AP Psychology Biology Modules 9-11

Where in the body did Plato believe the 'mind' was located?

Spherical head

How did Aristotle disagree w/Plato?

He believed the mind was in the heart

How did Franz Gall contribute to the mind-body question?

Proposed phrenology, studying bumps on the skull that could reveal a person's mental abilities & traits

In what way was Franz Gall incorrect? In what way was he correct?

Correct:He pointed toward the idea that various brain regions have particular brain functions
Incorrect:Bumps on the skull tell us nothing about the brains underlying funtions

.What happy fact allows us to study animal brains to learn about human brains?

Information system of humans & other animals operate similarly

Dendrite

Receive message & conducts impulses towards cell body

Cell body

-Integrates info received from the neuron
-Produces energy that fuels neurons activity

Axon

-Passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands
-Carries nerve impulses away from the cell body

Terminal branchces

-End of axon
-Where neurotransmitters are released

Myelin sheath

Fatty tissue wrapped around axons that increase the speed at which impulses propagate along the axon

Describe what the action potential is & why it is important to neural communication

-Brief electrical charge that travels down its axon
-A neural impulse that allows signals to be transmitted

The fluid outside the axon membrane is largely made up of ____________________ charged ions but the fluid inside the membrane is primarily made up of ___________________ charged ions. This state is referred to as the ____________________ ________________________. We refer to the axon's surface as ______________________________ permeable since it will only allow particular ions to pass through

Positively, negatively, resting potential, selectively,

When a neuron fires, the axon membrane becomes permeable & ________________________ sodium ions flow into the cell. This ________________________ that part of the axon & then causes the next section of the membrane to become permeable. This occurs over & over down the line of the axon & serves to push the nerve impulse down the neuron

Positively charged, depolarizes,

During the ___________________ _____________________, the _____________________ are pumped back out of the cell & the axon returns to the original state of polarity, called the _____________________ _______________________, prepared to fire again

Refractory period, positively charged sodium ions, action potential

What is the difference between an excitatory nerve signal & an inhibitory nerve signal?

-Excitatory:Bring membrane closer to threshold(stimulus required to trigger an action potential)
-Ex:Pushing on the accelerator
-Inhibitory:Make reaching threshold less likely
-Ex:Pushing on the brake

What is a threshold?

Level of stimulus needed to trigger an nervous impulse

What happens when the level of neural stimulation above the threshold is increased? Why?

-A strong stimulus will trigger more neurons to fire & fire more often
-It does not increase the neural impulses intensity because of the all or none response

What is a synapse?

Junction between the axon terminals of 1 neuron & the dendrites of another

How do neurons communicate with each other?

When an action potential reaches the axon terminal, it triggers the release of neurotransmitters that cross the synaptic gap & bind to receptors on the receiving neuron

What is reuptake?

When the sending neuron reabsorbs the excess neurotransmitters

Give an example of an agonist & describe how its functions in the nervous system

-Molecules similar enough to a neurotransmitter that it can bind to a receptor & mimic its effect & stimulate a response
-Ex:Opiates produce a temporary ¨high¨ by amplifying normal sensations of arousal

Give an example of an antagonist & describe how it functions in the nervous system

-Molecule that binds to a receptor site & inhibits or blocks a response
-Ex:Botulinum, a poison, causes paralysis by blocking the release of ACh

Describe how Botulin functions as an antagonist for acetylcholine

Blocks release of ACh leading to paralysis

What effect does the release of endorphins have on the body?

Good feelings such as the ¨runners high¨

Peripheral N-system

-Sensory & motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body
-Gather info for transmitting CNS decisions to other body parts

Central nervous system

Brain & spinal cord

Sympathetic N-system

-Division of autonomic system that arouses the body
-Fight or flight
-Response in stressful situations

Parasympathetic N-system

-Division of autonomic system that calms the body
-Rest & digest

Autonomic N-system

Part of PNS that controls the actions of glands & muscles of internal organs(heart rate, digestion, bp)

Somatic N-system

Part of PNS that works w/voluntary control of skeletal muscles

Ex of a life situation where the PNS would be involved

The PNS carries the message to move your legs to the rest of the body

Ex of a life situation where the Autonomic N-system would be involved

Digesting food, heartbeat

Ex of a life situation when the CNS would be involved

-Deciding what food to eat
-Recognizing a familiar face

Ex of a life situation where the Somatic N-system would be involved

-Raising your hand when you know an answer
-Standing up when the bell rings
-Choosing to kick a ball

Ex of a life situation where the Sympathetic N-system would be involved

-Someone startling you
-Being stuck in a small place

Ex of a life situation where the Parasympathetic system would be involved

-Calming
-Resting/digesting after eating thanksgiving meal

How is the pupil of eye affected when the sympathetic & parasympathetic N-system are stimulated?

