General Psychology Exam 2

Created by

Alex Haggard

Cards (71)

What is a neuron:
cells of nervous system
nerve cells
convey information throughout the body
could include sending information to brain
electrochemical impulses
electro: within individual neurons
chemical: happening between neurons
Parts of neurons:
Dendrites: where neurons receive information
Soma: body of neuron
Nucleus: where cell process oxygen and nutrients, holds DNA
Axon: carries electrical signal away from soma
Axon terminal: end of neuron, where neuron sends information
Synapse: where 2 neurons meet to communicate
Postsynaptic Neuron: is receiving information
Electrical charges = action potentials
at rest = more negatively charged inside, positively charged outside
action potentials cause negative to go outside and positive to go inside
sparks action potential to go to axon terminals
Glial cells
" glue "
support staff of nervous system / neurons
bring nutrients to neuron
take away waste products from nervous system
wrap around axons of neurons, as insulation
Myelin sheath
Myelin sheath
allows for signal to travel faster
De myelinated: causes Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
loss of motor control
vision problems
Steps of Synaptic Transmission:
Synthesis of neurotransmitters (NTS)
action potential reaches axon terminal and depolarizes membrane
Release of NTS into synaptic gap
channels open up and chemicals flow out
Binding of NTS to receptor sites (Key and lock step)
binds to receptor site to trigger ions to come in
Reuptake (recycle)
reabsorption of loose or left over NTS
NTS go to reabsorption channel
Actions of Neurotransmitters
Excitatory: the receiving neuron becomes more active
Inhibitory: the receiving neuron becomes less active
Ways that chemicals can modify synaptic transmission
Agonist : " acts like " a neurotransmitter
Ex: pain killers; get in car accident, arm broke, given drugs
Antagonist : " blocks " the effect of a neurotransmitter
Ex: anti psychotics
distorted, irrational thinking, hallucinations, linked to too much of neurotransmitter binding
Reuptake Inhibitor : " blocks " reabsorption of a neurotransmitter
Ex: SSRI ; Selective, Serotonin, Reuptake, Inhibitor ; Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil
Types of Neurotransmitters:
Serotonin (5ht): regulates mood, appetite & sleep
may be involved in eating disorders, insomnia, depression, OCD, aggression, suicide
increases binding of serotonin via SSRI s
Types of Neurotransmitters:
Acetylcholine (Ach):
Muscle contraction
Ex: botulism, food poisoning from eating out of dented can, honey has it and can cause if people don't have tolerance; botox
stops release of acetylcholine
Formation of new memories
high production of Ach in hippocampus, "memory maker"
Henry Molaison "H.M" removed hippocampus, because of debilitating seizures and couldn't form more
London Cab drivers had a larger hippocampus than rest of population in London
Ach and Alzheimers:
Main problem: buildup of waste products in brain (tangles and plaques)
Types of Neurotransmitters:
Dopamine (DA): takes place in Mesolimbic Dopamine Pathway "reward pathway)
Movement
Emotion (esp. "reward")
Thought
Linked to addictive behavior
Anna Lembke "Dopamine Nation" : we are more sad bc we always have access to DA through our phones, our brains are not wired to like easily accessible DA sources
DA & schizophrenia: unusual activity of DA in the brain
Ex: thought disturbances; most common is delusion of persecution
Death of DA Producing Neurons: Parkinsons Disease (movement)
Brain Area- Substantia Nigra (" dark substance ")
L Dopa : agonist for DA
Types of Neurotransmitters:
Norepinephrine (NE): increases in arousal (alertness, focus, heart rate increase)
Nor = found in brain
Epinephrine = adrenaline
relased when threatened ; when senses are heightened
" Fight of Flight "
NE related to depression and bipolar disorder
6 Types of Neurotransmitters:
Serotonin: regulates mood, appetite & sleep
Increases bind of serotonin via SSRI s
Acetylcholine: muscle contraction, form new memories
Botulism, botox
Dopamine: Movement, emotion (reward), thought
Schizophrenia: unusual activity of DA in brain
Parkinsons : Substantia Nigra
Mesolimbic DA Pathway
Norepinephrine: incr. arousal
Fight or Flight
Related to depression & bipolar
Gaba: decr. arousal, stops excitatory messages
Depressants, barbiturate inc. levels of GABA
Seizure disorders
Endorphins: pain killing NTs, inhibitory
Released when in pain
Types of Neurotransmitters:
GABA: decreases arousal, stops excitatory messages
Depressants: alcohol
Tranquilizer: valium
increase levels of GABA
Low levels of GABA is related to seizure disorders
Prescribed Gabapentin, agonist for GABA
Gamma Amnio Butyric Acid
Creates feelings of relaxation
Types of Neurotransmitters:
Endorphins: pain killing Neurotransmitters, inhibitory
Inhibitory: stop neurons from sending messages, stop the release of substance P
released when in pain
Endo= Endogenus means coming from within
Orphins= Morphine
Ex: labor, running marathon
Too high or low
Serotonin: regulates mood & appetite
ED, insomnia, depression = low binding of serotonin
Acetylcholine: muscle contraction, memory making
Botulism = stop release of Ach
Not enough Ach= buildup of waste products in brain, Alzheimers
Dopamine: movement, emotion, addiction
Too much= schizophrenia
Too little= Parkinsons
Norepinephrine: increase arousal
Too little= depression
Too much= bipolar disorder
GABA: decreases arousal, stops excitatory messages
Too little= seizure
Endorphins: pain killing NTs
Too little= feel pain
Too much= feel no pain
Hindbrain:
Medulla: controls vital life functions (heart rate, breathing)
Pons: Relays information from upper regions of the brain to cerebellum
Cerebellum: Coordinates muscle movements, maintain posture & equilibrium
