psych unit 3

neurotransmitter

chemical messages your body cannot live without,, travel through neurons through the body

excitatory

neurotransmitters that stimulate neurons, cause them to fire

inhibitory

neurotransmitters that prevent neurons from firing

serotonin (over, under)

connection to mood, emotion, appetite, sleep, high levels -> happiness, over-mania, under-depression and anxiety

endorphins (over,under)

relieve pain and stress, released by pituitary gland, over-lack of awareness of injury, under-feel all pain in body

sensory neurons

take input received through senses throughout the body

motor neurons

transmit signals from brain to our muscles and other organs, send info out

interneurons

relay neurons/connectors that pass info between neurons

threshold

neurons need to reach a certain level of stimulation to fire, below threshold→ wont fire

refractory period

after action potential the period where a neuron is unable to fire

reuptake

when chemical messengers are reabsorbed back into the neuron they came from, regulates neurotransmitters

frontal lobe

responsible for planning, thinking, analyzing, logic, language, recognizing, naming things, motor+broca’s area located here, mother opposite control

occipital lobe

primarily responsible for vision, opposite sides

brocas area

speech production, the motor movement for speech, physical muscles

wernickes area

language comprehension

cerebellum

balance and coordination, fine motor skills, procedural memories stored here, only movement based tho

cerebral cortex (cerebrum)

outer layer of brain (2 hemispheres) has brain folds→ more efficient

thalamus

relay station between the brainstem and cerebral cortex

hippocampus

spatial perception, recall facts and events, turning info into long term memories, smell is processed here

amygdala

processing emotional and survival response, active during potentially threatening ending situations

hypothalamus

regulates the autonomic nervous system(unconscious tasks),regulates hunger and eating, releases hormones that are important for emotionally bonding w others

medulla

maintaining and regulating heart rate, breathing , digestion, swallowing, sneezing, damage→ death

limbic system

all work together (amygdala,hypothalamus, hippocampus, thalamus), emotion and memory

right hemispheres functions

recognizing faces, emotion processing, creativity, spatial awareness

left hemispheres functions

speaking, language, explanation, analyzing things, logic

nature vs nurture

nature→genetics, biological, nurture→experiences, enviroments

natural selection

over a long period of time people adapt and change in order to survive and reproduce

somativ nervous system

sensory and motor neurons of the organs and skeletal muscles, controlled voluntarily

autonomic nervous system

neurons of the smooth muscles and glands, divided into sympathetic and parasympathetic, involuntary responses, homeostasis, stablility

sympathetic nervous system

gets body ready, fight or flight, increases heart rate

parasympathetic nervous system

relaxes body and stimulates decreasing heart rate

neuroplasticity

brains ability to change, childhood, by reorganizing from damage or build new pathways because of experiences

EEG

electrodes placed on scalp to measure brain wave, study during different states