Brain and Behavior - Course Review Flashcards

Flashcards of key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture notes on brain and behavior.

Nervous System

Consists of central and peripheral divisions, incorporating motor nerves (CNS outputs) and sensory nerves (CNS inputs).

Peripheral Nervous System

Divides into the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system, both of which utilize cranial and spinal nerves.

Autonomic Nervous System

Divided into the sympathetic (action), parasympathetic (relaxation), and enteric (independent gastrointestinal) branches.

Central Nervous System

Consists of the brain (cerebrum, cerebellum, brainstem) and spinal cord.

Cerebrum

Divided into left and right hemispheres, containing the cerebral cortex and subcortical structures.

Frontal Lobe

Executive functions

Parietal Lobe

Spatial cognition.

Temporal Lobe

Learning, memory, and auditory processing.

Occipital Lobe

Visual processing.

Precentral Gyrus

Important for motor control; found in the frontal lobe.

Postcentral Gyrus

Important for mediating sensory information; found in the parietal lobe.

Brainstem Regions

Involved in less conscious processing, including life-sustaining functions.

Cerebellum

Coordinating voluntary movements, balance, and posture.

Subcortical Structures

Basal ganglia and the limbic system.

Neurons

Primary information processors and transmitters in the nervous system.

Soma

Cell body.

Dendrites

Input zone.

Axon Hillock

Integration zone.

Axon

Conduction zone.

Axon Terminals

Output zone.

Neurons

Communicate via neurotransmitters released across synapses.

Anterograde Transport

Moves materials towards axon terminals.

Retrograde Transport

Moves materials towards the cell body.

Glial Cells

Support neuronal function by providing physical, nutritional, and functional support.

Types of Glial Cells

Oligodendrocytes, Schwann cells, astrocytes, and microglia.

Oligodendrocytes and Schwann Cells

Responsible for myelinating axons to enhance the speed of electrical impulses.

Neural Communication

Electrical signals of action potentials and chemical signals of neurotransmitters.

Resting Membrane Potential

State of readiness with the neuron more negative inside compared to outside.

Action Potentials

Occur at the integration zone and are propagated along axons.

Postsynaptic Potentials

Membrane potential shifts caused by neurotransmitters, either excitatory (EPSPs) or inhibitory (IPSPs).

EPSPs

Triggered by sodium influx, leading to depolarization.

IPSPs

Caused by chloride influx, resulting in hyperpolarization.

Spatial Summation

Integration of postsynaptic potentials from different locations on the dendritic tree.

Temporal Summation

Integration of postsynaptic potentials occurring close in time at the same location.

Neurotransmitter Receptors

Receptors can be ionotropic (ligand-gated ion channels) or metabotropic (G-protein coupled receptors).

Ionotropic Receptors

Enable rapid, direct responses.

Metabotropic Receptors

Provide slower, longer lasting modulation of cellular activities.

Neurotransmitter Criteria

Synthesized in a neuron, released from the presynaptic terminal, produces a specific response, is reabsorbed and metabolized.

Key Neurotransmitters

GABA- Major inhibitory neurotransmitter and Glutamate-Main excitatory neurotransmitter.

Dopamine

Involved in reward, cognition, emotions, behavior, and motivation.

Norepinephrine (Noradrenaline)

Modulates arousal, mood, and sexual behavior.

Serotonin

Implicated in sleep states, mood, sexual behavior, and anxiety.

Drugs

Chemicals that change the normal functioning of neurotransmitters at the synapse.

Affinity

Attraction of a drug for a specific receptor type.

Efficacy

Ability of a drug to induce a response once bound to the receptor site.

Agonists

Occupy and activate receptors, mimicking a neurotransmitter.

Antagonists

Occupy and block receptors, preventing activation.

Reuptake Inhibitors

Block the reuptake of neurotransmitters from the synapse.

Sensory Systems

Mechanical, visual, thermal, chemical, electrical, or magnetic.

