Chapter 3 PSY 21 (54050)

Neurons are _____ of the brain

The cellular building blocks of the brain

Neuroscience is…

The study of how nerves and cells send and receive info from the brain and body

Top-Down Processing

Where the brain uses pre-existing knowledge to interpret sensory data and shape perception.

Bottom-Down Processing

Where the brain builds an understanding of the world starting from raw sensory input rather than pre-existing ideas.

Cerebral Cortex…

Top level of the brain and outermost. Supports cognitive skills, complex emotions and mental active, including sense of self.

Everything psychological is simultaneously…

BIOLOGICAL

The spinal cord is…

A bundle of nerves encased in the spine. It carries signals between the body to the brain.

There are 3 types of neurons—sensory, motor, and interneurons. Interneurons…

Interpret, store, and retrieve information about the world, allowing us to make informed decisions before we act. Work to intergate info gained by the sensory and motor neurons.

The central nervous system (CNS) consists of…

Brain and spinal cord.

The peripheral nervous system (PNS) consists of…

The nerves that connect the parts of the body the brain!!

The peripheral nervous system (PNS) has two divisions!! The somatic nervous system governs…

Voluntary movements.

The peripheral nervous system (PNS) has two divisions!! The autonomic nervous system…

Maintains the functioning of organs, blood vessels, and glands!

The autonomic nervous system prepares the body for action (fight or flight) through…

The sympathetic nervous system

The autonomic nervous system maintains or returns the body to resting-state conditions through…

The parasympathetic nervous system.

The endocrine system is…

A network of glands throughout the body that receive signals from the PNS and CNS to release chemical messages known as hormones.

Adrenal glands are activated by…

The sympathetic nervous system.

The pituitary gland is…

The major (master) endocrine gland. It connects the endocrine system to the brain at the hypothalamus and is responsible for the release of hormones required for sexual/brain development.

The cerebral cortex is…

The largest and outermost portion of the human brain. Evolutionary and developmentally the youngest part of the brain.

The occipital lobe contains…

The primary visual cortex.

Temporal lobe contains…

Primary auditory cortex and is important for recognizing objects and people.

The parietal lobe contains…

Primary somatosensory cortex (Temp, Pain, Proprioception) and supports the sense of touch and a map of the body’s skin surface.

The frontal lobe contains…

The primary motor cortex and plays a critical role in movement, thought, planning, decision making, and self control. Also supports a map of the body’s muscles.

Insular cortex contains…

It supports the sense of taste and allows perception of the body’s internal organs.

Majority of the cerebral cortex is…

The neocortex, which develops through late adolescence and young adult hood. Extensively folded, giving it the wrinkled appearance.

The primary sensory areas are..

The first regions to receive signals from their associated sensory nerves.

Association cortex integrates information coming in from the senses with...

Existing knowledge and are present in every lobe.

The limbic system includes the…

Hippocampus, amygdala, basal ganglia, thalamus, and hypothalamus.

The hippocampus plays a central role in…

Memory and spatial navigation.

The amygdala…

Colors thoughts, experiences, and memories with emotion.

The basal ganglia are a group of interconnected structure that are necessary for…

Planning and executing movement. Bridges motor regions of cerebral regions with nuclei that communicate with spinal cord, sending signals to the muscles to act.

The thalamus is…

The sensory relay system between all senses (EXCEPT smell) and the brain

The hypothalamus is…

The master controller of the brain and body, integrating internal bodily signals with their associated feelings and behaviors. Homeostasis regulator!!

The brainstem…

Supports and maintains the body’s basic and essential functions. Composed of the midbrain, pons, medulla oblongata, and reticular formation

The pons…

Generate certain autonomic functions that support vital functions! Controls breathing.

The medulla oblongata…

Is involved in controlling autonomic functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and critical reflexes, such as coughing, and swallowing.

The reticular formation…

Runs through brainstem and plays a role in arousal, attention, sleep, and wakefulness.

