and the spinal cord.

Brainstem

— like controls heart rate

The most primitive portion of the brain, which includes the midbrain and hindbrain; controls the autonomic nervous system and communication between the spinal cord, cranial nerves, and brain.

Gate theory of pain

proposes that a special “gating” mechanism can turn pain signals on or off, affecting whether or not we perceive pain.

Utricle and saccule

structures that are sensitive to linear acceleration, so are used as part of the balancing apparatus and to determine one’s orientation in three-dimensional space.

Otoliths

As the body accelerates, these will resist the motion, bending the hair cells, thus sending a signal to the brain

Lateral geniculate nucleus

Light (visual pathways), it is located in the thalamus to pass to the occipital lobe

Semicircular canals

Sensitive the rotational acceleration, endolymph resists the motion thus sending a signal to the brain

Medial geniculate nucleus, thalamus

Most sound information passes through the vestibulocochlear nerve to the brainstem, where it ascends to the _______________ of the _________. From there, nerve fibers project to the auditory cortex in the temporal lobe for sound processing.

Superior olive

Localizes sound

Inferior colliculus

Involved in startle reflex, and helps keep eyes fixed to a point while head is rotating

Olfactory pathway, olfactory bulb

___________: Odor molecules are inhaled into the nasal passages and then contact the olfactory nerves in the olfactory epithelium. These receptor cells are activated, sending signals to the ___________. These signals are then relayed via the olfactory tract to higher regions of the brain, including the limbic system.

Chemoreceptors, thalamus

Taste is detected via _____________, taste info travels to the taste center in the __________ be for traveling to higher order brain regions.

Pacinian corpuscles

respond to deep pressure and vibration, sits in the hypodermis, (requires constantly changing stimulus)

Meissner corpuscles

Respond to light touch (constantly changing stimuli), sits in the papillary dermis,

Merkel cells (discs)

Respond to deep pressure and texture, located in the stratum basale to papillary dermis, it is a keratinocyte

Ruffini endings

Respond to stretch, (collagen), in the reticular dermis

Free nerve endings

Respond to pain and temperature

Explicit (declarative) memory

Stores facts and stories

Implicit (nondeclarative) memory

Stores skills and conditioning effects

Stronger than

Recognition is _________ recall

Stronger than

Semantic encoding is _________ both acoustic and visual encoding

Long-term potentiation

responsible for the conversion of short-term to long-term memory, is the strengthening of neuronal connections resulting from increased neurotransmitter release and adding of receptor sites.

Thalamus

that serves as an important relay station for incoming sensory information, including all senses except for smell. After receiving incoming sensory impulses, it sorts and transmits them to the appropriate areas of the cerebral cortex.

Hypothalamus

—The Four Fs:

Feeding

Fighting

Flighting

(Sexual) Functioning

Wernicke'S area

language reception and comprehension.

Wernicke’s aphasia

motor production and fluency of speech is retained but comprehension of speech is lost.

Lateral Hypothalamus (LH)

______ is removed, one Lacks Hunger.

VentroMedial Hypothalamus (VMH)

____ is destroyed, one is Very Much Hungry.

Cerebellum

portion of the hindbrain that maintains posture and balance and coordinates body movements.

Medulla oblongata

portion of the brainstem that regulates vital functions, including breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.

Midbrain

portion of the brainstem that manages sensorimotor reflexes to visual and auditory stimuli and gives rise to some cranial nerves.

Pons

portion of the brainstem that relays information between the cortex and medulla, regulates sleep, and carries some motor and sensory information from the face and neck.

Pineal gland

brain structure located near the thalamus that secretes melatonin.

Pituitary gland

—The “master gland” of the endocrine system that triggers hormone release in other endocrine glands.

Cerebral cortex

—The outermost layer of the cerebrum, responsible for complex perceptual, behavioral, and cognitive processes.

Cerebrum

portion of the brain that contains the cerebral cortex, limbic system, and basal ganglia.

Broca’s area

brain region located in the inferior frontal gyrus of the frontal lobe (usually in the left hemisphere); largely responsible for the motor function of speech.

Broca’s aphasia

—Loss of the motor function of speech, resulting in intact understanding with an inability to correctly produce spoken language.

Broca’s area

Hypothalamus

regulate appetite and satiety, the bridge between the nervous and endocrine systems