Psychology Exam 2: Biopsychology, States of Conciousness, and Memory

Nervous system

- controls systems of the body

- sends and recieved information from organs through nerves to the spinal cord to the brain

- central nervous system and peripheral nervous system

central nervous system

- processes, interprets, and stores information

- issues orders to muscles, glands, and organs

- contains brain and spinal cord

spinal cord

bridge between brain and peripheral nerves

peripheral nervous system

- transmits information to and from the Central Nervous System

- contains the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system

somatic nervous system

controls skeletal muscles

autonomic nervous system

- regulated glands, blood vessels, and internal organs

- includes sympathetic nervous system and parasympethetic nervous system

sympathetic nervous system

- mobilizes body for actiion, energy output

- fight or flight

- diverts energy to essential areas

parasympethetic nervous system

- conserves energy

- maintains quiet state

- maintains equilibrium

Communication in the nervous system

neurons

neurons

- sensory and motor neurons

- glial cells

glial cells

protect neurons, clean up fluid

brain contains

100 billion neurons

sensory organs

recieve inputs

interneurons

connect sensory and motor neurons

spinal reflexes

command that occurs in the spinal cord not the brain because its a reflex

neurons are all

connected

synapse

connection from terminal buttons to dendrites

cell membrane

outer layer of the neuron

cell body(soma)

contains nucleus of the neuron

axon

extention of a neuron from the cell body

myelin sheath

glial cells that encase the axon and act as protection for the neuron

node of ranvier

- "stepping stones"

- pieces of exposed axon between the myelin sheath

terminal buttons

The branched end of the axon that contains neurotransmitters.

types of communication in neurons

excitatory or inhibitory

Excitatory

makes cell more positive

sodium (Na+)

on the outside of the neuron

Potassium (K+)

on the inside of the neuron

charge in the cell

more negative than outside

charge out of the cell

positive

the node of ranvier allows for _________ to enter the axon

Na+

inhibitory messages cause the inside of the cell to become

more and more negative (more potassium)

when excitatory and inhibitory messages cancel out

nothing happens

once voltage crosses 55 mv

action potential happens and is triggered (fired up)

What happens when an action potential is fired up

- sodium rapidly floods into the neuron (electric current)

- travels down the axon( like a wire)

- glial cells act as an insulator for electric current

- gaps in axon allow for more sodium to enter because if it had to travel all the way downt he exon, it would lose charge

- once it hits a synapse, it passes on to the next neuron

excitatory neurons can only pass on

excitatory messages

inhibitory neurons can only pass on

inhibitory neurons

Synaptic cleft

gap between the terminal button and the dendrite

synaptic vesicles

- neurotransmitter molecules inside the terminal button

- bind to buttonmembrane so that Na+ can flow freely in the cleft

reuptake

neurotransmitters are brought back up into terminal button after being released during action potential

neurotransmitter released by terminal button

- determines if its an inhibitory or excitatory cell

- never enters neurons then gets released once charge is transferred, stays in synapse, gets pulled back up, then is recycled to be used again

neurotransmitter binds to

receptor and opens the channel to allow for Na+ to enter through

major neurotransmitters

Serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine, norepinephrine, GABA, glutamate

serotonin

Affects mood, sleep, and appetite

(and sensory perception, temperature regulation, and plain suppression)

dopamine

Affects mood, pleasure, sleep, learning, voluntary movement

(and attention, learning, memory, emotion, reward, response to novelty)

Acetylcholine

Affects muscle action, memory, arousal, vigilance

(and emotion)

Norepinephrine

Affects heart rate, alertness, and suppressed appetite

(and learning, memory, dreaming, waking, and emotion)

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)

Affects major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, sleep, decreased anxiety, and decreased tension

Glutamate

Affects major excitatory neurotransmitters in the brain, memory, and learning

Hormones

melatonin, oxytocin, adrenal hormones

melatonin

affects daily biological rhythms, and promotes sleep

hormones

chemicals that affect functions of organs

Oxytocin

promotes attachment and trust

adrenal hormones

cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine, emotion, stress, heat, cold, pain, injuries, arousal, prepare for action, enhance memory

Neuromodulator

modulate effects of neurotransmitters (how much effect it has)

endorphines

reduce pain and promote pleasure (similar to nnatural opiates), appetite, sexual activity, blood pressure, mood, learning, memory

Brain stem

composed of pons, medulla, RAS

Pons function

sleeping, waking, dreaming

- states of consciousness

Medulla function

automatic functions such as breathing, heart rate

RAS (Reticular Activation System) function

screening of incoming information, arousal of higher centers, consciousness (extends to center of the brain)

- filters information to see what can be ignored and what needs to be sent up (ex: feeling socks on feet, watch on wrist, humming noise, etc.)

