UNIT 1 PSYCH - Biological Bases Pillar

What does the central nervous system do?

The brain and spinal cord. Involved in receiving, processing, and responding to sensory information, as well as coordinating body functions

what does the peripheral nervous system do?

It relays information to and from the Central Nervous System.

What does the Somatic Nervous System control?

Voluntary movement, through sensory and motor neurons.

What is the role of the Autonomic Nervous System?

Controls involuntary organs like the heart and lungs.

What is the function of the Sympathetic Nervous System?

Activates the fight or flight response.

What does the Parasympathetic Nervous System do?

Promotes rest and digestion.

What do dendrites do?

Receive incoming neurotransmitters.

What is the function of the Axon?

Transmits the action potential.

What is the purpose of the Myelin Sheath?

Speeds up action potential down the axon and protects it.

What is the synapse?

Gap between neurons, where APs happen

What are sensory neurons responsible for?

Receiving sensory signals from the environment and sending them to the brain.

What is the role of motor neurons?

Send signals from the brain to initiate movement.

What are interneurons?

Cells in the spinal cord/brain responsible for the reflex arc.

What happens during a reflex arc?

Important stimuli bypass the brain and route through the spinal cord for immediate reactions (ex. hand on hot flame)

What are glial cells?

Support cells that provide nutrients and clean up around neurons.

What does it mean for neurons to fire with an action potential?

Ions move across the membrane to send an electrical charge down the axon.

What is resting potential?

The neuron maintains a -70mv charge when it is inactive.

What is depolarization in neurons?

Sodium ions enter the cell, making it more positive and triggering the action potential.

What is the threshold of depolarization?

The minimum stimulus strength needed to start an action potential.

What is the refractory period?

The time a neuron must reset before it can fire again.

What are neurotransmitters?

Chemicals released in the synaptic gap, received by neurons.

What is the function of excitatory neurotransmitters?

They increase action potential.

What do inhibitory neurotransmitters do?

They decrease action potential.

What is the role of GABA?

It is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that slows down brain activity.

What does Glutamate do?

It is an excitatory neurotransmitter necessary for normal brain functions.

What is dopamine associated with?

Reward and fine movement, related to addiction, located in hypothalamus

What is serotonin's primary role? Where is it located?

Regulates moods, emotions, and sleep, located in amygdala

What is acetylcholine crucial for?

Memory and movement, located in hippocampus, associated with Alzheimer’s

What is norepinephrine associated with?

Alertness and arousal, in sympathetic NS, lack of it is associated with depression

What do endorphins do?

They decrease pain.

What is substance P associated with?

Pain signals.

What does oxytocin influence?

Love, bonding, and childbirth. (think about oxy-toxic-toxic relationship-love)

What is adrenaline associated with?

The fight or flight response.

What does leptin signal?

Makes you feel full.

What does ghrelin do?

Stimulates hunger.

What is melatonin responsible for?

Makes you sleepy

What is reuptake in neurotransmission?

The process of unused neurotransmitters being taken back into the sending neuron.

What is the difference between an agonist and an antagonist drug?

An agonist mimics a neurotransmitter, while an antagonist blocks a neurotransmitter.

What is the effect of depressants on the nervous system?

They decrease nervous system activity and create a relaxed state (ex. alcohol).

What do stimulants do to nervous system activity?

They increase nervous system activity and promote alertness (ex. caffeine).

What are hallucinogens known to cause?

Hallucinations and altered perceptions (ex. marijuana).

What do opioids do?

They relieve pain and increase dopamine levels (ex. heroins).

What is drug tolerance?

Needing more of a drug to achieve the same effects.

What is addiction?

A compulsion to use a drug to avoid withdrawal symptoms.

What are withdrawal symptoms?

Painful psychological and physical symptoms associated with sudden drug cessation.

What is the function of the cerebellum?

Coordinates movement, balance, and procedural memory.

What does the brainstem control?

Vital organ functions and automatic processes like heart rate and breathing.

What is the role of the Reticular Activating System?

Regulates alertness, arousal, and sleep.

What does the cerebral cortex manage?

