Psych Exam 2 – Flashcards

Adaptation, adaptability, and adapt:

plasticity

meaning that the brain does a wonderful job of pulling information together. Sounds, sights, touch, taste, smells, hearing—the brain integrates all of these as we function in the world.

50 million

The body's electrochemical communication circuitry.

External

Sympathetic

central and peripheral

Central

Somatic and the Autonomic

Somatic

Plasticity

Afferent Arrive at the brain and spinal cord Efferent Exit the brain and spinal cord

Sensory Nerves

Motor Nerves

Neural Networks

Brain and spinal cord

99%

Network that connects the brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body

Somatic and Autonomic

rouses the body and prepares it for action

Calms the body

Behavioral Neuroscience Cognitive Neuroscience Neuropsychology

Complexity Integration Adaptability Plasticity Electrochemical Transmission

Afferent = Sensory Nerves Efferent = Motor Nerves

muscles, glands, and sense organs

the peripheral nervous system

Axons

Brain and Spinal Cord

Autonomic and Somatic (skeletal)

Sympathetic Nervous System --- arousing Parasympathetic Nervous System --- calming

sympathetic nervous system (NE and EPI)

Stress hormones (cortisol)

Acute stress is momentary. Chronic stress is continuous.

Neurons Glia

the cells life support center

receive messages from other cells

pass messages away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, or glands

electronic signal traveling down the axon

covers the axon of some neurons and helps speed neural impulses

form junctions with other cells

Stable, negative charge of inactive neuron

Brief, positive electrical charge, or firing Abides by the all-or-nothing principle

Space between neurons (synaptic gap) Presynaptic, gap, postsynaptic

Stored in synaptic vesicles within terminal buttons Chemical signals which allow impulses to cross synaptic gaps

Agonist Drug that mimics or increases effects of neurotransmitter Antagonist Drug that blocks effects of neurotransmitter

Brain Lesioning Staining

Phrenology Electroencephalogram (EEG) Computed Tomography (CT) Scan Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

Pons Medulla Cerebellum Reticular Formation **The Brain Stem

Reticular Formation

Cerebral Cortex (cerebrum) Subcortical Structures

Thalamus Hypothalamus Limbic System - Amygdala, hippocampus Basal Ganglia Corpus Callosum

the Cortex

Frontal Temporal Parietal Occipital

Association Cortex

Frontal Lobe

Parietal Lobe

"uncommitted" or association areas

The Endocrine System

Brain grafts Stem cells

Collateral Sprouting Substitution of Function Neurogenesis

the brain's capacity for modification, as evident in brain reorganization following damage

a condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) between them

Hemispheres

Right Hand Logical Thinking Language Ability Writing Science and Math Work

Left Hand Musical and Artistic Ability Perception of space imagination and fantasizing Body Control and Awareness

Specialized cells that detect stimulus information and transmit it to sensory (afferent) nerves and brain

Photoreceptors Mechanoreceptors Chemoreceptors

Vision - Photoreceptors - Eyes Hearing - Mechanoreceptors - Ears Touch - Mechanoreceptors - Skin Smell - Chemoreceptors - Nose Taste - Chemoreceptors - Tongue

Synaesthesia One sense induces experience in another sense Phantom Limb Pain Reported pain in amputated arm or leg

Minimum amount of detectable stimulus energy Subliminal perception

When stimuli are below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness

minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time just noticeable difference (JND)

The process by which sense organs convert energy from the environmental events into neural activity

Wavelength ---- Hue, or color Amplitude ---- Brightness Purity ---- Saturation, or richness

high frequency (bluish colors, high-pitched sounds)

low frequency (reddish colors, low-pitched sounds)

(bright colors, loud sounds)

(dull colors, soft sounds)

120 Million

6 Million

Cones - Center Rods - Periphery

Rods

Cones

Wavelength Trichromatic Theory of Color Vision: Blue (short) Green (medium) Red (long)

Visual system treats colors as complementary pairs. Supports trichromatic, but says that ganglia in retina are involved, too. Conclusion: Both theories are correct.

Red/Green Color Blindness Blue/Yellow Color Blindness Cerebral Achromatopsia

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

Bottom-Up Processing Top-Down Processing

analysis that begins with the sense receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations

organized whole tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes

Objects that are close together in proximity are automatically grouped together

Grouping similar items together. e.g. grouping winter and summer clothes together. Grouping Laundry by color and type of clothes.

We want to see things as one continuous object. E.G. A man behind a tree. a square as a box and not 4 lines.

