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PSYCH 100 > Week 6 > Flashcards

Week 6 Flashcards

1
Q

What is experimental ablation and how does it work?

A

Experimental ablation involves creating a brain lesion (stroke) that targets a specific area of the brain to study the effects on behavior. (destroying a specific part of the brain)

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2
Q

What are target mutations?

A

Target mutations genetically knock out a specific region of the brain or neurotransmitter receptor type, to study its effect.

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3
Q

What is neural plasticity?

A

The brain changing in response to learning and/or injury

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4
Q

How do we study intact brains and describe each?

A

We study intact brains with the use of CT scans that use X-rays. PET scans that use radioactive dyes (substances that are injected into the body to enhance the visibility of internal structures in imaging techniques) to measure glucose/energy and MRI scans that use magnetic fields to study the structure of the brain.

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5
Q

What type of blood do working areas of the brain use?

A

Oxygenated blood

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6
Q

How can the brain’s electrochemical signals be measured and why is it used?

A

They are measured using sensitive electrodes, placing them all around the head to detect what parts of the brain are active during different kinds of activities.

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7
Q

What is a functional MRI scan(fMRI)?

A

Functional MRI scans are like MRI scans except they can observe and record the blood flow within the brain, allowing another view of the brain’s activity.

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8
Q

What is an electroencephalography (EEG)?

A

Electroencephalography (EEG) uses electrodes to measure electrical activity

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9
Q

What is diffuse optical imaging?

A

Diffuse optical imaging detects changes in blood oxygen levels.

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10
Q

What is electromyography (EMG)?

A

EMG measures the electrical signals generated by muscles during contraction.

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11
Q

Which scans would you use to look at the brain structures involved in specific activities?

A

fMRI and PET

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12
Q

What is temporal resolution?

A

Temporal resolution describes a techniques ability to show you exactly when the activation of mental processes is happening.

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13
Q

What is spatial resolution?

A

Spatial resolution refers to the capacity a technique has in showing you exactly which area of the brain is active.

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14
Q

In the context of temporal and spacial resolution how good are the EEG, fMRI and PET?

A

EEG- Excellent temporal, limited spatial

fMRI- Moderate temporal, good spatial

PET- Poor temporal, good spatial

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15
Q

How to choose your scan?

A

Risk to the patient (radioactive dye), what are you measuring (location, activity, coordination between different areas) and cost (EEG-cheap, fMRI- expensive)

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16
Q

What is transcranial magnetic stimulation?

A

Transcranial magnetic stimulation uses magnetic waves to trigger an electric current in the brain. This is particularly valuable because it can be used on healthy, conscious human participants who can then report what they felt or thought.

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17
Q

What is transcranial direct stimulation?

A

Transcranial direct stimulation uses electrodes for a direct electrical current.

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18
Q

What are the two major problems with transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct stimulation?

A

When applied to humans, they are almost always correlational meaning true causality is hard to know because the brain is highly inter-connected, so it is very rare to find only one area of the brain that is responsible for a particular behavior. There are specific parts of the brain that have a specific function, but overall behavior is the result of many areas of the brain working together.

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19
Q

What does the nervous system consist of?

A

The central nervous system- the brain and the spinal cord and also the peripheral nervous system- nerves, ganglia and sensory receptors.

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20
Q

What do motor nerves do?

A

Motor nerves send signals out to muscles, causing movement

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21
Q

What is the function of the sympathetic nervous system?

A

The sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for fight or flight by shutting off unnecessary systems (digestion) while ramping up important systems

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22
Q

What is the function of the parasympathetic division?

A

The parasympathetic division is responsible for calming the body from the fight or flight response to a more energetically efficient state (lowers heart rate and sugar use). It also promotes digestion and the growth and repair of the bodily tissues.

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23
Q

What do afferent neurons do?

A

Afferent neurons carry information from sensory receptors to the CNS (brain and spinal cord)

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24
Q

What do efferent neurons do?

A

Efferent neurons carry information from the CNS to muscles causing movement.

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25
Q

What divisions can the brain be split into and what do they mean?

A

The brain can be split into sub-cortical and cortical. The Sub-cortical is underneath what we can see (inside) and the cortical is what we can see (outside).

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26
Q

What is white matter and why is it called white?

A

White matter are bundles of axons and it is white because of myelin- buried in the brain. (sub-cortical)

27
Q

What is grey matter?

A

Grey matter is on the surface (cortical) and is the cell bodies of neurons.

28
Q

What is the purpose of the brainstem?

A

The brainstem is responsible for generating slightly more complex reflexes than the spinal cord.

29
Q

What is the brain stem composed of?

A

The brain stem is composed of the medulla, the pons, the midbrain and the diencephalon (thalamus and hypothalamus)

30
Q

What is the function of the cerebellum?

A

The cerebellum is involved with motor control (movement, coordination, balance, muscle tone, posture).

31
Q

What is the function of the basal ganglia?

A

The basal ganglia are involved in motor control, motor learning and emotions (dopamine- rewarding behaviors)

32
Q

What do the cerebellum and basal ganglia have in common?

A

They are both involved in timing and shifting of attention.

33
Q

What is the limbic system and its function?

A

The limbic system is a series of sub-cortical structures that are responsible for emotion and memory.

34
Q

Where is the hippocampus and what is the function of the hippocampus?

A

The hippocampus wraps over and around the thalamus and the hippocampus’s function is the guide for memory and is responsible for sending signals to the automatic nervous system.

35
Q

Where is the amygdala and what is the function of the amygdala?

A

The amygdala is at the end of the hippocampus and the amygdala is primarily involved with emotions. (especially fear)

36
Q

What is the Thalamus and its function?

