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Psych 1A > Wk5 > Flashcards

Wk5 Flashcards

(78 cards)

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1
Q

Neurons

A

Generate electricity and create nerve impulses and release chemicals that facilitate communication.

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2
Q

Glial cells

A

Are the support of neurons, they; hold neurons in place, manufacture nutrient chemicals and absorb toxins and waste.

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3
Q

3 steps in the activation of nerve impulses

A
  1. neuron has resting electric potential
  2. action potential occurs when neuron is stimulated
  3. original iconic balance is restored; neuron is at rest again
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4
Q

Absolute refractory period

A

neuron cannot fire again until it regains its natural negative polarisation

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5
Q

All-or-none law

A

action potentials occur at a uniform and maximum potential or they do not occur at all

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6
Q

Action potential threshold

A

Change needed to fire is 250 milivolts

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7
Q

Graded potentials

A

any change to resting potential that doesn’t reach the threshold.

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8
Q

4 steps of neuron communication

A
  1. synthesis - transmitter molecules are formed
  2. storage - transmitter molecules are stored in the axon terminals
  3. Release - action potential in one neuron triggers the release of those transmitter molecules across the gap
  4. Binding - transmitter molecules bind themselves to receptor sites which are large protein molecules embedded in the receiving neurons cell membrane.
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9
Q

What are the 2 types of neurotransmitters?

A

Excitatory - cause the action potential to fire
Inhibitory - prevent the neuron from firing

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10
Q

3 types of neurons

A

Sensory neurons - carry messages from the sense organs to the spinal cord and brain
Motor neurons - transmit impulses from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and organs
Interneurons - perform connective or associate functions

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11
Q

Excitatory neurons

A

Cause the action potential to fire

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12
Q

Inhibitory neurons

A

Prevent the neuron from firing

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13
Q

Sensory neurons

A

Carry messages from the sense organs to the spinal cord and brain - outside-in.

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14
Q

Motor neurons

A

Transmit impulses from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and organs - inside-out.

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15
Q

Interneurons

A

Perform connective functions

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16
Q

Acetylcholine

A

Learning and memory. Disorders - Alzheimer’s (under), paralysis (under), convulsions (over).

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17
Q

noradrenalin

A

Excitatory - Controls learning, memory, wakefulness and eating. Disorders - Depression (under), stress and panic (over)

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18
Q

Serotonin

A

Inhibitory - Mood, sleep, eating and arousal - underlies pleasure and pain. Disorders - Depression, sleep and eating disorders (under) and OCD (over).

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19
Q

Dopamine

A

Excitatory - voluntary movement, emotional arousal, learning, memory and experiences of pleasure/pain. Disorders - Parkinsons and depression (under) and schizophrenia (over)

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20
Q

GABA

A

Inhibitory

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21
Q

Endorphins

A

Mood and pain. Disorders - Insensitivity to pain (over) Pain hypersensitivity (under)

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22
Q

Dendrites

A

Branch like extensions of the neuron that receive inputs from other cells.

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23
Q

Cell body

A

Includes the nucleus that contains the genetic material of the cell and is considered the brains of the operation.

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24
Q

Axon

A

Long extension from the cell body (up to 1mtre) that transmits information to other neurons.