When we automatically fill in the gaps.

Binocular and Monocular Cues

retinal disparity -images from the two eyes differ -closer the object, the larger the disparity convergence -neuromuscular cue -two eyes move inward for near objects

Interposition Linear Perspective Relative Size Texture Gradient Relative Motion -Motion Parallax

Recognition that objects are constant even though sensory input is changing Size constancy Same size despite retinal image changes Shape constancy Same shape despite orientation changes Color constancy Same color despite light changes

many projections from the soma/cell body. These branches are responsible for bringing messages into the soma. Messages come from the synapse, along the dendrites, toward the soma.

Short, hairlike projections on the dendrites. These increase the surface area of dendrites, thus increasing the likelihood of dendrites receiving messages. Directly influenced by environmental stimuli (or lack thereof).

The main portion of the cell, this is similar to most cells in the body. Contains the nucleus and many organelles.

Long projection out of soma. Most neurons have only one. This carries information away from the soma and toward the terminal buttons/axon terminals. May be myelinated (which speeds up the message).

Also called neurofibril nodes. These are the gaps in myelin sheath. On myelinated axons, the myelin is not constant. It is comprised of different segments of myelination, with gaps between them known as nodes of ranvier. These gaps are where the action potential is regenerated as the message is sent down the axon.

Fatty, insulating, segmented covering along many axons in the human body. Myelin is made from a type of cell called a glial cell. Myelin serves to protect, nourish, and insulate the axon. Gaps in the myelin sheath are called nodes of ranvier.

The "Brain" of the cell. Contains most hereditary information for each cell and is responsible for the metabolic activity of cells. Found in the soma.

Rounded projections on the end of axons. There are many terminals at the end of each axon. This is where neurotransmitters are often stored and then released into the synapse. Also called presynaptic terminal.

--cell is polarized at -70Â mv (relative to outside) --cell outside membrane = positive (Na+ ions) --cell inside membrane = negative charge (K+ ions and lots of negatively charged proteins) --Ion gates keep positively charged sodium on outside of cell membrane.

--axon inside becomes positive relative to outside of axon --firing threshold= -60 mv (in mammals) --action potential is entire sequence, lasting about 3 ms

an action potential either happens or it doesn't. Once it starts, it will continue down the entire length of the axon. If you do NOT reach the threshold, the action potential will not happen. --SaltatoryConduction speeds up transmission rate; potential "jumps" from One Node of Ranvier to the next (skipping myelin sheathed areas). The nodes of ranvier (also known as neurofibril nodes) are gaps in the myelin sheeth. Saltatory conduction is when the action potential travels down a myelinated axon.

Acetylcholine (ACh): first neurotransmitter discovered; associated with memory and muscle activity Dopamine (DA): the reward NT; makes you feel GOOD; associated with addictive drugs and behaviors Norepinephrine (NE): involved in depression, attention, arousal, and some food intake; VERY commonly affected by anti-depressants Serotonin (5HT): aggression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), body weight maintenance and regulation, depression; also commonly affected by anti-depressants GABA: primary inhibitory NT in the CNS Glutamate: primary excitatory NT in the CNS

first neurotransmitter discovered; associated with memory and muscle activity

the reward NT; makes you feel GOOD; associated with addictive drugs and behaviors

involved in depression, attention, arousal, and some food intake; VERY commonly affected by anti-depressants

aggression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), body weight maintenance and regulation, depression; also commonly affected by anti-depressants

primary inhibitory NT in the CNS

primary excitatory NT in the CNS

Axon terminals release NT into the synapse (from vesicles). Once there, the NT passively spreads across the cleft until it makes contact with a receptor or until it is destroyed or removed. · Reuptake: recycling the NT back up into the presynaptic terminal · Degradation: breaking the NT down into components that no longer affect the receptors

recycling the NT back up into the presynaptic terminal

breaking the NT down into components that no longer affect the receptors

Agonist: mimics or increases the effect of NT Antagonist: blocks the effect of the NT

mimics or increases the effect of NT

blocks the effect of the NT

Epinephrine and Norepinephrine

Early childhood

nucleus

pituitary gland

aphasia

changes in personality

hypothalamus

hindbrain

Positron emission tomography (PET)

Staining

motor function, learning, and memory

The myelin sheath

Monocular Cues

Binocular

Fovea

help maintain the shape of the eye and protect it from injury

optic chiasm

sensory adaptation

sensory adaptation

Weber's law