Higher order thought processes and sensory information.

What does the limbic system relate to?

Emotions and memory.

What is the function of the amygdala?

Processing negative emotions.

What type of memory is associated with the hippocampus?

Episodic and semantic memory.

What is the hypothalamus responsible for?

Reward center and homeostasis.

What is the thalamus's role in sensory processing?

Relay center for all senses except smell.

What does the pituitary gland do?

Regulates the endocrine system and releases hormones.

What is the occipital lobe responsible for?

Vision.

What functions does the frontal lobe manage?

Decision making, planning, judgment, and personality.

What does the prefrontal cortex control?

Executive function and decision making. Located in frontal lobe

What is the motor cortex's role?

Controls voluntary body movements. Located in frontal lobe

What does the parietal lobe handle?

Sensations and touch. Located in frontal lobe

What is the somatosensory cortex?

Registers and provides touch sensations. Located in parietal lobe which is in frontal lobe.

What is the function of the temporal lobe?

Auditory processing and language recognition. Located in frontal lobe

What is aphasia?

Damaged speech resulting from injury to the left hemisphere.

What does Broca's area control?

The production of speech.

What is the function of Wernicke's area?

The comprehension of speech.

What is the corpus callosum's role?

Connects the two hemispheres of the brain.

What happens in split-brain experiments?

Information shown to one eye is processed in the opposite hemisphere.

What does plasticity refer to in the brain?

The brain's ability to change through damage and experiences.

What does the endocrine system do?

sends hormones throughout body

What does the pituitary gland do?

Controlled by hypothalamus, releases growth hormones

What is an EEG and what does it measure?

Measures electrical brain activity broadly using electrodes.

What does fMRI show?

Brain activity in specific regions by measuring oxygen levels.

What does lesioning refer to in neuroscience?

Intentional destruction of brain tissue to observe effects.

What is Multiple Sclerosis?

A disorder that destroys the myelin sheath, impairing mobility.

What characterizes Myasthenia Gravis?

It blocks acetylcholine, leading to poor motor control.

What is blindsight?

Ability to respond to visual stimuli without conscious awareness.

What is prosopagnosia?

Face blindness due to damage to specific brain areas.

What is Broca's aphasia?

Difficulty in speech production.

What is Wernicke's aphasia?

Difficulty in comprehending speech.

What is phantom limb pain?

Pain sensation in an amputated limb due to brain plasticity.

What is epilepsy? How is it caused?

Seizures caused by imbalances in neurotransmitters like glutamate and GABA.

What does Alzheimer’s disease affect and what is it caused by?

Memory loss due to destruction of acetylcholine.

What is the circadian rhythm?

The biological clock of the body.

What occurs in NREM Stage 1 sleep?

Light sleep with hypnagogic sensations (ex. feeling of falling).

What happens in NREM Stage 2?

Random bursts of brain activity and K complexes. Light sleep

What characterizes NREM Stage 3 sleep?

Deep sleep with delta waves (slow and large).

What occurs during REM sleep?

Dreaming and muscle relaxation, but other body systems are active. Body is paralyzed.

What is REM rebound?

Increased intensity of REM sleep after disruptions.

What is activation synthesis theory about dreams?

The brain attempts to make sense of random neural activity.

What is consolidation in sleep?

The process of storing memories during sleep.

What is restoration theory in the context of sleep?

Helps regenerate the immune system and restore energy.

What is insomnia?

Inability to fall or stay asleep.

What is somnambulism?

Sleepwalking, occurring during NREM Stage 3.

What is narcolepsy?

Sudden transitions into REM sleep during daytime.

What is sleep apnea?

Condition where breathing stops during sleep, often due to obesity.

What characterizes REM behavior disorder?

Malfunction of the mechanism that paralyzes the body during REM, causes people to act out their dreams.

What is transduction in sensation?

The conversion of stimulus to action potential.

What is the absolute threshold?

Minimum amount of stimulus to detect sound 50% of the time.

What is the Just Noticeable Difference?

Minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection.

What is Weber’s Law?

Two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum proportion, depends on intensity of og stimulus.