Cerebellum function

balance, muscular coordination, memory for simple skills and learned reflexes, involvement in cognitive and emotional learning

- basic motor control, "muscle memory"

Thalamus function

relay of impulses from higher centers to the spinal cord and of incoming sensory information (except olfactory sensations) to other brain centers

- relay station, all senses pass through here except smell(maybe taste) then sends info to all corresponding part of the brain

Hypothalamus function

behaviors necessary for survival, such as hunger, thirst, emotion, reproduction, regulation of body temperature, control of autonomic nervous system

- 4 fs, fight, flight, food, reproduction

Pituitary glan function

under the direction of the hypothalamus, the secretion of hormones that affect other glands

- controlled by hypothalamus, controls the endocrine system

Amygdala function

initial evaluation of sensory information to determine its importance, meditation of anxiety and depression, formation and retrieval of emotional memories

- "is this important or not"

Hippocampus function

comparison of new sensory information with existing knowledge in order to regulate the RAS, formation of new memories about facts and events, as well as other aspects of memory

- memory isn't stored in one specific place, its everywhere

Cerebrum parts

frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital

- higher forms of thinking, outer layer of the brain

cerebrum function

including cerebral cortex, higher forms of thinking

occipital lobes

visual processing

parietal lobes

processing of pressure, pain, touch, temperature

- physical sensation

temporal lobes

memory, perception, emotion, hearing, language comprehension (Wernicke's Area-auditory cortex)

frontal lobes

movement, short term memory, planning, setting goals, creative thinking, initiative, social judgement, rational decision making, speech production (Broca's area - speech production)

whatever parts were involved during the vent contribute to ___________

memory

left hemisphere

controls right side of the body

-speech and language

right hemisphere

controls left side of the body

studying the brain by intervening in the brain (triggering parts of the brain)

observation, lesions, stimulation during surgery, TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation)

"observation"

studying patients with brain damage

Lesions

removal or disabling of brain structure, disabling parts of the brain mainly done on animals

Stimulation during surgery

observe effects

TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation)

Stimulation of brain cells using magnetic field temporarily disable neural circuits

studying the brain by intervening in behavior (exposing people to stimuli)

Electroencephalogram (EEG), Computed Tomography Scan (CT), Positron-Emission Tomography (PET), Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Recording of neural activity detected by electrodes

Computed Tomography Scan (CT)

Image created using x-rays (can be used to show brain tumors)

- doesn't show activity, only damage

Positron-Emission Tomography (PET)

analyzing biochemical activity in the brain (ex: using injections of glucose like substance containing radioactive element)

- detects blood flow, injects a dye to track where blood is flowing

- increased blood flow indicates more activity

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Image created using magnetic fields

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

Image shows changes in brain activity over time by tracking blood flow and oxygen levels

- combines together to show an image of the brain and blood flow in different parts of the brain

Cautions with brain research

- images appear to be too real or more scientific

- can convey oversimplified misleading impressions

- images alone arent enough

- we dont know what the person is actually going through, just scars

- only shows excitatory messages, not inhibitory

consciosness

- avareness of internal and external stimuli

- states of consciousness

internal stimuli

pain, hunger, thirst, sleepiness, awareness of thoughts and emotions. information of whats occuring inside the body

external stimuli

site, hearing, temperature, touch. whats happening outside of the body

states of consciousness

- different levels of awareness

- ex: wakefulness vs. sleep

Biological Rhythms (cycles)

- periodic regular fluctuation in a biological activity

- may or may not have psychological implications

- can be tired to external cues (things outside the body that regulate the cycle)

- endogenous cues: generated from within

Circadian rhythms

- 24 hour cycle/the bodys clock

24 hour cycle

body temperature is high during the day and low at night, sleep-wake cycle

the "bodys clock"

- SCN: Suprachiasmatic Nucleus

- Part of hypothalamus

- sensitive to light

- melatonin: low light triggers sleep which releases melatonin to begin sleep cycle

stages of sleep

1, 2, 3, REM

Stage 1 of sleep

light sleep

- transition from wakefulness to sleep

- breathing and heartbeat slow

muscle tension and body temperature decrease

Stage 2 of sleep

deep relaxation

- minor noises wont disturb you

- less sensitive to noise

Stage 3 of sleep

Deep sleep

- slow wave sleep

- delta waves begin

- heart rate and respiration slow dramatically

- difficult to awaken from this stage

REM sleep

Dreaming

- rapid eye movements

- increased heart rate, blood pressure, breathing

-paralysis of voluntary muscles

-brain is almost as active as when youre awake

purpose of sleep

- not entirely known

- cognitive function and memory