Intro to Psychology: Unit 1 Chapter 2

Neuroplasticity

The brain's ability to change by reorganizing after damage or by forming new neural pathways based on experience, especially during childhood

Importance of neuroplasticity

Allows humans to adapt to a changing world more than other species

Cultural neuroscientists

Study how repeated exposure to traditions, beliefs, and rituals shapes behavior and brain activation patterns

Neuron

A nerve cell; basic building block of the nervous system

Cell body (soma)

Contains the nucleus; the neuron's life support center

Dendrites

Fibers that receive information and conduct it toward the cell body

Axon

Neuron extension that sends messages to other neurons, muscles, or glands

Myelin sheath

Fatty covering that insulates axons and speeds neural impulses

Terminal branches of axon

Form junctions with other cells

Action potential

Electrical signal that travels down an axon

Synapse

Junction between the axon tip of one neuron and the dendrite or cell body of another

Synaptic gap (cleft)

Tiny gap between neurons at a synapse

Refractory period

Brief resting pause after a neuron fires

All-or-none response

Neuron either fires completely or not at all

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gap

Reuptake

Reabsorption of neurotransmitters by the sending neuron

Acetylcholine (ACh)

Enables muscle action, learning, and memory

Alzheimer's disease link

Deterioration of ACh-producing neurons

Dopamine function

Influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion

Dopamine oversupply

Linked to schizophrenia

Dopamine undersupply

Linked to Parkinson's disease

Serotonin function

Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal

Serotonin undersupply

Linked to depression

Norepinephrine

Controls alertness and arousal

GABA

Major inhibitory neurotransmitter

GABA undersupply

Linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia

Glutamate

Major excitatory neurotransmitter involved in memory

Glutamate oversupply

Can cause migraines or seizures

Endorphins

Neurotransmitters that influence pain and pleasure

Nervous system

Body's electrochemical communication network

Central nervous system (CNS)

Brain and spinal cord

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Nerves connecting the CNS to the rest of the body

Sensory neurons

Carry incoming sensory information to the CNS

Motor neurons

Carry outgoing commands from the CNS to muscles

Interneurons

Process information within the brain and spinal cord

Somatic nervous system

Controls skeletal muscles

Autonomic nervous system (ANS)

Controls glands and internal organs

Sympathetic nervous system

Arouses the body; fight-or-flight response

Parasympathetic nervous system

Calms the body after stress

Endocrine system

Slow chemical communication system using hormones

Hormones

Chemical messengers traveling through the bloodstream

Adrenal glands

Release epinephrine and norepinephrine during stress

Pituitary gland

Endocrine system's control center

Oxytocin

Hormone involved in social bonding, labor, and milk flow

EEG

Electrodes on scalp measure electrical brain activity

MEG

Measures magnetic fields from brain activity

PET

Tracks glucose use during brain tasks

MRI

Produces images of brain structure

fMRI

Measures blood flow to show brain activity

Hindbrain

Controls survival functions like breathing and balance

Medulla

Controls heartbeat and breathing

Pons

Coordinates movement and controls sleep

Thalamus

Sensory relay station

Reticular formation

Controls arousal and attention

Cerebellum

Coordinates movement, balance, and procedural memory

Limbic system

Associated with emotion and motivation

Amygdala

Processes fear and aggression

Hypothalamus

Regulates homeostasis and endocrine system

Hippocampus

Forms new explicit memories

Motor cortex

Controls voluntary movement

Somatosensory cortex

Processes touch and body sensations

Visual cortex

Located in the occipital lobe; processes vision

Auditory cortex

Located in the temporal lobe; processes sound

Association areas

Involved in learning, thinking, and memory

Frontal lobe

Decision-making, planning, personality, voluntary movement

Parietal lobe

Sensory processing and spatial awareness

Temporal lobe

Hearing, memory, language comprehension, face recognition

Occipital lobe

Vision processing

Corpus callosum

Connects the brain's two hemispheres

Split brain

Result of severing the corpus callosum

Left hemisphere

Specialized in language and exact interpretations

Right hemisphere

Specialized in inferences, spatial processing, and emotional tone

Consciousness

Awareness of self and environment

Selective attention

Focusing on specific stimuli

Inattentional blindness

Failure to notice visible objects due to focused attention elsewhere

Circadian rhythm

Internal 24-hour biological clock

REM sleep

Sleep stage with vivid dreams and high brain activity

Delta waves

Slow brain waves of deep N3 sleep

Paradoxical sleep

REM sleep where brain is active but body is relaxed

Insomnia

Difficulty falling or staying asleep

Narcolepsy

Sudden uncontrollable sleep attacks

Sleep apnea

Repeated breathing interruptions during sleep

Night terrors

Intense fear episodes during N3 sleep

Dreams

Sequences of images, emotions, and thoughts during sleep

Manifest content

Remembered storyline of a dream

Latent content

Hidden meaning of a dream

Parkinson's question answer

Undersupply of dopamine causes tremors and decreased movement

Hippocampus damage question

Inability to form new memories

Fight-or-flight question

Sympathetic nervous system of the ANS

Brain imaging question

fMRI is best for observing real-time brain activity

Split-brain spoon question

Can pick up spoon with left hand but cannot verbally name it