AP Psychology Unit 2a: Biological Bases

phrenology

the study of bumps on the skull and their relationship to mental abilities and character traits

neuron

one of the most basic structures that sends and recieves signals

dendrite

receives messages from other neurons

receptor Site

location of the dendrites that pick up neurotransmitters

nodes of ranvier

gaps in the myelin sheath that promote action potential

cell body (soma)

the cells life support system

axon

passes messages to other neurons and cells

myelin sheath

protects the axon and helps speed neural impulses

terminal branches of axon

houses neurotransmitters

terminal buttons

tiny bublelike structures at the end of dendrites which contain the neurotransmitters that carry messages to the synapse

neuron firing

occurs where a neuron is activated

action potential

a neural impulse that travels down an axon like a wave

positive ions

they are on the outside of a neuron

negative ions

they are on the inside of a neuron

resting potential

an inactive neuron has a measurable negative electrical charge

depolarizes

change in the cells potential

excitatory signal

causes a neuron to fire

inhibitory signal

stops the process of neural firing

threshold

the level of stimulation requires to trigger a neural impulse

all-or-none response

the strength by which a nerve or muscle fiber responds to a stimulus is not dependent on the strength of a stimuli

synapse

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body receiving neuron

reuptake

the neuron REABSORBING the chemicals back into the sending neuron to be used again

neurotransmitters

chemicals used to send signals across the synaptic gap

acetylcholine

enables muscle action, learning and memory

dopamine

influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion

dopamine pathways

neurons that communicate with dopamine are involved in focusing attention and controlling movement

serotonin pathways

communicate with serotonin to help regulate mood

serotonin

affects mood, hunger, sleep and arousal

norepinephrine

controls alertness and arousal

endorphins

a group of hormones in the brain that can relieve the body of pain

GABA

a major inhibitory neurotransmitter

multiple sclerosis (MS)

a disease regarding the damage of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms may be numbness, blurred vision, and fatigue

agonists

they mimic neurotransmitters

antagonists

they block neurotransmitters

nerves

connect the central nervous system with muscles and glands

sensory neurons (afferent neurons)

they receive information and send it to the brain

interneurons

neurons that transmit impulses between other neurons

motor neurons (efferent nenurons)

they send information from the brain to the body

mirror neurons

activates when we watch others compete an action.
Ex. yawning, when we watch someone else yawn we will yawn

nervous system

the body communication system

central nervous system

consists of the brain and spinal cord

peripheral nervous system

consists of the rest of the nervous system

somatic nervous system (voluntary nervous system)

responsible for voluntary control and movements of the body

autonomic nervous system

responsible for involuntary control and movements of the body

sympathetic nervous system

used when in stressful situations
fight or flight

parasympathetic nervous system

used in calm situations
rest and digest

Phineas Gage

railroad worker who survived a severe brain injury that dramatically changed his personality and behavior; case played a role in the development of the understanding of the localization of brain function

lesion

surgical destruction of brain tissue. this is done to see what happens when there is damage to a part of the brain

EEG

a recording of electrical waves sweeping across the brain's surface. It is used to study seizures and sleep

CT scan

takes detailed images of areas inside the body that is linked to an x-ray machine

PET scan

looks to see what part of the brain is active by tracing where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task

MRI

produces images from signals produces by brain tissue after magnets align the spin of atoms

fMRI

reveals brain activity, shows changes int he level of oxygen in the blood flow in the brain

hindbrain

located at the base of the brain

midbrain

inside the brain; is surrounded by the forebrain. It integrates sensory processed, controls eye movement and reflexive responses during vision along with involuntary control of muscles

forebrain

what we think of when we visualize the brain

brainstem

controls basic functions such as heartbeat and breathing. Contains the medulla, pons, hypothalamus and thalamus.

medulla

extension of the spinal cord, responsible for very base functions such as breathing, heartbeat, blood flow, and regulating reflexes

pons

responsible for regulating sleep cycles, communication between the cerebellum and the forebrain, and bladder control

reticular formation

a nerve network in the brain stem that is responsible for attention and arousal, consciousness to detail, and waking you up in the morning, it also filters out stimulation

cerebellum

responsible for our balance. Referred to as the "little brain". It coordinates motor function, voluntary movement and balance

thalamus

routes sensory signals to the forebrain to be interpreted except smell

limbic system

a system if neural structures at the border of the brain stem and cerebral hemisphere; the emotional brain, mainly controls emotions such as fear and aggression

amygdala

processes emotions, influencing fear and agression, especially people's facial expressions

hypothalamus

regulates body temperature, and signals when we are hungry/full. it directs the endocrine system

hippocampus

responsible for the formation of memories, learning and regulating emotions, storing memories in your long term memory

endocrine system

allows communication and sends messages through the bloodstream via hormones that are produced in various glands, and the messages go to the brain and other tissue

pituitary gland

the endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.

hormones

your bodies chemical messengers

adrenal glands

released hormones through the sympathetic nervous system

cerebral cortex

the brains outermost layer of nerve cell tissue controlling information processing and is composed of 8 lobes (4 in each hemisphere of the brain)

gyrus

the bumps on the cerebral cortex

fissures

a deep sulci in the cerebral cortex

sulci

a deep grove in the cerebral cortex

central sulcus

division between the frontal and parietal lobes

gray matter

home to the cell bodies, axon terminals, dendrites, and nerve synapse

white matter

deeper tissue of the brain; contains axons which are extensions of nerve cells

glial cells

they provide physical and metabolic support to neurons

corpus callosum

a band of nerve fibers joining the 2 hemispheres of the brain and allowing them to send messages to one another

right hemisphere

controls attention, memory, reasoning, and problem-solving. It looks at the whole picture and understands people's emotions

left hemisphere

controls speech and abstract thinking. Mainly verbal processes such as reading and writing

split brain studies

when people have had their corpus callosum severed. Their right and left brain are not connected

hemispherectomy

procedure where the cerebral hemisphere is removed of disconnected

frontal lobes

responsible for voluntary movements and expressing language

prefrontal cortex

controls cognitive functions and flow of dopamine which influences impulse control, memory, and cognitive flexibility

broca's area

processes speech, stores the temporal cortex which stores sensory information and the motor cortex

olfactory cortex

part of the cerebral cortex responsible for smell

olfactory bulb

receives neural input from smell detected in the nasal cavity

parietal lobes

responsible for the reception of sensory information
sense of touch

sensory cortex

responsible for reception of sensory information

occipital lobes

responsible for visual perception
vision

visual cortex

responsible for receiving visual information

temporal lobes

second largest lobe; processes sound and information along with associating things with memories
hearing

wernicke's area

area of the left temporal lobe involved with language comprehension and expression

auditory cortex

responsible for processing complex sounds and the comprehension of such sounds

association areas

cortex of the brain the connects sensory and motor cortex

aphasia

a language disorder affecting a persons ability to communicate

broca's aphasia

damage to broca's area, people have trouble coming up with words when speaking

wernicke's aphasia

damage to wernicke's area, people are able to come up with words with ease but their sentences make no sense (word salad)

plasticity

how the brain can form new connections, reassigning existing networks, and insert new neurons, some grown from stem cells