AP Psychology Unit 1: Neuroscience

Lesioning

Removal or destruction of some or all of the brain.

EEG

Detects brain waves through their electrical output (measured by electrodes placed on the scalp).

CAT Scan

3-D x-ray of the brain; shows us "pictures" but cannot show us the functioning of the brain (could show tumors, etc.).

MRI

Commonly called "MRI"; more detailed picture of brain using magnetic field.

FMRI

Shows actual functioning, not just brain structure; tracks blood flow in the brain by taking MRI scans less than one second apart.

PET Scan

Measures glucose consumption in areas of the brain.

Neuroscience

The study of the nervous system and the brain.

Multiple Sclerosis

Involves breakdown of Myelin Sheath, and the axon can not send messages.

Sensory (afferent) Neurons

Carries messages from the body's tissue and sensory organs to the brain and spinal cord.

Sensory Receptors

In our skin and organs that perceive stimulation.

Interneurons

Located within the brain and spinal cord; communicate between sensory and motor neurons.

Motor (efferent) Neurons

Carries outgoing messages from the brain and spinal cord to muscles and glands (sometimes called effectors).

Action Potential

The brief electrical charge that travels down the axon that delivers a message.

Resting Potential

Sodium-Potassium pumps keep sodium ions out of the cell (creates positive charge) while allowing some potassium cells inside the cell (keeping it negative outside).

Excitatory Message

Tells neuron to fire.

Inhibitory Message

Tells neuron to hold back.

Threshold

The minimum level of stimulation of an excitatory message.

Depolarization

Sodium ions from outside flood in, causing an electrical charge.

All or Nothing Response

The idea that the neuron either fires or it does nothing at all (like a gun!).

Refractory Period

Neuron cannot fire during this time.

Repolarization

Pumps channel sodium back outside the membrane, allowing cell to become polarized again.

Acetylcholine

Enables muscle action, learning, and memory; too little results in Alzheimer's disease.

Dopamine

Plays a role in movement, learning, attention, emotion, pleasure centers; too much leads to schizophrenia and too little leads to Parkinson's disease (muscle tremors).

Serotonin

Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal; too little results in depression.

Norepinephrine

Plays a role in alertness and arousal; too little lowers mood.

GABA

Inhibitory and involved in sleep; too little causes seizures, tremors, insomnia

Schizophrenia

Involved with too much dopamine.

Parkinson's disease

Seen with too little dopamine.

Depression and bipolar disorders

Seen with not enough serotonin or norepinephrine.

Alzheimer's Disease

Seen with too little acetylcholine.

Anxiety Disorders

Seen with too little GABA.

Peripheral Nervous System

Carries information to and from the Central Nervous System; contains the somatic and autonomic nervous systems.

Somatic Nervous System

Controls voluntary body movements and actions (involves our muscles and receptors).

Autonomic Nervous System

Controls the glands and muscles of the internal organs-those that work involuntarily; broken into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.

Sympathetic Nervous System

Arouses the body to prepare it for actions and stress.

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Brings body back down to "normal" homeostasis.

Endocrine System

The body's slow chemical communication system.

Pituitary Gland

Regulates growth and controls other glands.

Thyroid Gland

Affects metabolism.

Adrenal Glands

Release epinephrine and norepinephrine to stimulate sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.

Pancreas

Regulates blood sugar level in the blood.

Pineal Gland

Secretes the hormone melatonin, which helps regulate our sleep cycle.

Brainstem

Oldest region of the brain involved in basic bodily functions.

Medulla

Controls heart beat and breathing.

Pons

Coordinates movements with the cerebellum and helps regulate sleep.

Reticular Formation

Netlike formation of nerves that plays an important part in arousal and filtering messages to the thalamus.

Thalamus

The "switchboard" of the brain; receives all sense (except smell) and relays messages to rest of brain.

Cerebellum

Bottom rear of the brain; coordinates fine muscle movements; involved in procedural memory.

Limbic System

The emotional center of the brain involved in feeling emotions, drives, and desires.

Amygdala

Involved in how we process emotions.

Hippocampus

Involved in the processing and storage of memories.

Explicit Memory

Processes our facts about people, places, time, and events in the hippocampus.

Hypothalamus

It controls the pituitary gland and regulates body temperature, creates sexual arousal, hunger, thirst, and the endocrine system (signals the pituitary gland to secrete hormones).

Basal Ganglia

Located at the base of the brain and is involved in voluntary control of muscles and procedural tasks (may be linked to parkinson's disease)

Frontal Lobe

Enables judgement, planning, and processing new memories

Motor Cortex

Sends signals to our body controlling muscle movement; located in the frontal lobe.

Broca's Area

Responsible for controlling muscles that produce speech (left frontal lobe).

Parietal Lobe

Responsible for all our sensations.

Sensory Cortex

Receives incoming touch sensations from rest of body.

Association Areas

Involved in higher mental functions such as learning and remembering.

Auditory Cortex

How we hear things; in the temporal lobe.

Wernicke's Area

Interprets spoken speech.

Angular Gyrus

Involved in reading aloud; transforms visual representations (words) into auditory codes.

Corpus Callosum

Thick "band" that divides the two hemispheres of the brain.

Left hemisphere

Responsible for logic and sequential tasks like spoken language.

Right hemisphere

Responsible for spatial and creative tasks like art, music, insight, imagination.