1/196
Name | Mastery | Learn | Test | Matching | Spaced |
---|
No study sessions yet.
What does "everything psychological is also biological" mean?
Like running without legs
You cannot think and do something without your body. Loving, laughing, crying requires biological events.
What forms the biopsychosocial approach?
Biological, psychological+social-cultural influences
What is plasticity in regards to the brain?
the brain's ability to change and adapt
When is plasticity most present in our lives?
childhood
Give examples of neuroplasticity
London taxi drivers having larger hippocamupus' because of the large number of streets to remember.
Well-practiced pianists with larger than usual auditory cortex area(sound-processing region of the brain)
Ballerinas+jugglers--> improved performance
What is a function of the hippocampus?
Processes spatial memories
Enables formation of new conscious memories
Think of patient HM
How does learning a new skill affect the structure of our brain?
It makes more and more neural pathways/connections. If we keep focusing on that skill, that part of the brain will become more refined/more connections.
What are neurons, and what significance do they have in our brain?
A nerve cell; building block of the nervous system
internal communication system
What parts make up a neuron and what are their individual functions?
Cell body: where the dna is, and the cell's life support center is
Dendrites: like tree branches, receive messages from other cells
(Away) axon: sends messages away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, or glands
Myelin Sheath: a fatty layer covering the axon(like sausage links) that allows for faster and smoother neural impulses.
Terminal branches: on the axon, "connects" neurons with others.
What do neurons carry?
Electrical signals/nerve impulses/action potentials
What supports neurons and how so?
Glial(glue) cells
What is a synapse
The junction between an axon tip and another neuron's dendrite or cell body
What is between a synapse?
Synaptic gap/synaptic cleft
Excitatory in regards to gas pedals
pushing a gas pedal
Inhibitatory in regards to gas pedals
pushing the brake pedal
How is an action potential generated and what happens afterwards?
When excitatory signals cause a certain level of stimulation, there is a neural impulse or action potential.
Refractory period
What kind of response is a neuron's response?
All-or-none response
What can cause bigger response?
A bigger event or something like that causes more neurons to fire, or to fire more often.
What does action potential trigger
the release of neutransmitters
lock and key concept
What happens after the release of neurotransmitters?
Some released will absorbed through receptor sites, others drift away, and some are broken down by enzymes/reuptake
Definition of reuptake?
A neurotransmitter being reabsorbed by the original/sending neuron
What are some medications that affect reuptake of neurotransmitters?
depression medication with serotonin
-reuptake inhibitors blocked--> longer time to reabsorb
Acetylcholine (ACh)
Enables muscle contraction, learning+memory
Examples of deficiency and too much of ACh
Too much: muscle cramps--> spasms
-Black widow venom contain it--> paralysis
Too little: alzeihmers--> neurons making AcH deteriorate
also used to treat migraines
Dopamine
Voluntary movement, reward, learning, memory
Examples of deficiency+too much dopamine
oversupply: schizophrenia
undersupply: Parkinsons
Parkinson's relationship with deficiency of dopamine
dopamine makes you lose control of voluntary movement
Dopamine from drugs affect on the body
Body starts to make less of its own supply--> stop getting drugs--> feels terrible(pain)
What does botox derive from?
AcH--> it basically paralyzes the muscles in the face, making it have a smoother and tighter appearance
Serotonin
Sleep, appetite, mood, hunger, arousal
Serotonin imbalance(undersupply)
Undersupply: depression
Norepinephrine+Epinephrineand examples
Involved in stress
physiological arousal
What does GABA stand for
Gamma-aminobutyric acid
What does GABA do
inhibitory-calms
ex: alcohol acts like GABA
Undersupply+oversupply of GABA affects
Undersupply: seizures, tremors, insomnia
Glutamate
Excitatory only--learning, memory enhancement
-causes action potential--> more connections between neurons made
Glutamate Imbalance causes
overstimulate brain, migraines, seizures)
Endorphins
reduces pain and promotes pleasure
-Endogenous morphine(made from body)
Imbalance in endorphins
-suppress body's natural endorphin supply if from drugs
-high(runner's high ex)
What is an opiate
Opium+its derivatives(morphine/heroin) lowers neural activities, temp pain reduce and anxiety
What is CNS
Central Nervous System, body's decision maker
PNS
Peripheral Nervous System
gathers info from other body parts+transmits decisions from CNS to body
Draw the functional divisions of the human nervous system
Nervous system
What are nerves
Electrical cables formed by bundles of axons
What do nerves do
link CNS with body's sensory receptors, muscles, and glands
What does a sensory neuron do
carry messages from tissues+sensory receptors to the spinal cord+brain for processing
What do motor neurons do?
Carry instructions from CNS to muscles+glands
What do interneurons do and where are they located?
communicate w/ each other+process sensory input--> motor output
How many parts does the PNS have and what are they called?
2: somatic+autonomic
What does the somatic nervous system do?
monitors sensory input+triggers motor output
What is another reason name for the somatic nervous system and why?
Skeletal nervous system bc it has control over skeletal muscles
What is an example of the somatic nervous system being used?
