Ch 1 - Biology & Behavior Flashcards

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1
Q

John Dewey

A

Also FUNCTIONALISM

REFLEZ ARCS and reacting to stimuli

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2
Q

Paul Broca

A

Behavioral deficits of people with brain DAMAGE

showed that functional impairments were the result of brain lesions.

“Broca’s area” is an area of the left brain where people who aren’t able to speak tend to have a lesion.

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3
Q

Hermann von Helmholtz

A

First to measure the speed of a nerve impulse

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4
Q

Sir Charles Sherrington

A

SYNAPSES

But he believed these were electrical - which we now know they are chemical!

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5
Q

Franz Gall

A

Phrenology

Measuring the skull

Believed that the brain was associated with certain traits, and when the trait was well-developed, the brain would be larger and push on the skull, causing a bulge on the head.

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6
Q

Pierre Flourens

A

EXTIRPATION

Removing portions of the brain and seeing the behavioral results.

First person to explore the theory that different parts of the brain controlled different things.

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7
Q

William James

A

“Father of American psychology”

FUNCTIONALISM

Adapting to the environment

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7
Q

What are the layers of the meninges?

A

Dura mater - against bone
Arachnoid mater
Pia mater - against brain

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8
Q

What is the “brain stem” versus the limbic system

A

Brain stem: midbrain and hindbrain
Most primitive

Limbic system: forebrain
Feelings and emotions

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9
Q

What are the three main part of the brain in fetal development?

A

Hindbrain - RHOMBENCEPHALON

Midbrain - MESENCEPHALON

Forebrain - PROSENCEPHALON

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10
Q

What is the general purpose of the hindbrain?

What structures does the HINDBRAIN include?

A

Controls balance, motor coordination, breathing, digestion, sleeping and walking

Includes:
Medulla oblongata (myencephalon)
Pons
Cerebellum (both metencephalon)

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11
Q

What does the pons do?

A

Sensory and motor pathways between medulla oblongata and the cerebral cortex

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12
Q

What does the cerebellum do?

A

Maintains posture, balance, and coordinates body movements

Damage to the cerebellum: clumsiness, slurred speech, loss of balance (alcohol impairs the functioning of the cerebellum)

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13
Q

What is the general purpose of the midbrain?

What structures does the MIDBRAIN include?

A

Receive sensory and motor info from the rest of the body. Reflexes: auditory and visual stimuli.

Includes:
Colliculi (superior and inferior)

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14
Q

What do the superior and inferior colliculi do?

A

(They are nuclei: ie, a collection of neurons in the CNS)

Superior: receives VISUAL sensory input

Inferior: receives AUDITORY sensory input (reflexes to loud noises)

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15
Q

What is the general purpose of the forebrain?

What structures does the FOREBRAIN include?

A

Complex perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral processes.

Includes:

TELENCEPHALON (outermost)
Cerebral cortex
Basal ganglia
Limbic system

DIENCEPHALON (innermost)
   Thalamus
   Hypothalamus
   Posterior pituitary gland
   Pineal gland
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16
Q

What does the medulla oblongata do?

A

Regulates vital functions

BREATHING
HEART RATE
BLOOD PRESSURE

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17
Q

What are three ways of MAPPING the brain?

A
  1. Extirpation (invasive)
  2. Using electrical stimulation /electrodes (invasive but can be done with LA only)
  3. EEG (noninv.)
  4. rCBF (noninv.)
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19
Q

How are cortical maps created?

A

Through the use of electrode activation (ie electrical stimulation) in a specific spot in the brain.

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20
Q

What is an EEG?

