Psyc 325 - Behavioral Neuroscience

descartes

which philosopher/scientist wrote the first book of human anatomy “On Man”

afferent nerves

signals going from the environment to the brain

efferent nerves

Signals going from the brain to the muscles/body/extremities

phrenology

an ancient pseudoscience used to localize/assign brain functions based on bumps on the skull (first opposition to the concept that the brain works together as a whole)

phineas gage

first case study to show brain function even after the loss of brain mass

neuroscience

the study of nervous systems and the cellular and atomic level

behavioral neuroscience

the study of biological bases of psychological processes and behavior

somatic intervention

alteration of structure/function to see how behaviors are altered

behavioral intervention

intervention of a behavior to see how the structure, chemistry or function is altered

correlation

what degree does a bodily measure (ex hormone levels) vary with a behavioral measure (strength of mating behaviors)

biological psychology

behavioral neuroscience is also known as…

reciprocal

the relationship between our brains and our behaviors are …

neuroplasticity

the ability of the nervous sytem to change in response to an experience or the environment

reductionism

the process of strategically breaking a system down into increasingly smaller parts to understand it

dualism

theory proposed by Descartes that the mind is subject to only spiritual interactions and the body is subject to only material interactions

consciousness

the state of awareness of one’s own existence and experiencene

nerve cell

the neuron is AKA

neuron

the most basic unit in the NS, each composed of a cell body, dendrites, and axons

cell body, dendrites, axons

three components present in every neuron

dendrites

extensions on a neuron/cell body that receive synaptic inputs

axon

transmitting extensions on a neuron

neuron doctrine

the hypothesis that (1) the brain’s composed of cells that’re distinct structurally, metabolically, and functionally. and (2) information is transmitted from neuron to neuron across tiny gaps

info is transmitted from neuron to neuron across tiny gaps

the neuron doctrine hypothesizes that (1) the brain’s composed of cells that’re distinct structurally, metabolically, and functionally. and (2) ______________

structurally, metabolically, and functionally

the neuron doctrine hypothesizes that (1) the brain’s composed of cells that’re distinct _____, _____, and ______ and (2) information is transmitted from neuron to neuron across tiny gaps

synapse

the tiny gap between neurons where information is passed from one to another

glial cells (AKA glia AKA neuroglia)

non-neural brain cells that provide structural, nutritional, and other types of support to the brain

soma

the cell body is AKA…

cell body

the region of a neuron that’s defined by the presence of a nucleus

mitochondrion

cellular organelle that provides metabolic energy for the cell’s processes

golgi apparatus

an organelle, found in eukaryotic cells, that packages cellular materials into vesicles for transportr

ribosomes

structures in cell bodies where genetic info is translated to produce proteins

input zone

part of a neuron that receives info from other neurons or from specialized sensory structure (usually corresponds to cell’s dendrites)

integration zone

part of neuron that initiates nerve electrical activity, usually corresponding to the neuron’s axon hillock

conduction zone

part of the neuron over which the nerve’s electrical signal may be actively propagated. Usually corresponds to cell’s axon

axon

single extension from nerve cell that carries action potentials from the cell body to other neurons

axon collateral

a branch of axon from a single neuronou

output zone

the part of a neuron, usually corresponding to the axon terminals, at which the cell sends info to another cell

axon terminal

the end of an axon/axon collateral that forms a synapse on a neuron or other target cells

motor neuron

a nerve cell that transmits motor messages, stimulating a muscle or a gland

sensory neuron

neuron directly affected by changes in environment; such as light / odor / touch

interneuron

neuron that’s neither a sensory nor motor neuron, but receives input from & sends output to other neurons

multipolar neuron

nerve cell with many dendrites and one singular axon

bipolar neuron

nerve cell with a singular dendrite at one end and a singular axon on the other end

unipolar / monopolar neuron

a nerve cell with a single branch that leaves the cell body & then extends in 2 directions; one end is the receptive pole and the other end is the output zone

aborization

the elaborate branching of the dendrites of some neurons

POSTsynaptic

the region of a synapse that receives & responds to neurotransmitters

PREsynaptic

the region of a synapse that releases neurotransmitters

PREsynaptic membrane

specialized membrane of the axon terminal of the neuron that transmits info by releasing neurotransmitter

synaptic cleft

synonymous with synapses; the space between pre & post synaptic membranes

postsynaptic membrane

specialized membrane on the surface of the cell/soma that receives info by responding to a neurotransmitter

synaptic vesicle

a small, bubble like structure containing molecules of neurotransmitter waiting to be released

neurotransmitter

the chemical released from a PREsynaptic axon terminal that serves as the basis of communication between neurons

spines

dendritic _____ increase in size in a matter of seconds in order to increase surface/contact area and therefore increase information being transmitted

astrocytes

a type of glial cell that regulate blood flow to the brain and form new synapses

microglia

a type of small glial cell that removes debris from injured cells (AKA janitorial cells)

oligodendrocytes

a type of glial cell that forms myelin sheath in the brain& spinal cord

schwann cells

a type of glial cell that provides myelin cells outside of the brain/spinal cord

nodes of ranvier

gaps in myelin sheath where the axon is exposed

myelination

the process in which glial cells wrap an axon with a fatty sheath to insulate the axon & speed up conduction of axon potential/production

multiple sclerosis

a disease in which the immune system attacks the myelination process, which leads to a decrease of neural transmission within the body