Psych 101 chapter 2

central nervous system

nerve cells in brain and spinal chord

peripheral nervous system

nerve cells throughout body except in brain and spinal chord

somatic nervous system

transmits sensory signals and motor signals back and forth between CNS and skin, muscles, joints to spinal chord to brain

autonomic nervous system

transmits sensory signals and motor signals back and forth between CNS and body’s glands and internal organs; out of control processes like blood pressure, digestion, respiration

sympathetic nervous system

part of ANS, prepares body for action, pupils dilate, respiration increases, heart rate increases, digestion decreases

parasympathetic nervous system

part of ANS, returns body to resting state (relax), pupils contract, respiration decreases, heart rate decreases, digestion increases

neurons

basic unit of nervous system, operate through electrical impulses, communicate with other neurons through chemical signals and form neural networks

dendrites

part of neuron, branchlike extensions of cell body with receptors that receive information from other neurons

cell body

information from thousands of other neurons is collected and integrated

axon

long, narrow outgrowth that lets neuron transmit information to other neurons

myelin sheath

fatty material that covers and insulates some axons to allow faster movement of electrical impulses along axon

terminal buttons

at the end of axons that release chemical signals from neuron into synapse

synapse

gap between terminal buttons of sending neuron and dendrites of receiving neuron

axon terminal

Axon terminals are the endings of a neuron’s axon that release neurotransmitters into the synapse to communicate with the next neuron

neurotransmitters

chemicals that are released by chemical signals at terminal buttons

action potential

neural impulse created when electrical charge inside neuron is more positive than outside because movement of electrically charged ions; travels along axon and causes release of neurotransmitters into synapse

receptors

protein molecules on surface that bind to specific neurotransmitters, when binds either excites/inhibits receiving neuron, how neurons communicate through synapse

ions

charged particles that help neurons generate and send electrical signals

presynaptic vs postsynaptic neuron

The presynaptic neuron releases neurotransmitters; the postsynaptic neuron has receptors that receive them.

excitatory vs inhibitory signals

excite neuron, increases likelihood that it will fire action potential vs inhibit neuron, decreases likelihood that it will fire action potential

acetylcholine

motor control over muscles; attention, memory, learning, sleeping

norepinephrine

arousal and alertness

serotonin

emotional states and impulse control, dreaming

dopamine

reward and motivation, motor control over voluntary movement

GABA

inhibition of action potentials, anxiety reduction, intoxication (thru alcohol), stop

glutamate

enhancement of action potentials, learning and memory, go

endorphins

pain reduction, pleasure

agonists

drugs that mimic actions of neurotransmitters

antagonists

drugs that inhibit actions of neurotransmitters

phrenology

attempt to assess personality traits and mental abilities by measuring bumps on human skull

EEG

researcher fits electrodes onto participants scalp, electrodes pick up brain’s electrical activity, records activity

fMRI

measures changes in blood’s oxygen level, let researchers indirectly assess brain’s blood flow, able to map working brain

hindbrain

lowest part of brain, at base of skull where brain connects to spinal chord, contains structures that control body functions that are essential for survival

medulla

part of hindbrain; at top of spinal cord, controls survival functions: heart rate, breathing, swallowing

pons

part of hindbrain; above medulla, regulates sleep and arousal and coordinates movements of left and right side of body

cerebellum

part of hindbrain; behind medulla and pons, essential for motor learning, coordination, balance

phineas gage

Phineas Gage survived an iron rod through his frontal lobe in 1848 and reportedly showed personality changes, which provided early evidence that the frontal lobes help control personality, judgment, and impulse control

midbrain

involved in reflexive movements of eyes and body, also important for initiating voluntary movements, critical for production of dopamine

forebrain

cerebral cortex and several subcortical structures

thalamus

part of forebrain; gateway to brain for sight, sound, touch, taste, sensory info before informing reaches cortex, not smell

hypothalamus

part of forebrain; involved in regulating bodily functions, also influences basic motivated behaviors, located below thalamus; regulates body rhythms (sleeping/waking, body temp, blood sugar), involved in motivated behaviors (drinking, eating)

hippocampus

part of forebrain; associated with formation of new memories and with spatial navigation, permanent memories stored in parts of cortex, how you remember locations of places and objects

amygdala

part of forebrain; located in front of hippocampus, involved in detecting and responding to threats, role in learning to associate experiences with emotional responses and in processing emotional info, esp fearer

cerebral cortex

thin wrinkled outer layer of brain

left hemisphere

language, speech production, logical and analytical processing, math, sequential tasks, controls right side of body

right hemisphere

spatial awareness and visual spatial tasks, face recognition, music, emotional expression and perception, controls left side of body

corpus callosum

connects 2 hemispheres of cerebral cortex

occipital lobes

part of cerebral cortex; important for vision, visual info, visual input

parietal lobes

part of cerebral cortex; important for sense of touch and picturing layout of spaces in environment, labor divided between left/right cerebral hemispheres, left hemisphere receives touch information from right side of body, vice versa

temporal lobes

part of cerebral cortex; important for hearing and recognizing objects (like faces)

frontal lobes

part of cerebral cortex; important for movement, planning complex processes (rational thought, attention, self control, social processes)

prefrontal lobes

part of cerebral cortex; critical for rational thought and our sense of self

endocrine system

set of glands that release hormones into bloodstream to regulate bodily processes and behaviors, more slowly but with longer lasting effects

hormones

chemical messengers released by endocrine glands into bloodstream that regulate bodily functions and behavior by binding to receptors on target cells