A

Records electrical activity created by groups of neurons in the brain

Involves placing several electrodes on the scalp

Research in sleep, seizures, and brain lesions rely on EEGs

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21
Q

THALAMUS

A

RELAY
All senses except smell
Receives incoming sensory info
Sorts info and relays them to the correct areas of the cerebral cortex

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22
Q

HYPOTHALAMUS

A
HOMEOSTATIC
(Metabolism, temp, water balance)
Emotional experiences
Endocrine functions 
Controls some ANS
Behavioral drives:
   Hunger
   Thirst
   Sexual behavior
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23
Q

Three parts of the hypothalamus:

A
  1. Lateral
  2. Ventromedial
  3. Anterior
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24
Q

Lateral hypothalamus

LH mnemonic

A

HUNGER CENTRE

triggers eating and drinking

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25
Q

Ventromedial hypothalamus

VMH mnemonic

A

SATIETY CENTRE

Provides signals to stop eating
Brain lesion here = obesity

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26
Q

Anterior hypothalamus

A mnemonic

A

SEXUAL CENTRE

Also: regulation of sleep and body temperature

Damage here - lack of sex drive

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27
Q

Posterior pituitary

A

Releases ADH (vasopressin) and oxytocin

28
Q

Pineal gland

A

Biological rhythms

Secretes MELATONIN which regulates circadian rhythms

Receives input directly from the retina for coordination with sunlight

29
Q

Basal ganglia

A

POSTURE and MOVEMENT

Coordinates MUSCLE movement by sending info (via extrapyramidal motor system) from the cerebral cortex to the brain and spinal cord

PARKINSON’s involves destruction of the basal ganglia

Also plays a role on schizophrenia, and OCD

30
Q

What is the extrapyramidal more system?

A

Gathers info about BODY POSITION and bring info the CNS

31
Q

The limbic system

A

EMOTIONS AND MEMORY

(Interconnected looping structures)

Includes:
Septal nuclei
Amygdala
Hippocampus

32
Q

Septal nuclei

A

Pleasure centre

Associated with addictive behavior

33
Q

Amygdala

A

Defensive and aggressive behaviors

When removed: more docile but also hyper sexual behavior (Rhesus monkeys)

34
Q

Hippocampus

A

Learning and memory

Particularly long-term memory!

Communicates with the rest of the limbic system using the FORNIX, a long projection

35
Q

What is ANTEROGRADE AMNESIA?

How might it happen?

A

Can’t make any new long-term memories, but events that occurred before injury are usually intact

Can happen when the hippocampus is removed

36
Q

What is RETROGRADE amnesia?

A

Memory loss to events that happened BEFORE an injury

Eg: Korsakoff’s syndrome, can result from thiamine deficiency in the brain

37
Q

Cerebral cortex
(Basic structure)
(4 lobes)

A

Many bumps called GYRI or SULCI
These increase surface area
R and L cerebral hemispheres

4 lobes:  "F-POT"
FRONTAL
PARIETAL
OCCIPITAL
TEMPORAL
38
Q

FRONTAL LOBE

What are the two major parts of the frontal lobe?

What does each do (brief)

What would damage to each result in?

A
PREFRONTAL CORTEX
Executive functions 
(Ie not memory itself but reminding us to remember something at all)
Damage: impairs supervisory functions 
(Apathy, rude remarks)

MOTOR CORTEX
Initiates voluntary motor movements
Finer motor control muscles take up more space in the cortex

39
Q

FRONTAL LOBE

What are two areas of the PREFRONTAL CORTEX ?

A

“Association area”
Integrates input from other areas of the brain
(Ie multiple input to solve a puzzle)

“Projection area”
Perform simple conceptual and motor tasks
(Ie: visual and moving of muscles)

40
Q

FRONTAL LOBE

Where exactly is the MOROR CORTEX of the frontal lobe located?

A

On the precentral gyrus

In front of the CENTRAL SULCUS which seperate a the frontal and parietal lobes

41
Q

FRONTAL LOBE

What is the MOTOR HUMUNCULUS

A

The idea that more fine-motor muscles take up a larger part of the motor cortex compared to their actual physical size:

Hands, face, feet.

42
Q

FRONTAL LOBE

What is BROCA’s AREA

A

Left hemisphere (dominant hemisphere)

Vitally important for speech production

43
Q

Which hemisphere is the DOMINANT hemisphere?

How is it determined?

A

For most people, it is the LEFT hemisphere
(Regardless whether someone is right or left handed)

Determined by whichever hemisphere is MOST HEAVILY STIMULATED during language reception and production

44
Q

What is an rCBF?