A

The Thalamus acts as a relay station and processes sensory information before it is sent to the cerebral cortex. The thalamus is critical for mediating many of the body’s drives (thirst, hunger, sex).

37
Q

What is the lateral geniculate nucleus and where is it?

A

The lateral geniculate nucleus is in the thalamus- it sends visual signals from the optic nerves to the visual cortex.

38
Q

What is the role of the pituitary gland?

A

The pituitary gland plays an important role in producing and regulating hormones.

39
Q

What is the outcome of damaged areas to the cerebellum?

A

loss of coordination of motor movement, inability to judge distance, movement tremors, inability to do rapid, alternative movements.

40
Q

What is the outcome of damaged areas to the frontal lobe?

A

Changes in personality, difficulties with impulse control, altered social behavior, and impaired executive functions (planning, decision-making).

41
Q

What is the outcome of damaged areas to the occipital lobe?

A

Loss of vision (the same part of the field will be lost in both eyes), visual hallucinations.

42
Q

What is the outcome of damaged areas to the temporal lobe?

A

When the temporal lobe is damaged, it can lead to difficulties in hearing and understanding spoken language, problems with memory formation and retrieval, challenges in recognizing faces and objects.

43
Q

What is the outcome of damaged areas to the parietal lobe?

A

numbness and impaired sensation on the opposite side of the body from the damaged lobe- left or right (difficulty identifying a sensation’s location and type), neglect of part of the body because of right-left confusion subsequently affecting daily activities.

44
Q

What is the outcome of damaged areas to the amygdala?

A

Impaired decision making, greater risk-taking, impaired emotional memories.

45
Q

What is the frontal lobe’s function?

A

Motor functions and complex thinking

46
Q

What is the temporal lobe’s function?

A

Hearing, memory, language and visual processing.

47
Q

What is the occipital lobe’s function?

A

Vision

48
Q

What is the prefrontal lobe’s function?

A

Executive functioning (working memory, impulse control, and reasoning).

49
Q

What is the Parietal lobe function?

A

Motor control (initiating, directing, and grading purposeful voluntary movement like coordination).

50
Q

What is the brain stems two components?

A

It is made of pons (sends information to our body) and medulla oblongata (in charge of breathing, heartbeat, and blood pressure).

51
Q

What is the role of the cerebral cortex?

A

The cerebral cortex is the outer, upper part of the brain most associated with higher thinking and processing. (Gyri and sulci help maximize the surface area to volume ratio.)

52
Q

What are the two hemispheres of the cortex, and can it be further divided?

A

The cortex can be divided into the left hemisphere and right hemisphere of the brain. And further divided into four parts: frontal lobe (front), parietal lobe (middle-top), temporal lobe (sides), and the occipital lobe (back).

53
Q

What are the two types of aphasia and how do they relate to language?

A

Brain damage leads to language problems (aphasia). One is Broca’s aphasia, conditioned for severe impairments in producing/saying desired words. Two is Wernicke’s aphasia, also known as fluent aphasia, associated with producing and understanding words not related to grammar (Nouns, adjectives).

54
Q

The cortex can be divided into functionally into three categories, what are they?

A
  • Primary sensory areas (responsible for receiving sensory input), the primary motor (responsible for sending out motor commands), and lastly the association areas (perform mental operations ex. Thinking).
55
Q

The primary sensors and motor areas have a?

A
  • Topographical organization, which roughly matches the organization of the body?
56
Q

The brain devotes more area to?

A
  • The brain devotes more area to sensory input or motor control whenever detail is required. For example, large areas of the fingers because they must be sensitive and agile as compared to things perse.
57
Q

What is phantom limb pain?

A
  • When you lose a limb it activates pain sensations from that missing limb, sometimes associated with different parts of the body. (You touch a certain part of your body and associate that sensation with the missing limb).
58
Q

Two hemispheres are capable of independent operation (specialized tasks) what are they connected by?

A
  • The corpus callosum (controls movement and feeling in the opposite sides of the body).
59
Q

What happens if the corpus callosum is cut and what’s the surgery for it?

A
  • The person displays split-brain syndrome (Ex: To control elliptic seizures – this is called a callosotomy which is the surgery of cutting nerve fibers that connects two hemispheres of the brain).
60
Q

If the corpus callosum is cut, how do researchers assess studies to each hemisphere (right/left) what’s an example?

A
  • Wanda testing: studies the person’s ability to communicate thoughts from one side of the brain to another, this allows researchers to study unique functions of each hemisphere. For example, researchers put one side of the brain asleep using drugs to see how the person operates).
61
Q

What are the left and right hemispheres of the brain predominantly powered too?

A
  • The left hemisphere predominantly focuses on language and logic. The right hemisphere focuses on special skills (memory, emotions, facial recognition) and artistic ability. However, these tendencies are not exclusive! Different parts of the brain work together to form complex behaviors.
62
Q

When we talk about specific areas of the brain that do specific jobs, what is this known as (expand)?

A
  • This is known as localization: Remember the brain is plastic, such that injury, experience, or abnormal development can alter the function of any one area of the brain.
63
Q

What is equipotential and what is an example of this?

A

Equipotential is a theory that the brain can potentially perform many different tasks (you can think of equipotential = flexible). For example, the brain can co-opt other areas to take over the role of the damaged part.

64
Q

What is meant by the forebrain being more neuroplastic (ability to form and recognize synaptic connections) than the subcortical part of the brain?

A

Means the brain’s ability to modify connections/re-wire itself. Therefore, the forebrain is able to modify itself efficiently in comparison to the subcortical part of the brain.

PSYCH 100 (8 decks)

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