biological bases of behavior (modules 9-15) Flashcards
(113 cards)
1
Q
acetylcholine function
A
enables muscle action, learning, and memory
2
Q
dopamine function
A
influences movement, attention, learning, and emotion (male)
3
Q
serotonin function
A
affects sleep, hunger, arousal and mood (sham)
4
Q
norepinephrine function
A
helps control alertness and arousal
5
Q
GABA function
A
a major inhibitory neurotransmitter
6
Q
glutamate function
A
a major excitatory neurotransmitter involved in memory
7
Q
agonist
A
a molecule that increases a neurotransmitter’s action
8
Q
antagonist
A
a molecule that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter’s action
9
Q
endorphins function
A
neurotransmitters that influence the perception of pain
10
Q
neurotransmitter
A
chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons
11
Q
synapse
A
the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite of the receiving neuron
12
Q
schwann cell
A
cells that create the myelin sheath
13
Q
Alzheimers disease
A
this is when ACh producing neurons deteriorate
14
Q
oversupply of dopamine
A
linked to schizophrenia
15
Q
undersupply of dopamine
A
linked to tremors and parkinson’s disease
16
Q
undersupply of serotonin
A
linked to depression
17
Q
undersupply of norepinephrine
A
can depress mood
18
Q
undersupply of GABA
A
linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia
19
Q
oversupply of glutamate
A
overstimulates the brain causing migraines and seizures
20
Q
oversupply of opiate drugs
A
suppresses the body’s natural endorphins, rendering them useless
21
Q
action potential
A
a neural impulse or a brief electrical charge sent down the axon
22
Q
thyroid gland
A
affects metabolism and releases thyrotropin
23
Q
hormones
A
chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands
24
Q
neuron
A
a nerve cell, the basic building block of the nervous system
25
cell body
part of the neuron that contains the nucleus and is the cell's life-support center
26
dendrites
a neuron's bushy, branching extensions that receive and integrate messages, conducting impulses toward the cell body
27
axon
the neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands
28
myelin sheath
-a fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons
-enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next
29
glial cells
-cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons
-also play a role in learning, thinking, and memory
30
threshold
the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
31
action potential
-a neural impulse
-a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
32
refractory period
-a brief resting pause that occurs after a neuron has fired
-subsequent action potentials cannot occur until the axon returns to its resting state
33
all-or-none response
a neurons reaction of either firing with a full strength response or not firing
34
selectively permeable
the axons surface is selective about what it lets through
35
resting potential
state where the axon is negative inside and positive outside
36
depolarization
the loss of the inside/outside charge difference that then results in the next set of axon channels opening and positive charges flow inward
37
excitatory neural signals
are like pushing a neuron's gas pedal
38
inhibitory neural signals
are like pushing a neurons brake pedal
39
synaptic gap
the space that separates the axon terminal of one neuron from the receiving neuron
40
reuptake
a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron
41
nervous system
the body's speedy electrochemical communication network consisting of all the nerve cells of peripheral and central nervous systems
42
central nervous system
the brain and spinal cord
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peripheral nervous system
the sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body
44
nerves
bundled axons that form neural cables connections the CNS with muscles, glands, and sense organs
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sensory neurons
-aka afferent neurons
-carry messages from the body's tissues and sensory receptors inward to the brain and spinal cord for processing
46
motor neurons
-aka efferent neurons
-carry instructions from the CNS outwards to the body's muscles and glands
47
interneurons
-neurons in the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and process information from the sensory inputs to the motor outputs
48
somatic nervous system
enables voluntary control of our skeletal muscles
49
autonomic nervous system
controls our glands and internal organ muscles
50
sympathetic nervous system
-subsystem of the ANS that arouses and expends energy
-fight or flight
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parasympathetic nervous system
-subsystem of the ANS that calms the body and conserves energy
52
sympathetic nervous system effects
-pupil dilation
-accelerating heart beat
-inhibits digestion
-stimulates glucose release by liver
-stimulates secretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine in adrenal glands
-stimulates ejaculation in males
53
parasympathetic nervous system effects
-pupil contraction
-slows heartbeat
-stimulates digestion
-stimulates gallbladder
-contracts bladder
-allows bloodflow to sex organs
54
reflex
a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus such as the knee-jerk response
55
endocrine system
the body's slow chemical communication system
-a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
56
hypothalamus
brain region that controls the pituitary gland
57
adrenal glands
triggers the fight or flight response
-release epinephrine and norepinephrine
58
thyroid gland
impacts metabolism
59
pituitary gland
-controls the hypothalamus
-secretes different hormones some of which affect other glands
-regulates growth
60
brain lesion
a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue
61
EEG (electroencephalogram)
an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brains surface with electrodes placed on the scalp
62
MEG (magnetoencephalography)
a brain imaging technique that measures magnetic fields from the brains natural electrical activity
