Flashcards in Biological Bases of Behavior Deck (66):
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neuroanatomy
the study of the parts and function of neurons
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neurons
individual nerve cells that make up our entire nervous system
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dendrites
rootlike parts of the nerve cell that stretch out from the cell body; grow to make synaptic connections with other neurons
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cell body (soma)
contains the nucleus and other parts of the cell needed to sustain its life
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axon
wirelike structure ending in the terminal buttons that extends from the cell body
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myelin sheath
a fatty covering around the axon that speeds neural impulses
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terminal buttons
also called: end buttons, terminal branches of axon, synaptic knobs
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neurotransmitters
chemicals contained in terminal buttons that enable neurons to communicate
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synapse
the space beween the terminal buttons of one neuron and the dendrites of the next neurons
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action potential
the local voltage change across the cell wall as a nerve impulse is transmitted
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function of acetylcholine
motor movement
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lack of acetylcholine
Alzheimer's disease
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function of dopamine
motor movement and alertness
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lack of dopamine
Parkinson's disease
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overabundance of dopamine
schizophrenia
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function of endorphins
pain control; involved in addictions
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function of serotonin
mood control
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lack of serotonin
associated with clinical depression
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afferent neurons
neurons that take information from the senses to the brain
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interneurons
in the brain or spinal cord, neurons that take messages and send them elsewhere in the brain or spinal cord
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efferent neurons
neurons that take information from the brain to the rest of the body
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Central Nervous System
consists of the brain and spinal cord; nerves encased in bone
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Peripheral Nervous System
consists of nerves not encased in bone
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Somatic Nervous System
controls voluntary muscle movements
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Autonomic Nervous System
controls the automatic functions of our body
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Sympathetic Nervous System
part of the Autonomic Nervous System
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Parasympathetic Nervous System
part of the Autonomic Nervous System
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Phineas Gage
a railroad worker involved in an accident that damaged the front part of his brain
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lesioning
the removal or destruction of part of the brain
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frontal lobotomy
type of lesioining that was used to treat mentally ill patiens
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electroencephalogram (EEG)
detects brain waves, used in sleep research
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Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT)
a sophisticated 3D X ray of the brain
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Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
a sophisticated 3D magnetic field image of the brain
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Portion Emission Tomography (PET)
measures how much of a certain chemical parts of the brain is using
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Functional MRI
combination of MRI and PET
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hindbrain
structures in the top part of the spinal cord, controls basic biological functions that keep us alive
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medulla
part of hindbrain
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pons
part of hindbrain
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cerebellum
part of hindbrain
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midbrain
coordinates simple movements with sensory information
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reticular formation
a netlike collection of cells throughout the hindbrain that controls general body arousal and he ability to focus our attention
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forebrain
controls thought and reason
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thalamus
part of forebrain
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hypothalamus
part of forebrain
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amygdala and hippocampus
hippocampus- arms surrounding the thalamus
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limbic system
made up of thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala and hippocampus
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fissures
wrinkles in the cerebral cortex
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contralateral control
each hemisphere of the brain controls the opposite side of the body
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brain lateralization/hemispheric specialization
specialization of function in each hemisphere
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corpus callosum
the nerve bundle that connects the two hempisheres; cut in split-brain patients
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split-brain patients
patients whose corpus callosums have been cut
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association area
any area of the cerebral cortex that is not associated with receiving sensory information or controlling muscle movements
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frontal lobes
part of the cerebral cortex
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Broca's area
in the frontal lobe
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motor cortex
in the frontal lobe
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parietal lobes
contains sensory cortex (somato-sensory cortex)
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sensory cortex (somato-sensory cortex)
receives incoming touch sensations from the rest of the body
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occipital lobes
at the very back of the brain
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temporal lobes
unlike occipital lobes, sound from either ear is processed in both temporal lobes
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Wernicke's area
located in temporal lobe
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brain plasticity
the ability of other parts of the brain to take over functions of damaged regions. Declines as hemispheres of the cerebral cortex lateralize.
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adrenal glands
produce adrenaline, which causes rest of body to go into fight or flight mode
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Thomas Bouchard
conducted study on identical twins that found a correlation of 0.69 on IQ, criticized because their similar appearances may have led to their being treated similarly
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Turner's syndrome
only one X chromosome in the 23rd pair
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Klinefelter's syndrome
extra X chromosome
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