Psycology Unit 1

Central Nervous System

Decision maker, consist brain and spial cord.

spinal cord

backbone of CNS, signal transmission, reflex action control

Peripheral nervous system

transmits the info between the brain and rest of the body

somatic nervous system

responsible for voluntary actions such as movement, posture

autonomic nervous system

involuntary actions, keeps you alive. Digestion, breathing etc.

sympathetic nervous system

fight or flight. increase your heart rate, dilate pupils, inhibits digestion.

parasympathetic nervous system

calms your body, slows heart rate

dendrite

recieve message from other cells

axon

passes message-wire

neural impulse-action potential

electrical signal

myelin sheath

covers the axon to save signal. made out of glial cells

vesicle

the are where neurotransmitters are stored

reuptake

presynaptic taking back the neurotransmitters that presynapthic doesn’t use

refractory period

neuron is not able to do anyhting for a while

sensory neurons(afferent neuron)

recieves info from sensory receptors and send it to the brain

motor neurons(efferent neuron)

sends info from the brain to the muscles

interneurons

process the afferent signal, within brain and spinal cord

glutamate

gas pedal, most abundant excitatory neurot. strengthens synaptic connections. too much=migrane/seizures

gaba

brake pedal, most abundant inhibitory neurot. reduces anxiety. too little=insomnia, seizure

acetylcholine

movement, cognitive task, diminished ach=alzheimers

dopamine

pleasure. lack of it=parkinsons. excess=schizophrenia

endorphine

body’s natural painkiller, can be stimulated by excersizing

substance p

transmits pain signals to CNS. high levels=stress, depression.

epinephrine(adrenaline)

both neurot. and hormone. boosts energy, fight or flight

norepinephrine

involved in sleep cycle. arousal, alertness. low levels=depression

serotonin

mood, appetite, sleep and dreams. low levels=depression

adrenaline

fight or flight

leptin

turns off hunger

ghrelin

turns on hunger

melatonin

turns on the sleep process

oxytocin

love hormone, socil bonding, mother-child relationship

endocrine system

glands secrete hormones to transmit signals to other body tissues

drugs

chemicals that pass thorugh blood/brain barrier

agonists

mimic the neurotransmitter. binds into receptor and creates enhanced effect.

antagonist

fights againsts the neurotransmitter. blocks it from being released or picked up

depressants(psychoactive drugs)

reduce activity, slows body functions. alcohol

opioids(psychoactive drugs)

have depressant effects, addictive, pain relief. morphine, heroine etc.

stimulants(psychoactive drugs)

excite neural activity, speed up bodily functions. caffeine, nicotne etc.

hallucinogens(psychoactive drugs)

distort perception, cause hallucinations. marijuana

Hindbrain

survival brain

medulla

basic autonomic functions, reflexes

pons

sleep functions, connects brainstem and cerebellum. control sensory-motor activities

reticular activating system

attention, arousal, alertness

cerebellum

balance, implicit memory, coordinated sequences of movement

Midbrain

connects higher and lower portions of the brain, relays info between the brain and the ears and eyes

limbic system

emotional brain

thalamus

sensory switchboard, recieves and sorts sensory info and sends it to cortex. smell is the only exception.

hypothalamus

homeostasis(balance), hunger, temperature

pituitary glands(hormones)

fight or flight, social bonding, reward pathways

amygdala

anger, aggression, afraid(fear responses). also helps ingrain highly emotional memories.

hippocampus

converts short term memory to long term. helps remember fact and events. remebering where things are located

contralaterality

right side of your brain controls left and visa versa

Lesions

removing a part of the brain to examine it

Case studies

used for brain damage/injury/illness. ethically impossible to replicate

EEG

electrodes placed on the head and they detect electrical activity of neurons by waves. Sleep research

PET

person is injected with radioactive glucose which helps detect hot spots(neural acivity). Learn more abput the function of brain parts.

MRI Machine

shows slices of brain, help with stucture(what it looks like)

fMRI

MRI+PET. Both structure and function

CAT/CT Scan

fancy x-ray. used for locating tumor. no activity of function detection.

Restoration theory of sleep

We need to sleep because we need to restore the resources we use during the day

memory consolidation theory

we sleep to restore and rebuild our memories of the day. Happens during REM sleep.

energy conservation theory

sleep protects us and helps us to survive.

Psychological theories

“Freud”. Dreams have manifest content and latent content.

Biological theories

Activation-Synthesis model: during REM sleep there is a lot of neural activity happening in the brain

Insomnia

Inability to fall/stay asleep regularly. most common sleep disorder.

Sleep Apnea

Breathing stops as you sleep. Not getting to REM or NREM3.

Narcolepsy

Sleep attacks that happen in REM sleep. Muscle paralysis.

REM sleep disorder

actively and violently moving around in your sleep, unpleasent dreams.

night terrors

Extreme fear and screaming, typically impact children. Occurs in NREM3. NOT nightmares

Sleepwalking

Happens in NREM3. Genetics, environmental conditions, medical conditions can cause it.