Neuroscience and Sleep: Brain Structures, Functions, and Sleep Cycles Save Groups Flashcards

FOr AP PSYCH TEST.

Activation-Synthesis Theory

Dreams = brain's way of making sense of random neural activity.

Amygdala

Emotional center for fear, anger, and aggression; linked to emotional memory.

Aphasia

Loss of language ability from brain damage.

Association Areas

Integrate information for learning, memory, reasoning.

Biological Psychology

Studies how brain and body processes influence behavior.

Brain Stem

Oldest part of the brain; controls automatic survival functions like breathing, heartbeat, and swallowing.

Broca's Area

Controls speech production; damage causes Broca's aphasia (can't form words).

Cerebellum

"Little brain"; controls balance, coordination, and fine motor movement; also helps with implicit (muscle) memory.

Cerebral Cortex

Outer layer for complex thought, language, and consciousness.

Cerebrum

Largest brain region; responsible for thinking, reasoning, and perception.

Circadian Rhythm

24-hour biological clock regulating sleep/wake and body temperature.

Cognitive Theory of Dreams

Dreams reflect ongoing thinking and problem-solving.

Consciousness

Awareness of self and surroundings; includes normal and altered states.

Consolidation Theory

Sleep strengthens memory and learning.

Contralateral Control

Left hemisphere controls right body; right hemisphere controls left.

Corpus Callosum

Connects left and right hemispheres.

Dream

Sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts during REM sleep.

Dual Processing

Brain operates on conscious (deliberate) and unconscious (automatic) tracks.

EEG

Records brain's electrical activity; used in sleep and seizure research.

Executive Functioning

Mental skills for planning, attention, and control.

fMRI

Measures blood flow to show active brain regions.

Freud's Wish-Fulfillment

Dreams reveal hidden desires and thoughts.

Frontal Lobes

Planning, decision-making, speech (Broca's), movement, personality.

Hemispheric Specialization

Each hemisphere has unique roles; left = logic/language, right = creativity/spatial.

Heredity vs. Environment

Both genetics and experience shape behavior and mental processes.

Hippocampus

Stores new explicit (conscious) memories; damage prevents forming new long-term memories.

Hypnagogic Sensations

Hallucinations or jerks as you fall asleep (NREM-1).

Hypothalamus

Regulates hunger, thirst, temperature, and sexual drive; controls pituitary gland; linked to reward and motivation.

Information-Processing Theory

Dreams help process and store daily experiences.

Insomnia

Trouble falling or staying asleep.

Jet Lag

Disruption of circadian rhythm after crossing time zones.

Lesion

Damage or removal of brain tissue for study.

Limbic System

Includes amygdala, hippocampus, and hypothalamus; emotion, memory, motivation.

Medulla Oblongata

Controls heartbeat, breathing, and reflexes such as coughing or swallowing.

Motor Cortex

Controls voluntary muscle movement.

MRI

Shows brain structure using magnetic fields.

Narcolepsy

Sudden uncontrollable sleep attacks.

Neuroplasticity

Brain reorganizes and forms new neural pathways after learning or injury.

NREM Sleep

Non-dreaming sleep; stages 1-3; physical restoration.

NREM Stages 1-4

Stage 1 light sleep, 2 sleep spindles, 3-4 deep slow-wave sleep.

Occipital Lobes

Processes visual input; damage causes vision loss.

Parietal Lobes

Sensory processing of touch, temperature, and body position.

Pituitary Gland

Master gland releasing hormones that influence growth and stress.

Plasticity

Brain's ability to adapt or reorganize after damage or new learning.

Pons

Coordinates movement and regulates sleep and dreaming; connects cerebellum to cortex.

Prefrontal Cortex

Judgment, planning, personality, social behavior.

REM Behavior Disorder

Acting out dreams because paralysis fails.

REM Rebound

Increased REM after sleep deprivation.

REM Sleep

Rapid Eye Movement; vivid dreams; body paralyzed but brain active.

Reticular Formation

Network controlling arousal, alertness, and filtering sensory input; damage can cause coma.

Reward Center

Area tied to motivation and pleasure; part of dopamine system.

Shift Work

Working overnight or rotating shifts that disrupt biological rhythm.

Sleep Apnea

Breathing repeatedly stops during sleep.

Sleep Hygiene

Healthy sleep habits (dark, cool room, no screens, consistent schedule).

Sleep Spindles

Bursts of brain activity in NREM-2 aiding memory.

Somatosensory Cortex

Processes body sensations like touch and pain.

Somnambulism

Sleepwalking during deep NREM-3.

Split Brain Research

Reveals independent processing of left and right hemispheres.

Temporal Lobes

Hearing and language comprehension; includes Wernicke's area.

Thalamus

Sensory relay center (except smell); routes information to correct cortical areas.

Wernicke's Area

Understanding language; damage causes Wernicke's aphasia (meaningless speech).

Why We Sleep

Sleep restores the brain, strengthens memory, and supports focus, creativity, and mood.