AP Psych Unit 2 Part 1 Mrs. Greth

Neuron

Neuron

the basic cellular unit of the nervous system

Dendrites

a part of the neuron, they receive info; the squiggly lines

Axon

a part of the neuron, they carry the info; the main line

Myelin sheath

a part of the neuron, they speed up and protect messages; the boxes on the axons

Resting potential

the neural impulse in its' non-excited state

Polarization

neuron is at rest

Action potential

the neural impulse that travels along the axon

Depolarization

a reduction in the electric potential across the plasma membrane of a cell

Threshold

level an impulse must exceed for neuron to fire

Absolute Refractory period

immediately after "firing" the neuron cannot fire again lasting a few thousandths of a second

Relative Refractory period

neuron can fire only if the incoming message is stronger than normal

Reuptake

the process by which neurotransmitter molecules that have been released at a synapse are reabsorbed by the presynaptic neuron that released them

Neurotransmitters

chemicals that transmit information from one neuron to another

Inhibitory

inhibit the next cell from firing; relate to a car's brake

Excitatory

excite the next cell into firing; relate to a car's gas pedal

Endorphins

inhibits the transmission of pain messages, doesn't tell us about pain, creates an energy high. ex) runner's high, oversupply of opiate drugs can suppress the body's natural production

Serotonin

regulation of mood, sleep, hunger, and arousal. ex) undersupply - depression

Dopamine

control of voluntary movements "reward center" - learning, attention, emotions. ex) oversupply - schizophrenia; undersupply - parkinson's with decreased mobility & tremors

Acetylcholine (ACh)

regulation of muscle action, attention, learning, memory. ex) with Alzheimer's Disease ACh producing neurons deteriorate

Norepinephrine

controls alertness and arousal (vigilance). ex) high blood pressure, depression, panic attacks, lack of concentration

Glutamate

widely distributed excitatory neurotransmitter involved in memory. ex) oversupply - migraines and seizures

GABA

widely distributed inhibitory neurotransmitter contributing to the regulation of anxiety and sleep/arousal. ex) undersupply - seizures, tremors, insomnia

Substance P

regulation of pain transmission; tells us about pain. ex) chronic inflammatory diseases, mood, and anxiety disorders

Multiple sclerosis

autoimmune disorder causing the immune system to attack Myelin Sheath

Myasthenia Gravis

autoimmune disorder causing weakness of voluntary muscles

Psychoactive Drugs

chemicals that affect the central nervous system and alter activity in the brain

Agonist

increases a neurotransmitter's action

Antagonist

block a neurotransmitter's action

Reuptake Inhibitor

blocks reabsorption of neurotransmitter by presynaptic neuron

Nervous system

the system of neurons, nerves, tracts, and associated tissues that, together with the endocrine system, coordinates activities of the organism in response to signals received from the internal and external environments

Central Nervous System (CNS)

brain & spinal cord, over 90% of bodies' neurons, brain levels; central core, limbic system, cerebral cortex

Glial cells

nourish and protect the neuron

Terminal buttons

contain neurotransmitters; balls on little strings after axon

Synapse

created by terminal button of one neuron, the synaptic gap, and the dendrite of another neuron

Synaptic gap

space between the axon terminal of one neuron and the receptors of the next neuron

Peripheral Nervous System

contains the somatic system and autonomic system

Somatic nervous system

afferent & efferent neurons, voluntary actions, senses

Autonomic nervous system

CNS to internal organs, "flight, fight, or freeze" response, biofeedback is a way to control it

Sympathetic nervous system

a part of the autonomic system; arouses the body, "flight, fright, or freeze"

Parasympathetic nervous system

a part of the autonomic system; calms the body

Nerves

bundled axons on many neurons connecting CNS with muscles, glands, and sense organs

Sensory (afferent) neurons

carry messages from sense organs to CNS

Motor (efferent) neurons

carry messages from CNS to muscles & glands

Interneurons

carry messages between neurons

Reflex Arc

a relatively direct connection between a sensory neuron and a motor neuron that allows an extremely rapid response to a stimulus, often without conscious brain involvement.

