EPPP Physio

neuron

communicate info within nervous system

glial cells

provide structural support, insulation, and nutrients

dendrite

receive info from presynaptic neurons

cell body

contains nucleus and mitochondria

axon

transmits info to postsynaptic cells

synapse

space between pre-synaptic neuron and postsynaptic neuron

myelin

produced by glial cells, speed up conduction of info

multiple sclerosis cause

caused by destruction of myelin in brain and spinal cord

multiple sclerosis symptoms

impaired vision, pain, fatigue, slurred speech, tremor, impaired coordination

neurotransmitters

chemicals that transmit info from presynaptic to postsynaptic neuron

excitatory

its release into synapse increases likelihood of action potential

inhibitory

its release decreases likelihood action potential will occur

action potential

electrical impulse that travels length of cells axon, responsible for release of neurotransmitters into synapse, all or nothing

dopamine

excitatory and inhibitory, movement, personality, learning, mood, sleep, reinforces effects of certain drugs

disorders associated with dopamine

Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, Tourette’s, ADHD, depression, schizophrenia, PTSD

acetylcholine (ACh)

excitatory and inhibitory, control of skeletal muscles, regulation of smooth and cardiac muscles, arousal, attention, memory

disorders associated with ACh

low levels associated with early memory loss for Alzheimer’s

glutamate

excitatory, movement, emotions, learning, memory, long-term potentiation

disorders associated with glutamate

seizures, TBI, Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s, PTSD

norepinephrine

excitatory, arousal, sleep, learning, memory, mood, attention, stress

disorders associated with norepinephrine

ADHD, mania, depression, PTSD

serotonin (5HT)

inhibitory, arousal, sleep, sexual activity, aggression, mood, hunger, pain, body temperature

disorders associated with 5HT

depression, OCD, schizophrenia, Autism, Bulimia, Anorexia, migraine, suicide, anxiety, PTSD

GABA

inhibitory, memory, mood, sleep, motor control, arousal

disorders associated with GABA

anxiety, mania, insomnia, seizures, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, PTSD

Endorphins

inhibitory, feelings of pleasure, reduce perception of pain, effects similar to opioids, produced by pituitary gland and hypothalamus

Original Schizophrenia Hypothesis

excessive levels of dopamine

Revised Schizophrenia Hypothesis

positive symptoms=dopamine hyperactivity in subcortical areas, negative symptoms=dopamine hypoactivity in cortical areas

Agonists

mimic neurotransmitter

partial agonists

produce effects similar to but weaker than neurotransmitter

inverse agonists

produce opposite effects of neurotransmitter

antagonists

produce no effects on their own, block effects of transmitter

central nervous system (CNS)

brain and spinal cord

brain stem

medulla, midbrain, pons

spinal cord

transmits info between brain and peripheral nervous system

peripheral nervous system

sensory and motor neurons outside CNS, transmits signals between CNS and the rest of the body

somatic nervous system (SNS)

part of peripheral nervous system, transmits info from sensory receptors to CNS and from CNS to skeletal muscles, voluntary

autonomic nervous system (ANS)

part of peripheral nervous system, transmits info between CNS and smooth muscles of organs and glands, involuntary

sympathetic nervous system

part of ANS, fight-or-flight response, energy output

parasympathetic nervous system

part of ANS, rest and relaxation, energy conservation

general adaptation syndrome (GAS)

reaction to stress, mediated by sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system

alarm reaction

first stage of GAS, increased activity of sympathetic nervous system, provides body with energy to respond to stress with fight-or-flight response

resistance

second stage of GAS, when stress persists the parasympathetic nervous system attempts to return to normal state, cortisol continues to be elevated and helps maintain energy level

exhaustion

final stage of GAS, prolonged stress, pituitary and adrenal glands lose ability to maintain elevated hormone levels, physiological processes begin to break down

medulla

regulates vital functions including respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, digestive processes, coughing, swallowing, sneezing, disruption in functioning=death

pons

connects 2 halves of cerebellum and cerebellum to forebrain, involved in arousal, sleep, and regulation of respiration

cerebellum

coordinates voluntary movements, posture and balance, processing and storing procedural memories, attention, linguistic processing, visuospatial abilities

ataxia

damage to cerebellum, impaired balance and coordination, slurred speech, double or blurred vision

reticular activating system (RAS)

network of neurons from medulla into midbrain, alerts cortex to incoming sensory signals, involved in sleep and wakefulness, attention, behavioral arousal, consciousness

