Biopsych Exam 2

chapters 3-6

Central nervous system (CNS)

Includes the brain and the spinal cord.

Nerve

A bundle of axons running together like a multiwire cable.

Tracts

Bundles of axons inside the CNS.

Nucleus

A group of cell bodies in the CNS.

Ganglion

A group of cell bodies in the PNS.

Forebrain

The front part of the brain.

What are cerebral hemispheres?

Large, wrinkled structures which dominate the
brain’s appearance

Longitudinal fissure

A division running the length of the brain which separates the two cerebral hemispheres.

Gyrus

Each ridge in the surface of the brain.

Sulcus

The groove or space between two gyri.

Fissure

A large groove or space between two gyri.

Cortex

The outer surface of the brain, made up mostly of the cell bodies of neurons.

Gray matter

The non-myelinated cell bodies of neurons, giving the cortex a gray appearance.

Four Lobes

The frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes of the brain.

Dorsal

Directional term meaning towards the back.

Ventral

Directional term meaning towards the stomach.

Anterior

Directional term meaning towards the front.

Posterior

Directional term meaning towards the rear.

Superior

Directional term meaning above another structure.

Inferior

Directional term meaning below another structure.

Lateral

Directional term meaning towards the side.

Medial

Directional term meaning towards the middle.

Frontal lobe

Located anterior to the central sulcus and superior to lateral fissure

central sulcus

A sulcus which separates the frontal lobe from the
parietal lobe

Lateral fissure

A prominent fissure which separates the frontal and
parietal lobes from the temporal lobe

Precentral Gyrus

Extends the length of the central sulcus

Motor Cortex

Located in the precentral gyrus, this structure controls
voluntary (nonreflexive) movement

Broca’s area

A region which controls speech production,
contributing grammatical structure and the motor control involved in
speech

Prefrontal cortex

A region involved in planning and organization of
behavior, decision making, adjusting behavior in response to its
consequences, and planning how to achieve goals

Parietal lobes

Located superior to the lateral fissure and between the
central sulcus and the occipital lobe

Primary somatosensory cortex

Located on the postcentral gyrus,
processes the skin senses (touch, warmth, cold, and pain) and the
senses that inform us about body position and movement

Association areas

Areas which carry out further processing beyond
what the primary area does, often combining information from other
senses

Temporal lobes

Regions containing the auditory projection area,
visual and auditory association areas, an additional language area, and
structures important in learning and memory

Auditory cortex

Region which receives sound information from the
ears and lies on the superior gyrus of the temporal lobe, mostly hidden
from view within the lateral fissure.

Wernicke’s area

Association area that interprets language input
arriving from the nearby auditory and visual areas; it also generates
spoken language through Broca’s area and written language by way of
the motor cortex.

Inferior temporal cortex

Located in the lower part of the lobe, as the
name implies, and plays a major role in the visual identification of
objects

Occipital lobes

The location of the visual cortex

Visual cortex

The region where visual information is processed

Thalamus

A region that lies just below the lateral ventricles, where it
receives information from all the sensory systems except olfaction
(smell) and relays it to the respective cortical projection areas.

Hypothalamus

A smaller structure just inferior to the thalamus
which plays a major role in controlling emotion and motivated
behaviors, such as eating, drinking, and sexual activity

Pineal gland

A gland which secretes melatonin, a hormone that
induces sleep; it controls seasonal cycles in nonhuman animals and
participates with other structures in controlling daily rhythms in
humans

The Corpus Callosum are dense fibers that

carry information between hemispheres

Ventricles

Cavities in the brain which develop from the hollow
interior of the nervous system

Cerebrospinal fluid

Carries material from the blood vessels to the
CNS and transports waste materials in the other direction; made in lateral ventricles

Midbrain

Contains structures that have secondary roles in vision (superior colliculi),
hearing and movement (inferior colliculi)

Pons

Region which contains centers related to sleep and arousal,
which are part of the reticular formation

Reticular formation

Collection of many nuclei running through the
middle of the hindbrain and the midbrain

Medulla

Forms the lower part of the hindbrain; its nuclei are involved
with control of essential life processes, such as cardiovascular activity
and respiration (breathing).

Cerebellum

Refines movements initiated by the motor cortex by
controlling their speed, intensity, and direction

Dorsal root

A region of each spinal nerve where sensory neurons enter
the spinal cord

Ventral root

The region in which axons of motor neurons pass out of the
spinal cord

Reflex

A simple, automatic movement in response to a sensory stimulus

Meninges

protective three-layered membrane

Blood-brain barrier

Limits passage between the bloodstream and the
brain, provides constant protection from toxic substances and from
neurotransmitters circulating in the blood

Cranial nerves

Nerves which enter and leave the underside of the brain

Spinal nerves

Nerves which connect to the sides of the spinal cord at
each vertebra

somatic nervous system

Includes the motor neurons that operate the
skeletal muscles—that is, the ones that move the body—and the sensory
neurons that bring information into the CNS from the body and the outside
world.

Autonomic nervous system (ANS)

Controls smooth muscle (stomach,
blood vessels, etc.), the glands, and the heart and other organs.

Sympathetic nervous system

Activates the body in ways that help it
cope with demands such as emotional stress and physical emergencies

Parasympathetic nervous system

slows the activity of most organs to
conserve energy but also activates digestion to renew energy

Sympathetic branches from

thoracic and lumbar areas of spinal cord

What are the stages of development?

1. Proliferation

   1. birth and division of new neurons

2. Migration

   1. neurons travel through radial glia to final destinations

3. Circuit Formation

   1. neurons send processes to targets to for connections and axons use growth cones to their destinations

4. Pruning

   1. unsuccessful neuron placement; neuronal death

5. Myelination

What enhances the survival of neurons?

Neurotrophins

Regeneration (regrowth of severed axons) does NOT occur in the mammalian CNS. T or F?

T

Neurogenesis (the birth of new neurons) olnly occurs

in the hippocampus and near lateral ventricles

MRI looks for the brains

structure

"f” in fMRI means

function; activation + response

-emputed tomography means

CT scan

MRIs measure the brain. T or F?

F; they spin ions

MEG’s spin ions. T or F?

F; they measure the brain

EEG’s measure

electron activity

Bundles of axons in CNS are called

tracts

Diffusion means

high density

The PNS is not

autonomus

agonist means

a molecule capable of binding to and functionally activating a target

antagonist means

a molecule that binds to a target and prevents other molecules from binding

what does serotonin do?

stablizes mood

what does dopamine do?

intensifies pleasure; reward chemical

what does endorphins do?

natural painkiller

what does oxytocin do?

love hormone; responsible for attachment

Where do drugs travel to?

Bloodstream, Stomach, Brain blood barrier (capillaries)

What is a drug?

a substance that modifies behavior

Where do hydrophilic drugs enter?

the tight junction

What is a gap junction?

electrical synapse as a result of fusion; found in interneurons

What 3 regions in the brain lack the blood brain barrier?

pituitary gland, pineal gland, area postrema

What area of the brain induces vomiting?

area postrema

Route of drug administration

impacts addictiveness

How strong is a drug when snorted?

x100

How strong is a drug when injected into the spine?

x1000

What does dose mean?

how much of a drug you take

What does frequency mean?

how often a drug is taken

LSD is a

serotonin agonist

Amphetamine is a

dopamine agonist

THC is a

Ach antagonist

THC mainly impacts

perception

How is LSD and serotonin connected?

LSD excites serotonin receptors and inhibit activity of other serotonergic neurons through serotonin auto receptors

Metabolic tolerance:

Cellular tolerance:

Learned tolerance