Endocrine system

set of glands that secrete hormones into the blood stream; not part of the nervous system

Pituitary gland

metabolism, growth, reproduction

Hormones

travel slower than neurotransmitters

Adrenaline (hormone)

fight or flight (quick response)

Oxytocin (hormone)

"love hormone" birth and physical attraction

Central core

lower regions of the brain contain the brainstem, medulla, pons, reticular formation, and cerebellum

Brainstem

the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions

Medulla

controls heartbeat and breathing

Pons

controls our sleep/wake cycle

Cerebellum

coordinates movement and balance and enables implicit motor memories

Reticular formation

nerve network that travels through the brainstem and thalamus. plays a part in controlling arousal and consciousness. is not working then coma

Limbic system

neural system that includes 4 functions; thalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus

Thalamus

the brain's sensory control center receives messages and then directs them to corresponding lobes in the brain. all senses pass through here except smell

Amygdala

linked to self-preservation emotions (fear and aggression)

Hypothalamus

controls emotions, hunger, sexual arousal, and body temperature. helps regulate the endocrine system

Hippocampus

processes memory

Postsynaptic neuron

transmits impulses away from the synapse

Presynaptic neuron

conducts impulses toward the synapse

Neural Transmission

electrochemical communication within and between neurons and the final destination

All-or-none response

neuron must fire all the way through or not at all

Cerebral Cortex

ultimate control and information center made up of neural cells

Frontal lobe

deals with speaking, planning, and judgement aka higher-level thinking. (makes decisions) the motor cortex is in front of it and broca's area is in the left frontal lobe

Parietal lobe

receives sensory input. contains the somatosensory cortex

Temporal lobe

deals with hearing and complex visual details. receives information from the opposite ear and contains the Wernicke's area

Occipital lobe

receives information from visual fields (your eyes)

Prefrontal cortex

functions in attention, planning, working memory, and the expression of emotions and appropriate social behaviors

Motor cortex

controls voluntary movements such as raising your hand

Somatosensory cortex

processes body touch

Association areas

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

Broca's area

deals with the production of language and speaking (think: broca spoka)

Wernicke's area

deals with understanding language

Corpus callosum

connects the right and left hemisphere

Split brain research

study of patients with severed corpus callosum

Phineas Gage Case study

Phineas Gage: railroad worker who survived a brain injury that changed his personality and behavior;

case study examined the localization of brain function: frontal lobe controls personality and behavior

Blindsight

a condition in which people who are blind have some spared visual capacities in the absence of any visual awareness

Brain/Neural plasticity

the brain's ability to change due to experiences, the brain's ability to compensate due to tissue loss from injury or disease

Lesion

any disruption of or damage to the normal structure or function of an organ or part of an organ due to injury, disease, or a surgical procedure

EEG

macroelectrodes tech, measures brainwave activity, sleep patterns

fMRI

functioning and structural brain imaging tech, blood flow and oxygen levels, changes in neural activity (motor, sensory, cognitive tasks)

Heredity

the transmission of traits from one generation to the next

Identical (monozygotic) twins

develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms; look the same

Fraternal (dizygotic) twins

twins that originate from the fertilization of two eggs at approximately the same time (two zygotes); look different

Heritability

the ability of a trait to be passed down from one generation to the next

Mutation

a random error in gene replication that leads to a change

Eugenics

discriminatory application of evolutionary psych that is not scientifically naive; study or practice of improving the genetic quality of the human population by selective breeding or reproduction restrictions

Twin Studies

researchers assess hereditary influence by comparing the resemblance of identical twins and fraternal twins with respect to a trait

Family Studies

researchers assess hereditary influence by examining blood relatives to see how much they resemble one another on a specific trait

Adoption Studies

assess hereditary influence by examining the resemblance between adopted children and both their biological and their adoptive parents