Studied by 9 people
Unit 2 AP Psychology
Phrenology (Franz Gall)
Thought bumps on the head could reveal our personalities
Biological Psychologist (Neuroscientist)
study the link between biology and behavior
Neuron
a nerve cell, basic building block
Axon
carries messages away to other neurons
Dendtries
receive information
Soma
Cell body -- Keeps cells alive
Myelin sheath
insulates the axon and speeds up impulses (damaged = multiple sclerosis)
Axon terminals (terminal buttons)
make communication with other nerve cells
Glial cells
surround neurons and provide insulation
Sensory neurons (afferent)
carry information from the senses to the brain and spinal cord
Motor neurons (efferent)
carry information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands
Interneurons
relay information within the brain and spinal cord (have the most of these)
Afferent
Going to
Efferent
Going from
Action potential
brief electrical charge (positive ions coming in)
Refractory period
recharging phase (positive is pumped back out)
Resting potential
neuron is ready to fire when needed (positive outside, negative inside)
Ions
sodium (+) and potassium (-)
Selectively permeable
the axon is selective about what it lets in
All or none response
a neuron either fires or it doesn’t (no in between)
Synapse (synaptic gap)
the space between the axon of one neuron and the dendrite of another
Neurotransmitters
chemical messengers that communicate across the synaptic gap
Acetylcholine
muscle action, learning, memory (not enough = Alzheimer's)
Dopamine
movement, learning, attention (too much = Schizophrenia, not enough = Parkinson’s)
Serotonin and Norepinephrine
mood and arousal (Not enough = depression, too much = mania)
GABA
involved in sleep
Glutamate
involved in memory and learning, comes from food
Endorphins
body’s natural opiates or painkillers (runner’s high)
Agonist
mimics the effects of a neurotransmitter (morphine, heroin)
Antagonist
blocks neurotransmitters (Botox blocks sites for ACh)
Central Nervous System
brain and spinal cord
Peripheral nervous system
connects the CNS to the rest of the body
Somatic nervous system
controls skeletal muscles (voluntary)
Autonomic nervous system
controls automatic (involuntary) functions such as heartbeat and breathing
Sympathetic nervous system
speeds you up, prepares for fight or flight
Parasympathetic nervous system
calms the body down and returns to normal
Endocrine system
chemical communication system, a set of glands
Hormones
chemical messengers in the endocrine system
Adrenal glands
above kidneys…arouse body in time of stress (epinephrine and norepinephrine…adrenaline) (cortisol is stress hormone)
Pituitary gland
in brain…controls growth and is the master gland
Pineal gland
back of brain, controls melatonin and sleep rhythms
Thyroid
controls metabolism (thyroxin)
Pancreas
controls blood sugar (insulin)
Ovaries
female reproductive system….release estrogen and progesterone
Testes
release testosterone
Lesion
tissue destruction
EEG (electroencephalogram)
records brain waves
CT scan(computed tomography)
takes x ray photos from different angles
PET scan (positron emission tomography)
injects radioactive form of glucose to highlight areas
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
uses magnetic fields for images of soft tissue
fMRI( functional MRI)
shows blood flow and brain function
Brainstem
oldest part, controls automatic survival functions
Medulla
heartbeat and breathing…life support
Pons
right above medulla, coordinates movements
Reticular formation
controls alertness and arousal
Cerebellum
controls balance and coordination
Limbic system
controls emotions and is made up of thalamus, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and amygdala
Hippocampus
controls memories
Amygdala
fear and anger
Hypothalamus
contains pleasure centers…hunger, thirst, sex (Olds and Milner) (maintains homeostasis)
Thalamus
relay station…receives and sends messages to and from the senses (except smell)
Cingulate cortex
emotional processing
Cerebral cortex
outer covering of brain
Frontal lobe
basic knowledge, plans, personality, judgment (Phineas Gage)
Parietal Lobe
Sensory input, touch, feeling
Occipital Lobe
vision
Temporal Lobe
auditory input, hearing
Prefrontal cortex
planning and personality (frontal lobe)
Motor cortex
in frontal lobe, controls movements
Somatosensory Cortex
in parietal lobe, registers touch sensations
Visual Cortex
in occipital lobe
Auditory cortex
in temporal lobe
Association areas
any other part of brain involved in learning, thinking, remembering
Aphasia
language impairment
Broca’s area
controls speech (Paul Broca)
Wernicke’s area
controls understanding of language (Carl Wernicke)
Angular gyrus
controls reading and seeing words
Plasticity
the brain’s ability to reorganize itself
Left brain
controls language, reading, writing, math, speech
Right brain
controls anything creative, music, art, drawing, geometry, spatial skills
Corpus callosum
connects the two hemispheres and allows them to communicate (often cut to prevent epileptic seizures)
Consciousness
awareness of ourselves and the environment
Biological rhythms
varying time periods in our bodies (annual, 24 hours, 90 minutes)
Circadian rhythm
our biological clock; temperature and wakefulness occur on a 24-hour schedule
Beta waves
alert and awake
Alpha waves
slow brain waves in a relaxed state (not asleep)
Theta waves
beginning to fall asleep
Stage 1
hallucination of falling or floating; lasts about 5 minutes
Stage 2
Sleep spindles: bursts of brain activity; Sleep Talking can occur from here on; lasts about 20 minutes
Stage 3
transitional stage; delta waves: begin slow waves in deep sleep
Stage 4
about 30 minutes; hard to awaken; children often wet bed or sleepwalk
REM sleep (stage 5)
Rapid Eye Movement, Vivid dreams occur, heart rate rises, genitals become aroused; also called paradoxical sleep because you are so relaxed
Manifest content
the remembered storyline of a dream (Freud)
Latent content
underlying meaning of a dream, usually sexually related
Activation synthesis theory
Neural activity spreads and dreams are the brain’s attempt to make sense of it
Insomnia
Trouble falling asleep; sleeping pills aggravate the problem; should relax before bedtime, avoid caffeine, drink milk, and don’t nap
Narcolepsy
Uncontrollable sleep attacks…go into REM sleep anywhere; Absence of neurotransmitter hypocretin
Sleep Apnea
Cessations of breathing during sleep; 1 in 20, mostly overweight males; Deprives them of slow wave sleep; Snores all night, tired during day
Night terrors
Being terrified, usually during stage 4 (not 5); Mostly children
Sleepwalking and sleep talking
Runs in families; Younger children because they have longer stage 4 sleep; Decreases over time
Note 
Flashcard (30)