Receptor Cells

Convert electrical energy from a stimulus into a change in membrane potential in a receptor cell.

Sensory Pathways

Pass through regions of the thalamus and terminate in the cerebral cortex.

Homunculus

Map of the body in the primary somatosensory cortex.

Visual Pathway

From the retina to the optic nerve, to the optic chiasm, to the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus, to the primary visual cortex.

Tonotopic Map

Pitch-based map that starts in the cochlea and is maintained throughout the auditory pathways.

Bottom Level of Motor System Hierarchy

Skeletal system and muscles.

Spinal Cord

Manages skeletal muscles in response to sensory information.

Brainstem

Integrates motor commands from higher cortical areas.

Primary Motor Cortex

Initiates main commands for actions.

Non-Primary Motor Cortices

Additional source of motor commands.

Cranial Motor Nuclei

Located in the brainstem; responsible for movements of the face and neck.

Pyramidal System

Network of neurons in the cerebral cortex and their axons, which form the pyramidal tract to the spinal cord.

Modulatory Control of Motor Functions

Premotor cortex, Supplementary motor area, Cerebellum, and Basal ganglia.

Premotor Cortex

Movements in response to external influences.

Supplementary Motor Area

Planning movements that are internally generated.

Cerebellum

Monitor ongoing activity to produce smooth movements.

Basal Ganglia

Works with the motor cortex to initiate and terminate movements.

Types of Learning

Classical (Pavlovian) and Instrumental (Operant) Conditioning.

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

Stimulus that naturally causes a behavior (UCR).

Unconditioned Response (UCR)

Reflexive behavior to the stimulus.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

Normally a neutral stimulus that causes a response after conditioning.

Conditioned Response (CR)

Response elicited by the conditioned stimulus.

Engram

Neural concept connecting novel sensory information to existing pathways.

Memory Types

Short-term memory (including working memory) and long-term memory.

Baddeley's Working Memory Model

Visual spatial sketchpad, episodic buffer, phonological loop, and central executive.

Working Memory

Ability to process and transform information in memory.

Long-Term Memory

Capacity to retain information for adaptive purposes; declarative and non-declarative.

Declarative Memory

Explicit knowledge; divided into semantic and episodic memory.

Semantic Memory

Knowledge of facts.

Episodic Memory

Memory for personally experienced events.

Non-Declarative (Procedural) Memory

Implicit memory associated with knowing how to do something.

Neuroplasticity

The brain's ability to change as a result of experience.

Simplest Form of Neuroplasticity

Change to synaptic transmission.

Synaptogenesis

Formation of new synapses.

Synaptic Pruning

Loss of synapses that are not frequently activated.

Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)

Cells that fire together, wire together.

Neurochemical Cascade in LTP

LTP leads to the activation of cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (or CREB).

Neuroplasticity

Capacity of the brain to change in response to experience, greatest early in life.

Schachter's Cognitive Attribution Theory

Proposes that our emotional experience results from the cognitive analysis of the context around us.

Six Basic Emotions

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

Cortex Involvement in Emotion

Inhibition of emotional responses, particularly aggression.

Klüver–Bucy Syndrome

Loss of fear, hypersexuality, and putting non-food items in mouth.

Stress

Any circumstance that upsets homeostatic balance.

Homeostatic Balance

Maintaining constant temperature, stable blood sugar levels, and mental alertness.

Stress Response

Hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system, releasing adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol.

Effects of Stress Hormones

Increasing heart rate, breathing, and releasing energy stores.

Divisions of the Autonomic Nervous System

Hormonal system, parasympathetic system and sympathetic system.

Repeated Stressful Experience

Military recruits doing parachute jumps; the body learns to anticipate and adjust for predictable stress.

Homeostasis

All animals have mechanisms to keep physical systems in a steady, optimal state.

Set Point

Energy-efficient state for a homeostatic system.

Negative Feedback

Regulatory mechanism in which a change triggers a response that counteracts the initial change.