UNIT 3 Flashcards
(82 cards)
What is the Nervous system responsible for
Control and communication
What does the nervous system consists of?
brain, spinal cord, sensory organs, and all nerves within the body
What does the nervous system control?
bodily functions, both voluntary and involuntary
Two main systems of the nervous system
Central Nervous System
Peripheral Nervous System
What does the CNS consist of
brain and spinal cord
What does the PNS consist of
all the nerve fibres outside of the CNS
What are neurons
functional unit of the brain and are capable of generating and transmitting electrical signals
What are dendrites
Projections of a neuron that receive signals from other neurons
what are myelin sheath
Fatty substance that surrounds nerve cells. Myelin forms a sheath around the axon of the neuron, providing a layer of insulation and increasing the rate of transmission along the axon
what is an axon
Slender projection of a neuron that conducts electrical impulses away from the cell body and towards the next cell in the pathway. These electrical impulses are known as action potentials
What is a synapse (neuronal junction)
area that the electrical impulse is transferred from one neuron to the dendrites of a second neuron
lobes of the brain
Frontal
Parietal
Temporal
Occipital
What is the frontal lobe responsible for?
higher level cognitive functions and control of voluntary movement - planning, goal-directed behaviour, decision-making, complex problem-solving, cognitive control
What is the parietal lobe responsible for?
Processes information about temperature, taste, touch, and movement
What is the temporal lobe responsible for?
processes memories, integrating them with sensations of taste, sound, sight, and touch
What is the occipital lobe responsible for?
Vision
What is the most important brain area that undergoes major development in early adulthood?
Front portion of the frontal lobe
What covers the four lobes of the brain
Grey and white matter
White matter
Mostly found under the cortex and within the cerebrum. It contains myelinated axons
Grey matter
Mostly found within the cortex of the brain. It contains neuronal cell bodies and synapses
When does brain development peak and why?
Early to middle adulthood. - The amount of grey matter in the brain decreases with age and the amount of white matter increases
Why does grey matter decrease and white matter increase?
White matter volume increases by 1% annually during adolesce
- Myelination
- Axon growth
What happens to the brain during early adulthood
brain undergoes a period of accelerated growth marked by key changes
Stages of accelerated growth of the brain
- increased synaptic pruning
- Increased myelination
- improved connectivity