Chapter 2

Question 1

neural processing

Answer 1

interaction of signals of many neurons

Question 2

what kind of signals do neurons create?

Answer 2

electrical signals

Question 3

neurons

Answer 3

millions of nerve cells that communicate for perception to occur

Question 4

structure/parts of neurons

Answer 4

dendrite

cell body

axons

sensory receptors

Question 5

dendrites

Answer 5

area that receives electrical signals via chemicals (neurotransmitters)

Question 6

cell body

Answer 6

aka soma

important to operate the neuron

contains all organelles

Question 7

axon

Answer 7

nerve fiber containing fluid that creates electrical signals

aka vertebrae

Question 8

parts of axon

Answer 8

white matter (lipids that make up axons)

ionic fluids (fluids that can produce electrical signals)

+ myelin sheath (surrounds axon to speed up action potential)

Question 9

sensory receptors

Answer 9

specialized neurons that respond to specific kinds of energy

Question 10

small electrode

Answer 10

device that records inside the axon to see electrical signal

Question 11

resting potential

Answer 11

no electrical signal in neuron

-70 mV inside axon

Question 12

action potential

Answer 12

aka nerve impulse

electrical signal in neuron

+40 mV inside axon

lasts about 1 ms

Question 13

properties of action potentials

Answer 13

propagated response

nerve impulse

rate

refractory period

spontaneous activity

Question 14

propagated response

Answer 14

electrical signal travels down the axon to terminal buttons without decreasing in size

intensity of nerve impulse remains at +40 mV

Question 15

nerve impulse

Answer 15

electrical firing

Question 16

rate

Answer 16

strength of nerve impulse

how fast or slow

Question 17

refractory period

Answer 17

time in which nerve impulses do not occur

heads toward resting potential

prevents process from going back

Question 18

spontaneous activity

Answer 18

electrical firing that occurs without stimulation from a stimulus

can happen randomly

could be used as baseline comparison for likelihood of an increase or decrease of action potentials

Question 19

chemical basis of action potentials

Answer 19

axons contain ions in and out of membrane

*Na+ creates action potential; K+ balances

Question 20

what charged ions are concentrated inside the axon during a resting potential?

Answer 20

more (-) charged ions inside during resting potential

Question 21

what happens to potassium and sodium ions during an action potential?

Answer 21

during action potential, Na+ gets inside axon and K+ gets out

Question 22

sodium-potassium (Na+/K+) pump

Answer 22

Na+/K+ pump helps return axon to resting potential after action potential

Question 23

synapse

Answer 23

tiny space between neurons

Question 24

neurotransmitters

Answer 24

chemicals released into synapse

determines electrical signals

released by terminal buttons and sent to dendrites to either excite or inhibit signals to that neuron

Question 25

polarization

Answer 25

resting potential (-70 mV) on the side of negatively charged ions

Question 26

depolarization

Answer 26

excitatory response triggers action potentials more positive ions inside axon rising phase of action potentials

Question 27

hyperpolarization

Answer 27

inhibitory response prevents action potentials more negative ions inside axon falling phase of action potentials

Question 28

importance of inhibition

Answer 28

allow info to also be processed or detected in the environment just like excitatory responses not all perception relies on excitatory info only

Question 29

sensory coding

Answer 29

focuses on how neurons represent various characteristics in the environment in the brain 3 types: specificity, sparse, population

Question 30

specificity coding

Answer 30

specialized neuron that responds or fires to one concept or stimulus grandmother cell (by Lettvin in 1960s; anything connected to grandmother would fire a particular neuron for your grandmother in the brain)

Question 31

why is the grandmother cell theory not accepted anymore?

Answer 31

more than 1 neuron is required for communication

Question 32

sparse coding

Answer 32

pattern of firing with a small group of neurons to represent stimulus only some neurons will fire but not the majority of neurons in the brain

Question 33

population coding

Answer 33

pattern of firing with large number of neurons

Question 34

Franz Joseph Gall and Johann Spurzheim (1700s)

Answer 34

proposed phrenology

Question 35

phrenology

Answer 35

mapping of the brain through bumps and contours on the person's skull (skull represented abilities and traits in the brain) later debunked because of inconsistencies, but led the idea that the brain had different areas of function

Question 36

modularity

Answer 36

idea that specific areas of the cortex are specialized to respond to specific types of stimuli

Question 37

modules

Answer 37

brain areas containing neurons that specialize in processing certain info early examples came from humans with brain damage

Question 38

broca's area

Answer 38

damage to the left frontal lobe would cause problems with speech production

Question 39

wernicke's area

Answer 39

damage to the left temporal lobe would cause problems with speech comprehension

Question 40

neuropsychology

Answer 40

study of how brain damage affects behavior field that provided evidence for modularity

Question 41

brain imaging

Answer 41

advanced methods to examine modularity examples: MRI, fMRI

Question 42

MRI

Answer 42

magnetic resonance imaging only see brain structure

Question 43

fMRI

Answer 43

functional magnetic resonance imaging can see movement (neural activity) in the brain through blood flow because neurons require oxygen from the blood

Question 44

hemoglobin

Answer 44

red blood cell carries oxygen in the blood contains iron (ferrous molecules) that can be used for magnetic info

Question 45

what happens to hemoglobin when more brain activity occurs?

Answer 45

more brain activity = more hemoglobin in blood

Question 46

distributed representation

Answer 46

stimulus fires across different parts of the brain rather than in one single brain area example: processing (representing) pain (the stimulus) is spread