AP Psych Unit 1
Parts and Functions of the brain
Medulla: breathing control center
Thalamus: relays and processes sensory information, not including smell
Hypothalamus: Controls Pituitary gland
Hippocampus: memories
Amygdala: connects emotions to people and places (episodic memory) (fear)
Occipital lobes: visual cortex
Temporal Lobes: auditory cortex
Parietal lobes: uses sensory info to focus on environment
Somatosensory Cortex: Touch sensory
Frontal Obes: processes decisions and judgements
Motor Cortex: initiates voluntary movements
Cerebellum: regulates and remembers voluntary movements
Broca’s area: speech
Wernicke’s area: ability to comprehend speech
Broca’s Aphasia: no grammar when talking, has meaning
Wernicke’s aphasia: lacks meaning
Pituitary: regulates body with hormones
Reticular: tunes attention, behavior, and arousal, playing a crucial role in sleep and wakefulness.
Left Brain Vs. Right Brain
Left:
Controls right side
Does: sensory processing, language processing, logic, and fact retrieval
Right:
Controls left side
largest part of brain
Does: perception, decisions making, language, and conscious
controls cell bodies of neurons and constitute the gray matter, which is essential for processing information and integrating sensory input.
Process of Neuron Firing
The process of neuron firing begins when a neuron receives a signal from another neuron, causing a change in the electrical charge inside the neuron, which leads to the generation of an action potential. This action potential propagates along the axon to the axon terminals, where neurotransmitters are released into the synapse, facilitating communication between neurons and enabling the transmission of signals across the nervous system.
The Main Neurotransmitters/Hormones
Acetylcholine: Enables muscle action, learning, and memory.
Malfunctions: with alzheimers disease, ach-producting hormones deteriorate
Dopamine: Influences movements, learning, attention, and emotion.
Malfunctions: oversupply can lead to schizophrenia and undersupply can lead to parkisons disease
Serotonin: affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal
Malfunctions: undersupply can cause depression, used to regulate anxiety and mood disorders.
Norephrine: Helps control alterness and arousal
Malfunctions: undersupply can depress mood
GABA: a major inhibitory neurotransmitter
Malfunctions: undersupply can cause seizures, tremors, and insomnia
Glutamate: a major excitatory neurotransmitter; memory
Malfunctions: oversupply can overstimulate the brain, causing migraines and seizures
Endorphins: neurotransmitters that influence the perception of pain or pleasure.
Malfunctions: oversupply with opoid drugs can surpress the body’s natural endorpin supply
Substance P: Involved in pain perception and immune response
Malfunctions: oversupply can lead to chronic pain
Agonist Vs. Antagonist
Agnost: increases neurotransmiters actions
Antagonist: inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitters action
Nervous System
The body’s speedy, electromechnical communication network consiting of all nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous system.
central nervous system (brain and spinal cord): bodies control system
peripheral nervous system: the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body
Peripheral nervous system is further divided into the somatic nervous system, which controls voluntary movements, and the autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary functions such as heart rate and digestion. The autonomic nervous system itself is divided into two main branches: the sympathetic nervous system, which mobilizes the body’s resources during stressful situations, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which conserves energy and promotes relaxation.
Nerves: bundled atoms that form neural cables connecting the central nervous system with muscles and glands, facilitating communication throughout the body.
Sensory (afferent) Neurons: carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the central nervous system, allowing us to perceive and respond to our environment.
Motor Neurons: transmit outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands, enabling movement and physiological responses.
Interneurons: neurons that reside within the central nervous system, acting as intermediaries that facilitate communication between sensory and motor neurons, thereby processing information and coordinating reflexes.
Twin, family, adoption studies
: are essential research methods in psychology that help in understanding the role of genetics and environment on behavior and traits. These studies explore the similarities and differences between twins, families, and adopted children to assess the influence of heredity and the environment on psychological aspects.
Types of Brain scans
X-Rays: Passes invisible electromagnetic energy beams through the body to create a shadow-like image on a digital detector of special film
Electroencephalograph (EEG): an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain’s surface measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.
Computer Tomography (CT or CAT): a series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combines by computer into a composite representation of a slice of the brains structure
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer generated images of soft tissue
Magnetoencephalography (MEG): a brain imaging technique that measures magnetic fields from the brains natural electrical activity.
Functional MRS (fMRI): a technique that uses magnetic fields and raadio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue, show brain anatomy
Positron Emission Tomography (PET scan): technique for detecting brain activity that displays where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task.