Located in the hindbrain, the cerebellum…

Plays an important role in coordination, precision, balance, accurate timing, and precision.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides scientists…

Black and white images of the brain. Works by using magnetic fields and radio waves to create images. Reveals structures of the brain, but not activity.

Phrenology is a pseudoscience that says…

Mental functions and personality traits can be measured from the size of bumps on the skull.

Single cell recordings…

Measure electrical activity from a singular neuron.

Electroencephalography (EEG) records…

The waves in electrical activity that sweep across surface of brain. Can be used to measure general states, such as sleep or wakefulness. (Can also be used to track event related potentials!!)

Positron Emission Tomography involves…

Injecting radioactive glucose into a persons bloodstream and using it to reveal changes in brain changes, regions in higher brain activity, and the brains use of specific neurochemicals.

Functional MRI (fMRI) involves…

Taking many MRI scans in sequence to track oxygen in the blood flowing through the brain. Essential tool for studying brain activity due to spatial resolution and discovering where activity occurs.

In Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), doctors…

Insert electrodes deep into a patients brain to alter the activity of brain regions that have been abnormally active. Important treatment for incurable forms of depression.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) creates a…

Temporary or reversible disruption or enhancement of cortical brain function that allows scientists to study brain regions and their functions.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (TDCS) is…

A gentler form of neurostimulation in which very low levels of direct current are delivered via electrodes on the head to stimulate brain function.

Neurons have…

Dendrites, a cell body, axon, and terminal branches for sending signals to other neurons.

The myelin sheath is…

A layer of fatty tissue covering and insulating the axon, Myelin ensures that signals get to their destination quickly and with less resistance.

Glial cells such as myelin insulate…

Support and nourish neurons. They are essential to neurons function and the maintenance of neurons. They vacuum neuronal debris, serve as cellular glue between neurons, and provide scaffolding along which axons grow.

The electricity in neurons is created when…

Charged ions enter and exit a neuron, changing its membrane potential.

When stimulated sufficiently and called into action, neurons “fire” an electrical impulse, called an…

Action potential, that carries the electrical signal all the way down the axon to the finish line at the terminal branches, then arriving at a gap called the synapse.

Action potential can be generated only…

When a sufficient number of excitatory inputs depolarize the cell to a critical threshold. Firing is an all-or-none process; either a neuron fires or it doesn’t.

Action potentials are…

The “language” of neurons, allowing them to transmit signals to other neurons.

Neurotransmission occurs when…

Electrical signal generated by an action potential is converted into neurochemical neurotransmitters, which cross the synapse and stimulate the postsynaptic target neuron.

Repeated exposure to opioids alter the brain so that…

The brain functions normally only when the drugs are present and abnormally when they are not, resulting in addiction.

Agonists…

Psychoactive drugs that mimic the action of specific neurotransmitters.

Antagonists…

Block the action of neurotransmitters (or other agonists) by preventing them from binding with their target receptors.

Nature and nurture are…

Interrelated; environmental influences can affect gene expression and an individual’s resulting phenotype, or physical appearance.

Gene expression determines…

Which genes are read in a specific cell to turn them on or off.

Behavioral Genetics is the study of…

How genetic factors influence trait variation among individuals, providing valuable data on the extent to which genes influence the expression of various visible characteristics.

Hereditability measures…

The strength of genetic influences on a certain phenotypic trait among groups. However, they provide no information about genetic influences on a person/

Neural Plasticity is…

The brain’s ability to modify, regenerate, and reinvent itself constantly over the course of a lifetime.

Damage plasticity is…

Brains reorganization following an injury.

Adult plasticity is…

The shaping and reshaping of neural circuits throughout adulthood as new skills and knowledge is gained.

Stem cells are cells that…

Have not undergone gene expression to differentiate into specialized cell types.

Neurogenesis is…

The birth of new neurons throughout a lifespan.