GRE Psychology-Physiological/Behavioral Neuroscience

physiological psychology

study of the essential biology involved in the study of the mind

central nervous system

made up of the brain and spinal chord

peripheral nervous system

the pathway that runs to and from the CNS

afferent vs efferent fibers

afferent fibers run toward the CNS, and efferent fibers run away from the CNS

somatic nervous system

interacts with the external environment by controlling voluntary movements of striated muscles

autonomic nervous system

interacts with the internal environment and is responsible for the "fight or flight" response

sympathetic nervous system

controls arousal mechanisms such as blood circulation, pupil dilation, and threat and fear response

parasympathetic nervous system

responsible for recuperation after arousal by doing things like lowering heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration

gray matter

cell bodies and dendrites

white matter

nerve fibers, axon bundles, and myelin sheathing

hindbrain

consists of the myelencephalon, metencephalon, and reticular formation

myelencephalon/medulla

mainly controls reflexes but also controls sleep, attention, and movement

metencephalon

contains the pons and cerebellum

reticular formation

considered the oldest part of the brain; controls alertness, thirst, sleep, and involuntary muscles such as the heart

mesencephalon

contains tectum and tegmentum

tectum

controls vision and hearing

tegmentum

houses the rest of the reticular formation

forebrain

contains the corticospinal tract, diencephalon, pituitary gland, telencephalon, and cerebral cortex

corticospinal tract

connections between brain and spine

diencephalon

Contains thalamus and hypothalamus

thalamus

channels sensory information to the cerebral cortex

hypothalamus

controls ANS biological motivations, such as hunger and thirst, and the pituitary gland

pituitary gland

the "master gland" of the endocrine/hormone system

telencephalon

contains the limbic system, hippocampus, amygdala, and cingulate gyrus

limbic system

a group of structures around the brainstem involved in the four F's (fight/flight, feeding, sex)

hippocampus

involved in memory, specifically transferring short-term memory into long-term memory

amygdala

controls emotional reactions such as fear and anger

cingular gyrus

links areas in the brain dealing with emotion and decisions

cerebral cortex

the outer half-inch of the cerebral hemispheres

neocortex

new in evolution, six-layered cortex

frontal lobe

controls speech, reasoning, and problem solving

occipital lobe

responsible for speech

parietal lobe

responsible for the somatosensory system

temporal lobe

responsible for hearing

gyri

bumps; seen on cortex surface

sulci

fissures; seen on cortex surface

neuron

basic unit of the nervous system

dendrite

neuron branches that receive impulses

cell body/soma

largest central portion, makes up gray matter

nucleus

directs the neuron's activity

axon hillock

where the soma and axon connect

axon

transmits impulses of the neuron; makes up white matter

myelin sheath

fatty, insulating sheath on some axons that allows faster conduction of axon impulses

nodes of Ranvier

dips between the "beads" on the myelin sheath

terminal buttons

jumping-off points for impulses; contain synaptic vessels that help neurotransmitters

neurotransmitters

chemicals that stimulate nearby cells

cell membrane

covers the whole neuron and has selective permeability

ions

positive charges

synapse/synaptic gap

space between two neurons where they communicate

presynaptic cell

end of one neuron (terminal buttons)

postsynaptic cell

beginning of another neuron (dendrites)

glial cells

other nervous system cells that mainly help support neurons

oligodendrocytes

provide myelin in the central nervous system

Schwann cells

provide myelin in the peripheral nervous system

resting potential

inactivated state of a neuron

postsynaptic potentials

changes in a nerve cell's charge as the result of stimulation

excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP)

positive charges from the outside are allowed into the cell through depolarization; increase the chance that a cell will fire

inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP)

the few positive charges in the cell body are let out; cell becomes hyperpolarized (even more negative compared to the outside); decreases the chance that a cell will fire

action potential/nerve impulse

begins when a cell becomes stimulated with enough positive ions and "fires"

the all-or-none law

once a minimum threshold for stimulation is met, the nerve impulse will be sent

saltatory conduction

jumping from one node of Ranvier to the next

absolute refractory period

time after a neuron fires in which it cannot respond to stimulation

relative refractory period

time after the absolute refractory period when the neuron can fire, but it needs a much stronger stimulus

reuptake

process of neurotransmitter being reabsorbed by the presynaptic cell

acetylcholine

released at the neuromuscular junction to cause the contraction of skeletal muscles

endorphines

linked to pleasure and analgesia

monoamines

comprise two classes of neurotransmitters, indolamines and catecholamines

amino acids

frequently present in fast-acting, directed synapses

glutamate

most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the nervous system

gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

most abundant inhibitory transmitter in the nervous system

neuromodulators

like neurotransmitters but cause long-term changes in postsynaptic cell

agonists

increase the effects of a specific neurotransmitter

antagonists

decrease the effects of a specific neurotransmitter

organizational hormones

include H-Y antigen (causes fetus to develop into a male), androgens (testosterone), estrogen (causes genitals to mature and secondary sex characteristics to develop), menarche (onset of menstrual cycle)

activational hormones

change in hormones such as lutenizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone cause the menstrual cycle; also oxytocin, which facilitates birth and breast feeding

vasopressin

helps to regulate water levels in the body and therefore also helps to regulate blood pressure

thyroid stimulating hormone

activates the thyroid

adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)

stress hormone that increases the production of androgens and cortisol

electroencephalograms (EEGs)

measure brain-wave patterns and have made it possible to study waking and sleeping states

Non-REM sleep

Rapid Eye Movement sleep

neural synchrony

low-amplitude and fast-frequency alpha waves that appear prior to sleep

theta wave

stage characterized by fast frequency bursts of brain activity (sleep spindles), also marked by muscle tension and accompanied by a gradual decline in heart rate, respiration, and temperature

deepest levels of sleep

demarcated by delta waves; when heart rate, respiration, temperature, and blood flow to the brain are reduced and growth hormones are secreted

REM

rapid eye movement

neural desynchrony

beta waves

rebound effect

occurs when people are deprived of REM sleep

ethology

study of animal behaviors, especially innate behaviors that occur in a natural habitat

Charles Darwin

made the concept of evolution scientifically plausible by asserting that natural selection was at its core

Konrad Lorenz

founder of ethology; created well-known theory and terminology in the field

imprinting

in certain species, the young attach to or imprint on the first moving object they see after birth

animal aggression

certain kinds of aggression were necessary for the survival of species

releasing stimuli

a releasing stimulus in one individual of a species elicits an automatic, instinctual chain of behaviors from another individual in the same species

fixed action patterns

instinctual, complex chains of behaviors triggered by releasing stimuli; uniform, performed by most members, complex, cannot be interrupted

Nikolaas Tinbergen

one of the founders of modern ethology; best known for his use of models in naturalistic settings

supernormal sign stimulus

artificial stimuli that exaggerate the naturally occurring sign stimulus or releaser

Karl von Frisch

major figure in the study of animal behavior; most famous for the discovery that honeybees communicate through a dance that they perform

Walter Cannon

coined the term "fight or flight" (internal physiological changes that occur in an organism in response to a perceived threat)

homeostasis

internal regulation of body to maintain equilibrium

genes

basic units of heredity

gamete

sperm or ovum in humans; haploid (only contains 23 single chromosomes)