MASTER STUDY GUIDE (Sensory, Motor, Homeostasis, Sleep, Learning, Emotion)

What are Sensory Receptor Organs?

Specialized organs that detect specific environmental stimuli and convert stimulus energy into electrical signals.

What is an Adequate Stimulus?

The specific type of stimulus a sensory organ is best adapted to detect (e.g., light for vision).

What is Sensory Transduction?

The conversion of stimulus energy into a change in membrane potential in receptor cells, leading to receptor (generator) potentials.

What are Receptor Potentials?

Local graded changes in membrane potential; stronger stimuli cause larger receptor potentials.

What are Action Potentials?

All-or-none signals that transmit sensory information to the brain.

What are Labeled Lines?

Separate neural pathways used by each sensory system, allowing the brain to identify the sense based on the pathway.

What does the Coding of Sensory Information refer to?

Patterns of action potentials that represent stimuli, where intensity corresponds to firing rate.

What is Top-Down Processing?

The influence of higher brain centers on sensory processing, enhancing or suppressing sensory input.

What are Receptive Fields?

Areas where a stimulus changes a neuron’s firing rate; the size affects detail in perception.

What is the Somatosensory Cortex?

The region receiving touch information from the opposite side of the body, with S1 for basic mapping and S2 for higher-level interpretation.

What is Pain (Nociception)?

An unpleasant experience linked to tissue damage, detected by nociceptors.

What is Congenital Insensitivity to Pain?

A condition where an individual does not perceive pain, indicating pain's essential role for survival.

What are Reflexes?

Simple, automatic, unlearned responses, serving as basic units of movement.

What distinguishes Reflex from Voluntary Movement?

Reflex movements are automatic and controlled by the spinal cord, while voluntary movements are planned and controlled by the cortex.

What are Motor Plans?

Pre-established sets of muscle commands that occur before movement.

What is the Motor Control Hierarchy?

A system where muscles and motor neurons execute movement, with various levels of control from spinal cord to the brain.

What is NMJ?

The neuromuscular junction, a synapse between a motor neuron and muscle, where ACh is released to activate muscle fibers.

What is the Sliding Filament Mechanism?

The process where actin and myosin slide past each other, leading to muscle contraction.

What is the role of the Cerebellum in movement?

Coordinates and refines movement, detecting and correcting errors.

What is Parkinson’s Disease?

A motor disorder characterized by loss of dopamine neurons in substantia nigra, leading to symptoms like tremors and rigidity.

What are Motor Interfaces?

Technologies that allow motor cortex signals to control robotic limbs, indicating how neurons encode movement intention.

What is Homeostasis?

The maintenance of stable internal environment.

What is Allostasis?

Stability through change via physiological and behavioral adjustments.

What is the purpose of Thermoregulation?

To maintain body temperature.

What are the types of Thirst?

Osmotic thirst and hypovolemic thirst.

What role does the Hypothalamus play in Hunger Control?

Regulates hunger and satiety through different centers within it.

What are Circadian Rhythms?

Approximately 24-hour biological cycles that regulate various physiological processes.

What is the SCN?

The suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus that controls circadian rhythms.

What are the stages of Sleep?

NREM (Stages 1-3) and REM sleep, each serving different functions like energy conservation and memory consolidation.

What is Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)?

The strengthening of synapses, playing a crucial role in learning and memory.

What are Basic Emotions according to Ekman?

Anger, fear, sadness, happiness, disgust, surprise, contempt, and embarrassment.

How does Stress affect Homeostasis?

It disrupts homeostasis and activates systems like the sympathetic nervous system and HPA axis.

What is the difference between Type A and Type B Behavior?

Type A behavior is stress-prone; Type B behavior is more relaxed.