A

Regional cerebral blood flow

Detects patterns of neuron activity based on the blood flow to different parts of the brain

Pt’s inhale a harmless radioactive gas, then uses CT scan or PET scan or MRI to generate pictures of the brain

45
Q

PARIETAL LOBE

Central region

A

Spatial processing

Ability to orient self and others, 3D space
Ie, map-reading

46
Q

OCCIPITAL LOBE

What is the visual cortex?

What else is it called?

A

“Striate cortex”

Visual information is processed here

Also some implications in learning and motor control

47
Q

TEMPORAL LOBE

Auditory cortex

A

Primary site of sound processing

Speech, music, other sounds

48
Q

TEMPORAL LOBE

Wernick’s Area

A

Language reception and comprehension

49
Q

TEMPORAL LOBE

Other functions

A

Memory processing
Emotion

Close in proximity to he hippocampus

50
Q

BROCA’s area and WERNICK’s area

A

Broca: language production
FRONTAL LOBE

Wernick: language comprehension
PARIETAL LOBE

51
Q

PARIETAL LOBE

What is the SOMATOSENSORY cortex?

TPTP

A

Located at the postcentral gyrus

Processes somatosensory information (touch, pressure, temperature, pain)

Similar to MOROR homunculus: SOMATOSENSORY HUMUNCULUS (lips, finger, tongue, sex organs)

52
Q

Contralaterality

Exceptions?

A

One side of the brain communicates with the opposite side of the body

(This is USUALLY true)

Exception: HEARING - parts of the brain communicate IPSILATERALLY same side of the body

53
Q

NONDOMINANT HEMISPHERE

A

USUALLY THE RIGHT

CREATIVITY, intuition, music, spatial processing

Pieces of stimulus into a holistic image

Less prominent role in language
More receptive to tones, moods, other aspects if communication

54
Q

Corpus callosum

Example of dysfunction

A

Connects the R and L hemispheres, and shares info between them

(Ie object in L hand, felt via R hemisphere, could not be named because the R hemisphere could not talk to the L hemisphere (speech) )

55
Q

Acetylcholine

A

Neurotransmitter for efferent limbs if the somatic nervous system (movement of limbs)

Also for parasympathetic nervous system

Used in some parts of the brain for AROUSAL and ATTENTION

56
Q

Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, Dopamine

A

“CATECHOLAMINES”

Play an important role in the experience of emotions

57
Q

Epinephrine and norepinephrine

A

(Adrenaline and noradrenaline)

Control alertness and wakefulness

Sympathetic nervous system
Epinephrine - acts systemically as a hormone
Norepinephrine - acts more locally

High norepinephrine: mania, anxiety
Low norepinephrine: depression

58
Q

Dopamine

A

Movement and posture

High concentrations of dopamine are found in the basal ganglia (help smooth movements and maintain posture)

59
Q

Dopamine and schizophrenia

A

“Dopamine hypothesis of schizo.”

Delusions and hallucinations arise from too much dopamine or an over sensitivity to dopamine in the brain.

(Important but does not account for all the findings of the disease)

60
Q

Dopamine and Parkinson’s disease

A

Associated with a loss of dopaminergic neurons in the basal ganglia

Disruptions in dopamine lead to resting tremors and postural instability

61
Q

Serotonin

A

Regulates mood, eating, sleeping, dreaming

Like norepinephrine, serotonin is thought to play a role in mania and depression (same as norepi = high levels linked to mania, low levels linked to depression)

62
Q

What are the 4 monoamine / biogenic amine neurotransmitters?

A

The 3 catecholamines
Epinephrine
Norepinephrine
Dopamine

Serotonin

63
Q

GABA

A

?-aminobutyric acid

Produces inhibitory potentials (causes hyper-polarization of the post synaptic membrane)

Stabilizes neural activity in the brain

64
Q

Peptide neurotransmitters

A

Called “neuromodulators” or “neuropeptides”

Complicated chain of events in postsynaptic cell –> hence these act more slowly and have longer effects on the cell

ENDORPHINS
ENKEPHALINS
Have similar actions to morphine and other opioids: “painkillers”

65
Q

Dominant hemisphere

A

(Review: Most heavily stimulated
by speech production and reception)

USUALLY THE LEFT

ANALYTIC in function
Managing details, logic, math skills