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25
Myelin sheath
coat of cells composed primarily of fats that help transmit information to other neurons. Insulates axon from chemical and physical stimuli that might interfere with nerve impulses. They also dramatically increase the speed of transmission.
26
White matter
From the myelinated axons
27
Grey matter
Cell bodies, dendrites and unmyelinated sheaths
28
Terminal buttons
At the end of the axon sending signals from a neuron to adjacent cell.
29
Synaptic cleft
Space between two cells
30
Synapses
Connections between neurons
31
Resting potential
When a neuron is not firing and electrical charge is 70 milivolts. Membrane is polarised - inside has a negative change and outside has a positive charge.
32
Graded potential
Change in cells voltage is passed down dendrites and cell body. When a neuron is stimulated it can reduce the membranes polarisation and make it more likely to fire or increase polarisation and make it less likely to fire. Graded potentials strength diminishes as it moves along the cell membrane and they are cumulative or additive - If 2 potentials at each end are the same they cancel eachother out.
33
Action potential
The firing of the neuron - Rapidly spreads down the length of the axon to the terminal buttons and has an all-or-none quality.
34
Neurotransmitter release
Action potential causes terminal buttons to release neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft.
35
Glutamate
Excitatory - Learning
36
Peripheral nervous system
Contains all the neural structures that lie outside of the brain and spinal cord. Input functions - sense what is going on inside and outside the body. Output functions - enable response
37
Input functions
Sense what is going on inside and outside the body
38
Output functions
Enable response
39
Somatic nervous system
Allows us to sense and respond to our environment
40
Autonomic nervous system
Basic life functions - sense the body's internal functions and controls glands and smooth muscles that form the heart, blood vessels, and lining of the stomach and intestines.
41
Sympathetic nervous system
activation or arousal (fight or flight)
42
Parasympathetic nervous system
Slows down the body, maintains equilibrium.
43
Hindbrain
Lowest and most primitive part of the brain. Brain stem - supports vital life functions. Medulla - heart rate and respiration, blood pressure and vomiting Pons - carries nerve impulses between higher and lower levels of the nervous system and regulates sleep Cerebellum - muscular movement coordination, learning and memory.
44
Brain stem
Supports vital life functions
45
Medulla
Heart rate, respiration, blood pressure and vomiting
46
Pons
Carries nerve impulses between higher and lower levels of the nervous system and regulates sleep
47
Cerebellum
Muscular movement coordination, learning and memory.
48
Midbrain
contains clusters of sensory and motor neurons Reticular formation - alerts higher centres of the brain that messages are coming. Tectum - structures involved in vision and hearing. Tegmentum - Serves a variety of functions, mostly to do with movement.
49
Reticular formation
Alerts higher centres of the brain that messages are coming.
50
Forebrain
Most evolutionary advanced part of the brain. Cerebrum - Major structure consisting of 2 hemispheres Thalamus - switchboard that organises inputs from sensory organs and routes them to the appropriate areas Hypothalamus - Motivation and emotion, sexual behaviour, temperature regulation, eating, drinking and aggression. Limbic system - amygdala and hippocampus Cerebral cortex - outermost layer
51
Cerebrum
Major structure consisting of 2 hemispheres
52
Thalamus
Switchboard that organises inputs from sensory organs and routes them to the appropriate area.
53
Hypothalamus
Motivation and emotion, sexual behaviour, temperature regulation, eating, drinking and aggression.
54
Tectum
Includes structures involved in vision and hearing
55
Tegmentum
Midbrain - variety of functions, mostly to do with movement.
56
Limbic system
Set of structures with diverse functions involving emotions, motivation, learning and memory - amygdala and hippocampus
57
Cerebral cortex
unmyelinated cells that form the outer layer. Fissures mark the 4 lobes - frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital.
58
Amygdala
Involved in many emotional processes - learning and remembering emotionally significant events. Fear detector
59
Hippocampus
Storing new information in memory.
60
Basal ganglia
Set of structures including the putamen and caudate nucleus that are involved in a wide array of functions, especially movement and judgements that require minimal conscious thought.
61
Corpus callosum
Thick band of axons connecting the two hemispheres
62
Motor cortex
controls 600+ muscles for voluntary body movement
63
Sensory cortex
receives sensory input from sensory receptors
64
Wernicke's area
Speech understanding, located in the temporal lobe
65
Broca's area
Speech formation, located in the frontal lobe
66
Association cortex
Located across the brain. Important in language, perception and thought
67
Agnosia
Inability to identify familiar objects
68
Hemispheric lateralisation
relatively greater localisation of a function in one hemisphere or the other.
69
Left hemisphere
Verbal activities, speech, math and logic. More active when you're feeling positive emotions
70
Right hemisphere
spatial relations, faces, mental imagery, music, art. More active when you're feeling negative emotions.
71
Occipital lobe
Located at the rear - specialised for vision.
72
Parietal lobe
Infront of occipital lobe. Involved in touch, detecting movement, locating objects and experiencing ones own body.
73
Somatosensory cortex
Different areas receive different info from different body parts.
74
Frontal lobe
Movement, attention, planning, social skills, abstract thinking, memory and some aspects of personality.
75
Temporal lobe
Lower portion - Important in hearing and language
76
Neuroplasticity
The ability for neurons to change in structure and function
77
Neurogenesis
Production of new neurons in the nervous system
78
Neural stem cells
immature uncommitted cells that can mature any type of neuron or glial cell

Psych 1A (9 decks)

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