63
CT/CAT scan
a series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice of the brain's structure
64
PET scan
a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a task
65
MRI
a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer generated images of soft tissue and show brain anatomy
66
fMRI
a technique for revealing bloodflow and therefore brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans
-shows brain function and structure
67
brainstem
the oldest part and central core of the brain
-responsible for automatic survival functions
-the medulla, the pons, the reticular formation, the thalamus and the cerebellum
68
medulla
the base of the brainstem that controls heart beat and breathing
69
thalamus
the top of the brainstem and the brains sensory control center
-directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla
70
reticular formation
nerve network that travels through the brainstem into the thalamus and plays an important role in controlling arousal
71
cerebellum
the rear of the brainstem that coordinates movement, balance, nonverbal learning and memory, and the sensory input
72
the pons
sits above the medulla and relay signals to the cerebellum that coordinates movement and controls sleep
73
the limbic system
neural system associated with emotions and drives and is located beneath the cerebral hemispheres
-amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus
74
amygdala
two lima bean sized structures in the limbic system that deal with emotion
75
hypothalamus
neural structure below the thalamus that directs maintenance activities such as eating, drinking, body temperature, and helps govern the endocrine system via pituitary gland
76
hippocampus
neural center located in limbic system that helps process storage for explicit memories of facts and events
77
which scans show brain function?
CT scans and MRIs
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which scans can reveal brain function?
EEG, MEG, PET and fMRI recordings
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cerebral cortex
the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres
-the body's ultimate control and information processing center
80
frontal lobes
the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead
-involved with speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements
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parietal lobes
the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and towards the rear
-receives sensory information for touch and body position
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occipital lobes
the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head
-areas receives information from the visual fields
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temporal lobes
the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears
-includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily rom the opposite ear
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motor cortex
an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements
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somatosensory cortex
an area at the front of the parietal loves that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations
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association areas
areas of the cerebral cortex that are involved with higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, speaking
87
plasticity
the brain's ability to change by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience
88
neurogenesis
the formation of new neurons
89
split brain
a condition that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers connecting them
90
corpus callosum
the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them
91
consciousness
our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment
92
cognitive neuroscience
the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked cognition including perception, thinking, memory, and language
93
dual processing
the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks
94
blindsight
a condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it
95
sequential processing
processing one aspect of a problem at a time
-used to process new information or solve difficult problems
96
parallel processing
processing multiple aspects of a problem at a time
-used to process well learned information or to solve easy problems
97
behavior genetics
the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior
98
heredity
the genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring
99
environment
every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us
100
chromosomes
threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes
101
DNA deoxyribonucleic acid
a complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes
102
genes
the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomesg
103
genome
the complete instructions for making an organism consisting of all the genetic material in that organisms chromosomes
104
identical (monozygotic) twins
develop from a single fertilized egg that splits into creating two genetically identical individuals
105
fraternal (dizygotic) twins
develop from separate fertilized eggs
106
interaction
the interplay that occurs when the effect of one factor such as environment depends on another factor such a heredity
107
molecular genetics
the subfield of biology that studies molecular structure and the function of genes
108
molecular behavior genetics
the study of how the structure and function of gens interact with our environment to influence behavior
109
epigenetics
the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change
110
evolutionary psychology
the study of the elution of behavior and the mind using principles of natural selection
111
natural selection
the principle that inherited traits that better an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations
112
mutation
a random error in gene replication hat leads to a changes
113
social script
a culturally modeled guide for how to act in various sitution