S:Dilates pupil
P:Contracts pupil

How is the heart affected when the sympathetic & parasympathetic N-system are stimulated?

S:Accelerates heart beat
P:Slows heartbeat

How is the stomach affected when the Sympathetic & Parasympathetic N-systems are stimulated?

S:Inhibits digestion
P:Stimulates digestion

How is the liver affected when the Sympathetic & Parasympathetic N-systems are stimulated?

S:Glucose is released by liver
P:No effect

How is the gallbladder affected when the Sympathetic & Parasympathetic N-systems are stimulated?

S:No effect
P:Stimulates gallbladder

How are the adrenal glands affected when the Sympathetic & Parasympathetic N-systems are stimulated?

S:Stimulates secretion of epinephrine, norepinephrine
P:No effect

How is the bladder affected when the Sympathetic & Parasympathetic N-systems are stimulated?

S:Relaxes bladder
P:Contracts bladder

How are sex organs affected when the Sympathetic & Parasympathetic N-systems are stimulated?

S:Stimulates ejaculation in males
P:Allows blood flow to sex organs

Sensory neuron

Carry incoming info from the sensory receptors to the brain & spinal cord

Interneuron

A nerve cell that relays messages between nerve cells, especially in the brain & spinal cord

Motor neuron

Carries info from the brain & spinal cord to the muscles & glands

In what ways do endocrine & nervous systems act similarly? In what ways do they act differently?

Similarly:Both produce molecules that act on receptors elsewhere. Both send messages throughout the body that affect organs or glands
Differently:E-system produces hormones & N-system produces neurotransmitters. N-system sends messages quickly while the messages in the E-system travel in blood, taking longer to get to organs/tissues

How does the endocrines systems release of hormones influence us?

They influence our interest in sex, food & aggression

Hypothalamus

-Controls pituitary gland
-Regulates hunger & thirst
-Regulates sleep
-Drives

Ovary

Secretes female hormones

Adrenal glands

Endocrine glands that sit above the kidneys & secrete hormones (epinephrine & norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress

Pituitary gland

Releases growth hormone, oxytocin & other hormones

Thyroid gland

Affect metabolism

Testis

Secretes male sex hormones

Pancreas

Regulates level of sugar in the blood

Parathyroid

Regulate level of calcium in blood

Why is the pituitary gland referred to as the ¨master gland¨?

It influences the release of hormones by other endocrine glands

What does it mean to lesion the brain? Why is this procedure important to studying the brain?

-Destroy a tiny cluster of brain cells
-By destroying a portion of the brain, researchers can learn what behaviors/thoughts/emotions/memories are controlled by what part of the brain

Electroencephalogram(EEG)

-Electrodes placed on scalp
-Shows electrical activity across a brains surface

Computed technology(CT)

-X-ray from many angles & combined by computer to see slice of brain
-Shows brain damage

Positron Emission Tomography(PET)

-Track gamma rays as someone performs a given task after given radioactive glucose
-Measures glucose use
-Shows hot spots where brain areas are active as a person does various activities

Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)

-Magnetic fields & radio waves
-Shows soft tissue & structure of brain

Functional MRI(fMRI)

-Functional MRI
-fMRI
-Compare MRI scans
-Reveals brain structure/function by showing blood flow

What are the functions of the brainstem structures?

Automatic survival functions

Medulla

-Controls visceral activities
-Controls heartbeat & breathing

Pons

-Coordinate movement
-Maintain breathing

Thalamus

-Relay area for sensory impulses
-Directs messages to sensory receiving areas of Cortex & transmits replies to Cerebellum & Medulla

Reticular formation

Controls arousal & focus

Cerebellum

-Process sensory input
-Coordinate movement
-Enables nonverbal learning & memory

What are the functions of the limbic system?

Associated w/emotions & drives

Components of limbic system

Amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, pituitary gland

Components of brainstem

Medulla oblongata, pons, thalamus, reticular formation

Amygdala

Linked to aggression & fear

Hippocampus

Processes conscious memories

Hypothalamus

-Regulate hunger, thirst, body temp & sexual behavior
-Govern E-system, linked to emotions/rewards

Pituitary gland

Under the influence of the hypothalamus that regulates the growth & control of other endocrine glands

What have experiments revealed about a dopamine-related reward pathway in humans?

-Pleasure received from the release of dopamine can impact behaviors
-Stimulated patients can become calmer & experience pleasure

ACh

-Enables muscle action
-Alzheimer's disease is due to a deterioration of ACh

Dopamine

-Influences movement, learning, attention & emotion
-Oversupply=Schizophrenia
-Undersupply=Parkinson's disease

Serotonin

-Affects mood, hunger, sleep, & arousal
-Undersupply=Depression

Norepinephrine

-Controls alertness & arousal
-Undersupply=Depress mood