AP Psychology - Unit 1B Flashcards - Ryen Amel Cave

neurotransmitters

chemical messengers between neurons

• dopamine, seretonin, GABA

excitatory neurotransmitters

make the receiving neuron more likely to fire an action potential

• glutamate (helps your brain form new memories when you study for a test)

inhibitory neurotransmitters

make the receiving neuron less likely to fire an action potential

• GABA (helps regulate brain activity so that you can relax)

norepinephrine (neurotransmiitter)

a neurotransmitter involved in alterness, attention, arousal, and the body’s response to stress

• increased when your teacher announced a pop quiz

gluatamate (neurotransmitter)

the brains main excitatory neurotransmitter, which helps neurons communicate and supports learning and memory

• helps your brain when study to make new memories

acetylcholine (ACh)

a neurotransmitter that helps to control muscle movement and plays an important role in learning, attention, and memory

• helps send signals that allow you to move your arms when working out

serotonin

a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood, sleep, appetite, and other body functions

• sleep wake cycle

GABA

the brains main inhibitory neurotransmitter which reduces neural activity and helps prevent excessive firing

• helps to calm neural activity and supports relation

substance P

a chemical messenger involved in transmitting pain signals through the nervous system

• helps communicate pain after injury

endorphins

natural chemicals produced by the body that reduce pain and can create feelings of pleasure or well being

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multiple sclerosis (MS)

a disease in which the immune system damages myelin in the central nervous system, disrupting communication between neurons

• muscle weakness, vision problems, difficulty with coordination

myasthenia gravis

an autoimmune disorder that interferes with communication between nerves and muscles, causing muscle weakness

• drooping eyelids, difficulty chewing

depressants

drugs that slow activity in the central nervous system and can reduce alertness and coordination

• alcohol = slow reaction time, hard to maintain balance

alcohol

a depressant that slows brain activity and can impair judgement, memory, and coordination

stimulants

drugs that increase central nervous system activity, often increasing alertness and energy

• caffeine = make person feel more awake

caffeine

a stimulant that blocks adenosine receptors, reducing feelings of sleepiness and increasing alertness

• drinking coffee may wake people up in the morning because it contains caffiene

cocaine

a powerful stimulant that increases dopamine activity by blocking its reuptake, affecting energy, mood, and alertness

• can cause increased alertness and a rapid heartbeat

hallucinogens

drugs that significantly alter perception, thoughts, and sensory experiences

• may experience distorted sights, sounds, and sense of time

marijuana (cannabis)

a psychoactive drug that can change perception, memory, coordination, and sense of time

• may feel as if time is passing more slowly or have difficulty remembering information

opioids

drugs that bind to opioid receptors to reduce pain and may also cause drowsiness or feelings of euphoria

• morphine

heroin

a highly addictive opioid that produces pain relief and euphoria but can dangerously slow breathing

• causes drowsiness and dangerously reduced breathing

tolerance

a condition in which the body becomes less responsive to a substance, so the same amount produces a weaker effect

• a person who regularly consumes caffeine may notice that the same amount makes them feel as alert

addiction

a condition involving difficulty controlling substance use despite harmful consequences

• cocaine addiction, alcoholism

physical dependence

when the body adapts to a substance and may experience physical withdrawal symptoms when the substance is reduced or stopped

• withdrawals from alchohol

psychological dependence

when a person feels a strong emotional or mental need for a substance

• someone believes they need a substance to relax or cope with stress

withdrawal

physical or psychological symptoms that occur when a person reduces or stops a substance their body has adapted to

• anxiety, nausea, sweating, or difficulty sleeping

brainstem

the structure connecting the brain to the spinal cord that controls essential automatic functions needed for survival

• helps regulate breathing and heart rate

medulla

part of the brainstem that controls vital automatic functions

• breathing, heart rate

pons

part of the brainstem that helps to regulate sleep and arousal and assists communication between brain regions

• sleep patterns

cerebellum

brain region that coordinates balance, posture, and smooth, precise movements

• riding a bike without falling over

reticular activating system

a network within the brainstem that helps regulate wakefulness, alertness, and attention

• helps you wake up in the morning and stay alert during classi

reward center

a network of brain regions involved in motivation, reward, pleasure, and reinforcing behaviors

• helps to motivate you to keep practicing after recieving praise

hippocampus

a brain structure important for forming new explicit memories and remembering locations

• remember what you studied for a test

ventral tegmental area (VTA)

a brain region that produces dopamine and sends it to areas involved in motivation, learning, and reward

nucleus accumbens

brain region involved in reward, motivation, and reinforcement, partly through dopamine pathways

pre frontal cortex

front portion of the frontal lobe that helps with planning, judgement, decision making, and impulse control

• deciding to finish homework before watching tv

cerebral cortex

brains outer layer responsible for many complex functions including thinking, language, and voluntary movement

• math problems, recognizing faces

thalamus

brain structure that relays mostly on sensory information to the cerebral cortex for processing

• relays visual and auditory information

hypothalamus

brain structure that regulates hormone related functions

• thirst, hunger, body temp

pituitary gland

endocrine gland that releases hormones

• helps regulate growth and other hormone producing glands

hippocampus

brain structure that helps form new explicit memories and supports spatial memory

• where your classroom is located

amygdala

brain structure involved in processing emotions

• fear, threats, and emotional significance

corpus collosum

think bundle of nerve fibers that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain allowing them to share information

• hemispheres communicate with each other

frontal lobe

brain region involved in planning, decision making, personality, voluntary movement, and speech production

• handlaling difficult situations

prefrontal cortex

front part of the frontal lobes responsible for complex thinking, planning, and impulse control

• thinking through consequences before making a decision

motor cortex

region of the frontal lobe that controls voluntary movements of the body

• fingers type

parietal lobes

regions of the brain that process bodily sensations and spatial awareness

• where someone touches you

association areas

areas of the cerebral cortex that combine information and support complex thinking, learning, and interpretation

• connect what a teacher says with what you already know

somatosensory cortex

a region of the parietal lobe that processes bodily sensations such as touch, pressure, pain, and temperature

• feel when a mug is hot

occipital obes

brain regions responsible for processing visual information

• help you recognize colors, shapes, and objects

temporal lobes

regions involved with hearing, language processing, and aspects of memory

• recognizing sons, understanding spoken words

contralaterality

principle that each brain hemisphere generally controls movement on and receives sensory information from the opposite side of the body

• left motor cortex controls the right hand

brain lateralization

tendency for certain brain functions to be more strongly associated with one hemisphere than the other

• language processing - left hemisphere

split brain / hemispherectomy

split brain - surgery that cuts the corpus callosum to limit communication between the hemispheres

hemispherectomy - removes or disconnects much of one hemisphere

brocas area

brain region (left frontal lobe) important for producing speech

• fluent speech, easy understanding

wernickes area

traditionally identified languege region (left temporal region) important for understanding language

• understanding of spoken words

aphasia

language impairment caused by brain damage that can affect speaking, understanding, reading, or writing

neuroplasticity

the brains ability to change and reorganize its connections in response to learning, experience, or injury

• practicing a new language

cat scan

imaging method that uses x rays taken from different angles to create detailed pictures of the brains physical structures

mri scan

imaging method that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of brain structures

pet scan

imaging method that uses radioactive tracers to measure processes such as glucose metabolism in the brain

fmri (functional mri)

imaging method that estimates brain activity by measuring changes in blood oxygen levels

electroencephalogram (eeg)

method that records the brains electrical activity through electrodes placed on the scalp

lesioning

the process of damaging or removing a specific area of brain tissue to study its function or treat certain medical conditions