substantia nigra

reward-seeking behaviors and addiction, motor control through it’s connection to basal ganglia

forebrain

hypothalamus, suprachiasmatic nucleus, mamillary bodies, thalamus, basal ganglia

hypothalamus

regulates homeostasis, regulates body’s response to stress, influences autonomic nervous system and pituitary gland, body temp, blood pressure, heart and respiration rates, thirst and hunger, growth, sexual activity, reproduction, emotions, memory, circadian rhythm

suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

controls circadian rhythms, in hypothalamus

mammillary bodies

important for memory, attached to hypothalamus

damage to mammillary bodies

inability to form new declarative memories

thalamus

receives and transmits sensory information to appropriate areas of the cortex, memory, coordinate sensory and motor function, language and speech, declarative memory

damage to thalamus and mammillary bodies

Korsakoff syndrome

Korsakoff syndrome

anterograde amnesia, retrograde amnesia, confabulation

confabulation

filling in memory gaps with false information that the person believes is true

parts of basal ganglia

caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, nucleus accumbens

basal ganglia function

initiating and coordinating voluntary movements, emotional processing and responses, procedural memory, habit forming, attention, insight, planning, prioritizing information, sensitive to reward

damage to basal ganglia

Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Tourette’s, OCD, schizophrenia, ADHD

Limbic system

amygdala, cingulate cortex and hippocampus

amygdala

emotional reactions, attaches emotions to memories, recognizing emotions in facial expressions,, formation of flashbulb memories

Kluver-Bucy syndrome

bilateral lesions in amygdala and temporal lobes in monkeys, hyperphagia, hyperorality, reduced fear, hypersexuality, psychic blindness

visual agnosia

inability to visually recognize familiar objects

abnormal functioning in amygdala

PTSD, anxiety, depression

hippocampus

consolidation of declarative memories from short-term to long-term memory, spatial memory

damage to hippocampus

difficulty storing new memories, depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, PTSD

cerebral cortex

divided into 2 hemispheres, each hemisphere has frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobe

corpus callosum

bundle of nerve fibers that connects the hemispheres and allows them to communicate with each other

frontal lobe

prefrontal cortex, primary motor cortex, supplementary motor cortex, broca’s area, premotor cortex

prefrontal cortex

executive cognitive functions-social judgment, planning, insight, problem solving, decision making, behavioral inhibition, motivation, emotion regulation, working memory, prospective memory

damage to dorsolateral area of prefrontal cortex

dysexecutive syndrome-impaired attention, working memory, judgment, abstract thinking, depression, decreased range of emotion, perseveration

perseveration

inappropriate repetition of a response

damage to orbitofrontal area of prefrontal cortex

disinhibited syndrome-behavioral disinhibition, distractibility, emotional lability, inappropriate euphoria, acquired sociopathy

damage to mediofrontal area of prefrontal cortex

apathetic-akinetic syndrome-decreased motor behavior and verbal output, lack of motivation and goal-directed activities, apathy, indifference

primary motor cortex

executing voluntary movements by sending signals to the muscles

damage to primary motor cortex

weakness to paralysis in muscles on opposite side of body

broca’s area

language, located in dominant hemisphere

damage to broca’s area

Broca’s aphasia/expressive aphasia/nonfluent aphasia-slow labored speech, impaired repetition, anomia with relatively intact comprehension

anomia

inability to name objects

parietal lobe

somatosensory cortex

somatosensory cortex

processes information related to touch, pressure, temperature, pain, body position

tactile agnosia

inability to recognize objects by touch

asomatognosia

lack of interest or recognition of one or more parts of one’s body

anosognosia

denial of one’s own illness or disability

contralateral/hemispatial/unilateral neglect

damage to nondominant hemisphere, inattention to one side of the body and visual field

Gerstmann’s syndrome

damage to dominant hemisphere, finger agnosia, right-left disorientation, agraphia, acalculia

agraphia

loss of writing skills

acalculia

loss of math skills

temporal lobe

auditory cortex, Wernicke’s area

auditory cortex

processing sound

damage to auditory cortex

auditory agnosia, auditory hallucinations, cortical deafness

Wernicke’s area

language, located in dominant hemisphere

damage to wernicke’s area

impaired comprehension of written and spoken language, impaired retention, fluent speech

occipital lobe

visual cortex

visual cortex

processes visual information

damage to visual cortex

visual agnosia, visual hallucinations, achromatopsia, cortical blindness

achromatopsia

loss of color vision