Friend taps you on shoulder, system reports info to brain--> carries back instructions that trigger you to turn ur head
Autonomic Nervous System(ANS)
Automatic, involuntary
What does the ANS do
controls gland+muscles of internal organs
mainly performs on its own(subconscious)
How many subdivisions are in the ANS and what are they called
2: sympathetic+parasympathetic nervous systems
Sympathetic Response
Arouse--> more alert, energetic, etc
What happens to body statistics while "aroused" by SNS?
Increase heartbeat, blood pressure, blood sugar
slow digestion, perspiration
Parasympathetic Reponse
Rest and Digest
What are physical statistics changed while the parasympathetic nervous system is active?
lowers heartbeat, blood sugar, etc
Provide examples of the sympathetic system in affect on each body part listed below:
Eyes:__
Heart:__
Stomach+Pancreas:___
Liver:___
Adrenal Gland+Kidney:___
Bladder:__
Reproductive organs:
Eyes: pupil dilation
Heart: accelerated beat
Stomach+Pancreas: inhibits digestion
Liver: stimulates glucose release by liver
Adrenal gland+kidney: stimulates secretion of epinpehrine and norepinephrine
Bladder: relaxes
Reproductive organs: stimulates ejaculation in males
Provide examples of the parasympathetic system's effect on each body part listed below:
Eyes:___
Heart: ___
Stomach+Pancreas: ___
Liver:__
Adrenal gland+kidney:___
Bladder:___
Reproductive Organs__
eyes: contracts
Heart: beat slows
Stomach+pancreas: stimulates digestion
Liver: stimulates galbladder
Bladder: contracts bladder
Reproductive organs: allows blood flow to sex organs
How is the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems connected to the brain
spinal cord
What are two parts of the central nervous system
neural networks and spinal cord
What are neural networks
individual neurons clustering into work groups in the brain
What is another way to think about neural networks
people clustering in cities rather than spreading evenly across nation
What strengthens neural networks
experience
neurons firing together wire together
What can a spinal cord be compared to
two-way highway
What is a reflex?
A simple, automatic response to sensory stimulus
does not require the presence of the brain to do.
What is a simple spinal reflex pathway composed of?
single sensory neuron and motor neuron
How to produce physical pain or pleasure?
must reach the brain
What is the body's second communication system?
Endocrine System
What is the endocrine system? What does it do?
"slow" chemical communication system
set of glands secrete hormones into bloodstream
Hypothalamus influence
brain region controlling the pituitary gland
Pituitary gland influence
secretes hormones, some of which affect other glands
What is one hormone that is mentioned in the book and what does it do?
Oxytocin: enables contraction during birthing, milk flow+orgasm
An example of the pituitary gland being a master gland--> directing other endocrine glands to release hormones
influences sex glands to release sex hormones
Glands in the brain
hypothalamus and pituitary
Thyroid gland influence
Metabolism
Parathyroids Influence
helps regulate level of calcium in the blood
What glands are in the neck area
throid+parathyroids
Adrenal Glands influence
Mood, energy level, stress response
-inner part helps trigger fight-or-flight response
norepinephrine + epinephrine
Pancreas influence
regulates blood sugar
Testis Influence
secretes male sex hormones
ie: testosterone, etc
Ovary influence
secretes male sex hormones
Relationship between hormones and neurotransmitters?
Both are chemically identical to each other
-produce molecules that influence receptors
How do hormones and neurotransmitters differ?
nervous system-faster
ie: messages from eyes to brain to hand--> fraction of a second
Endocrine: takes several seconds/more from gland to tissue thru blood
-lasts longer
What is an easier way to describe the difference between the nervous system and the endocrine system.
Endocrine=sending a letter
Nervous system: text message
Feedback system between glands and body and brain?
Brain--> pituitary--> other glands--> hormones--> body and brain
How was a map made of the brain before technology?
Past brain injuries allowed physicians to connect problems with the area of the brain that was affected
What does EEG?
Electroencephalograph
a device that uses electrodes placed on the scalp to record waves of electrical activity across brain's surface
MEG
Magnetoencephalography
brain-imaging technique measuring magnetic fields from the brain's natural electrical activity during specific activities
PET scan
Positron Emission Tomography Scan
radiactive form of glucose observed(really colorful)
Why is radioactive glucose used in PET scans
Brain uses 20% of the body's energy, and the radioactive glucose can be seen allowing physicians to see exactly where it goes in the brain through gamma rays.
Concept of Hotspots
MRI
Magnetic resonance images
capture images thru brief disruption of brain molecules
How does an MRI work?
Put the head in a strong magnetic field aligning with atoms in the brain molecules spinning. A pulse of radio waves disrupt the spinning. Returning of the spinning produces signals--> detailed picture.
fMRI
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
tracks blood flow in the brain because blood=activity
Successive images--> brain activates depending on what a person is doing or thinking
sample findings of EEG's
Symptoms of depression+anxiety shows increased activity in right frontal lobe
(withdrawal+negative emotion)
sample findings of MEG's
Soldiers with PTSD compared to those without it--> stronger image in visual cortex when viewing trauma related images
sample findings of PET scans
Monkeys with anxious temperament--> more glucose in regions related to fear, memory, and expectations of reward+punishment.
sample findings of MRI scans
People with a history of violence--> smaller frontal lobes(moral judgement+self-control)