AP Psych Unit 2: Biological Bases of Behavior

mostly just terms I need to work on more. helpful video for memorizing brain structures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xnMLr-sF7o&ab_channel=MichaelBritt

dendrites

branching extensions that receive and integrate messages

axon

extension that passes messages to other neurons, or to muscles, glands

glia

nervous cells that support neurons and play a role in thinking, learning, and memory

threshold

level of stimulation required to trigger neural impulse. nerves either fire or they don’t (all-or-nothing response)

refractory period

brief pause after neuron fires; axon has to return to resting state for another action potential

acetylcholine

messenger between motor neurons, plays role in learning and memory

dopamine

movement, learning, attention, emotion. associated with Parkinson’s

serotonin

mood, hunger, sleep, arousal

norepinephrine

alertness, arousal

GABA

inhibitory. undersupply linked to seizures, tremors, insomnia

glutamate

excitatory, memory

endorphins

perception of pain and pleasure

agonist

molecule that increases neurotransmitter’s action

antagonist

decreases neurotransmitter’s action by blocking production or release

afferent/sensory

carry incoming info

efferent/motor

carry outgoing info

direction of action potential

dendrites through axon to axon terminals

adrenal glands

above kidneys, secrete hormones to arouse body during stress

pituitary gland

most influential gland. controlled by hypothalamus. regulates growth and controls other glands. releases oxytocin.

lesion

tissue destruction naturally or experimentally caused

EEG

amplifies recording of electric brain waves, measured by electrodes on scalp

MEG

measures magnetic fields from brain electrical activity. these are the rare ones, usually used experimentally.

CT/CAT

series of x-rays from different angles, combined to represent a slice of the brain

MRI

uses magnetic fields and radio waves to make pictures of soft tissue. fMRI measures activity through blood flow.

brainstem

oldest and central core of the brain, responsible for automatic survival functions

medulla

base of brainstem, controls heartbeat and breathing (think medals over chest)

reticular formation

nerve network that travels through brainstem into thalamus, controls arousal. (think tickle)

pons

coordinates movement and controls sleep. (think relaxing by the pond)

limbic system

amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus. below cerebral hemispheres. associated with emotions and drives.

cerebrum

the two cerebral hemispheres

cerebral cortex

fabric of interconnected neurons covering the hemispheres; responsible for complex thinking

frontal lobe

behind forehead, involved in speaking, muscle movements, plans, judgments. motor cortex is at back of it.

parietal lobe

top and towards rear of head, receives sensory input for touch and body position. somatosensory cortex is at front of it.

occipital lobe

back of head, receives information from visual fields

temporal lobe

above the ears, receives info from respective ears (on opposite side of the head)

left hemisphere

makes quick, literal interpretations of language

right hemisphere

makes inferences, modulate speech to make meaning clear, orchestrates self-awareness

parallel processing

processing many aspects of a problem simultaneous, generally used to process well-learned info or to solve easy problems

sequential processing

processing one aspect of a problem at a time, used to process new info or solve difficult problems

heritability

proportion of variation among individuals we can attribute to genes. as differences due to environment decrease, heritability increases.

social script

culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations

REM

recurring sleep stage during which vivd dreams occur. aka paradoxical sleep (motor cortex is active, but brainstem blocks its messages)

alpha waves

slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state

delta waves

large, slow brain waves associated with NREM-3 (hard to wake up from)

sleep deprivation

decreases leptin and metabolism, increases cortisol

nightmares vs. night terrors

night terrors occur during NREM-3, but nightmares occur during REM

theories for why we dream

satisfy our wishes (Freud), file away memories, develop and preserve neural pathways, make sense of neural static, reflect cognitive development

PET scan

uses radioactive tracer to show functioning. good for diagnosing diseases.