Ap Psych Unit 2: Biopsych

Maturation

Process of following the genetic plan.

Neuron

The fundamental units of the brain.

Dentrites

Receiver fibers.

Axon

Transmitter fibers- sends.

Myelin Sheath

Insulates the axon. Speeds along some impulses.

Terminal Branches

Change electrical impulses into chemical messages.

Soma

The cell body.

Terminal Buttons

Knobs at the end of axon that release chemicals (neurotransmitters).

Action Potential

The firing of a neuron.

Threshold

The starting point.

Refractory period

Resting/non-fire period.

Neural communication

How the brain sends messages through neurons.

Synapse

Tiny gap between neurons.

Reuptake

Unused NT’s may go back into the sending neuron.

Neurotransmitters

Released chemical messages.

Endorphins

Natural opiates (feel good).

Acetylcholine

Muscle contraction/brain activity.

Dopamine

Learning, attention, fuel, pleasure, movement.

• Parkinson’s disease

• Schizophrenia

Protoplasmic Kiss

“Spit” the message.

Serotonin

Mood, hunger, sleep, digestion.

Norepinephrine

(Adrenaline) alertness and arousal.

Depresents

No thinking, slow, block

• Alcohol

Stimulants

Get moving, mimic

• Cocaine

  • Caffine

Hallucinogens

See shit, alter

• LSD

• Weed

Agonists

Mimic/excite activity (stimulants, like a masterkey)

Antagonists

Block/inhibit activity (weed, like woodchips)

Blood-Brain Barrier

Shield/filter because the brain won’t let some stuff in.

Nerves

Bundles of axons that carry info to and from the CNS (Like string cheese).

Nervous System

Neurons communicating.

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Brain/spinal cord.

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Links central to everything else.

Skeletal/Somatic Nervous System

Controls VOLUNTARY MOVEMENTS.

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

Controls automatic bodily functions.

Sympathetic Nervous System

Prepare us for action (gets going).

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Conserves energy (calms us down).

Spinal Cord

Like an info superhighway.

Paralysis

Spinal cord damaged/severed.

Neural Networks

Clusters of neurons working together.

Sensory/Afferent Neurons

Receive external info and send to CNS (like a receptionist).

Inter/Association

Process in CNS (ceo/planners).

Motor/Efferent

Carry from CNS to body for actions (delivery drivers).

Endocrine System

Glands and hormones.

Hormones

Chemical messengers created by glands.

• Hunger, mood growth, reproduction, sleep

Adrenal Gland

Releases epinephrine.

Pineal Gland

Secretes melatonin (minds eye).

Thyroid

Metabolism, body temp

Pituitary Gland

“master gland”, growth, hormones, like Joe Brown.

Damage to one side of brain→

Damage to the other side.

Damage to back→

Vision problems.

Damage to left front→

Speech problems.

Lesion

Surgically destroy/remove tissue in brain.

EEG

Brain wave recordings.

• Kinda looks like mountains.

CAT/CT Scan

X-rays where you can get slices.

• Like slicing a cat

PET Scan

Brain activity

• ACTIVELY shows colors

MRI

Pic of tissue

• Like black and white stop motion videos.

fMRI

Shows blood flow

• Red

Brainstem

Most basic primal part of the brain.

• Threshold

Medulla

Where spinal cord swells slightly.

• Heartbeat and breathing

Reticular Formation

Base of skull to thalamus.

• Wakefullness

Pons

Spinal cord swells a lot.

• Movement, bladder control

Thalamus

Egg shaped, top of brainstem.

• Sensory switchboards

Cerebellum

“Lil brain” behind brainstem.

• Voluntary movements and balance

Limbic System

Memory dealing with emotions, and motivation.

Amygdala

Aggression and fear.

Hypothalamus

Below thalamus.

• Hunger, thirst, body temp, sex drive

Hippocampus

Core memories.

Corpus Callosum

Bridge between 2 hemispheres.

Cerebral Cortex

Most advanced.

• Intelligence, functionality

Glial Cells

Give cells.

• Vital/needed

Frontal Lobes

In front.

• Judging, planning, decisions, personality, rationality

Motor Cortex

Causes movement.

Parietal Lobes

Top rear.

• Touch, pressure, heat, cold, pain

Somatosensory Cortex

What you FEEL when you touch something.

Occipital Lobes

In back.

• Depth perception, color determination, memory

Visual Cortex

How you see things.

Temporal Lobes

Above/around ears.

• Recognizes language using sounds from ears

Auditory Cortex

How you hear things.

Association Areas

No major function, just thinks.

Broca’s Area

Formation of words.

Aphasia

Loss of ability to understand or process speech.

Wernicke’s Area

Comprehension.

Angular Gyrus

How we read.

Brain Plasticity

Rewire the brain.

Neurgenesis

Brain produces new cells (very little).

Left Hemisphere

Logic “the smart side”.

Right hemisphere

Creativity, emotions.

Split Brain

To eliminate seizures.

Consiousness

Awareness of ourselves and environment.

Freud’s Iceberg Theory

There are many stages to consciousness.

Circadian Rhythm

Biological day clock.

Superchiasmatic Nucleus

Recognizes light and slows down melatonin production.

Sleep Cycle

90 minutes, the cycle of you sleeping throughout the night.

Awake/Dozing Off

Still conscious, the falling asleep part.

• Alpha waves

NREM-1 Sleep

2-5 minutes, very light but asleep.

• Hallucinations

• Hypnic jerk

NREM-2 Sleep

20 minutes, very asleep.

• Sleep spindles

Sleep Spindles

Bursts of brain activity.

NREM-3 (Deep) Sleep

30 minutes, VERY asleep.

• Sleepwalk

Delta Waves

Large and slow, associated with deep sleep.

Slow Wave Sleep

Brain and electric currents slow.

REM Sleep

Rapid eye movements, when you dream.