Reticular formation: regulates attention, alertness & sleep
Hindbrain and midbrain make up brain stem
Midbrain:
Substantia Nigra: Involved in motor control, produces Dopamine, involved with Parkinsons
Hindbrain and Midbrain make up brain stem
Forebrain:
Subcortical Structures: limbic system, the border between the brain stem & cerebral cortex
Thalamus: processes & distributes almost all sensory & motor information going to and from cerebral cortex. Traffic director & security guard
Hypothalamus: regulates the autonomic nervous system & behaviors related to survival. Motivation to engage with survival behaviors Feeding / drinking, fleeing / fighting, reproduce
Hippocampus: critical for forming new memories
Amygdala: emotional expression & emotional aspects of memories
Forebrain:
Cerebral Cortex: contains centers involved in complex behavior & mental processes (tree bark)
Occipital lobe: process visual information (esp. in visual cortex)
Temporal lobe: process auditory information (esp. in auditory & wernicke's area)
Parietal lobe: process bodily sensations (in somatosensory cortex/ homunculus)
Frontal Lobe: controls voluntary motor movements (in motor cortex) & involved in thinking & planning
Corpus Callosum: the communication link between left & right cerebral hemispheres
Major structures:
Hindbrain : Medulla, pons, cerebellum, reticular formation
Midbrain : Substantia Nigra
Subcortical Structures: thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala
Cerebral Cortex: occipital lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, frontal lobe
Corpus Callosum: link between left and right cerebral hemispheres
Amygdala
almond in latin
helps form memory by adding emotion to it,
Emotional expression
Hippocampus
sea horse in latin
takes 2 weeks for hippocampus to form 1 good memory
Sleep helps form memories
Separates right from left brain
Spares on both sides
Located in Forebrain and Subcortical Structures
Cerebral Cortex:
divided into hemispheres by the longitudinal fissure
Corpus Callosum:
information highway
Collateral Organization: each hemisphere sends info to and receives info from the opposite side of the body
Lobes of Brain
A) Frontal Lobe
B) Temporal Lobe
C) Spinal Cord
D) Parietal Lobe
E) Occipital Lobe
Cortex and Lobes
A) Somatic Sensory
B) Motor Cortex
C) Broca Area
D) Auditory Cortex
E) Wernicke Area
F) Visual Cortex
G) Frontal Lobe
H) Temporal Lobe
I) Occipital Lobe
J) Parietal Lobe
Major Brain Structures
A) Hypothalamus
B) Pituitary
C) Pons
D) Medulla Oblongata
E) Spinal Cord
F) Reticular Formation
G) Cerebellum
H) Midbrain
I) Thalamus
J) Corpus Callosum
Major Brain Structures
A) Thalamus
B) Hypothalamus
C) Amygdala
D) Hippocampus
Homunculous : little Person
A) Somatosensory Cortex
B) Somatomotor Cortex
Right Hemisphere
Emotion
Face Recognition
Left Hemisphere
Language
Specialization of Hemispheres
Wernickes: brain's translator
Brocas: controls mouth so you can talk
Right handers have in left side, Left handers have it in right side
Split Brain:
a brain with a severed corpus callosum
Roger Sperry determined the function of corpus callosum
Result of surgery, thought that it would be good for people with grand mal seizures
Patients that had this were cured, and did not have major side effects
Roger Sperry got patients that are recovered, told patients to reach with left then right hand and tell what object is
Left hand often said that there was nothing in hand or couldn't verbalize it
Right hand could tell what object was
Right hand-> goes to left brain which could translate
Right handers:
have communication properties in left brain
emotion in right brain
Left handers:
have communication properties in right brain
emotion in left brain
Brain Plasticity
The brain's ability to change ( or brain growth)
Structural Plasticity - the brain growing after learning, training, etc
Studied rats engaging in enrichment
Human brain can benefit from enrichment too
Autopsys found that college graduates had up to 40% more synaptic connections than high shool dropouts
People who got Alzheimer's by age 70 were much less active physically and intellectually in early adulthood than those who weren't
Consciousness:
Awareness and stimuli
Stimuli is just something environment
Can be aware of:
Internal: thought, memory, emotion, feeling in body
External: taste, temperature
Not on or off
Continuum from low to high awareness
Baseline: normal waking state
Altered: changed or modified
sleep
hypnosis
meditation
under influence (illicit, prescription, coffee, pain medication)
Levels of Awareness:
Low: happening in enviroment, but some part of brain recognizes and registers it
autopilot: going through familiar street and not paying too much attention
High: can do something about it
On a freeway in a busy city, car in front is three feet away from your car
Sleep research machines
Electroencephalograph (EEG): mesures electrical activity in brain
measures action potentials
Electrooculargraph (EOG): measures eye movement during sleep
measures amount of REM
Electromyograph (EMG): measure muscle tension
measure muscle contraction and ragdoll
Five Distinct Stages of sleep, divided into two types of sleep:
Non - REM stages 1 through 4
eyes are still
REM sleep stage 5
rapid eye movement
Stages 1-4 of non-REM + stage 5/REM= one cycle of sleep; ~ 90 minutes
Cycle repeats ~ 5 cycles in eight hours
Different stages of sleep provide different benefits
Awake & alert: 10-13 beta waves per sec
Awake & drowsy: 8-10 alpha waves per sec
Stage 1: Sleep onset, falling asleep, NREM
6-8 theta waves per sec
mix of alpha and theta waves
lightest sleep
hypnogenic hallucination: brief intense sensation
Stage 2: light sleep NREM
Sleep spindles: high frequency brain activity
K Complexes: high frequency, reaction to external, processes it
4-7 theta & start of delta
Stage 3: between light & deep, NREM
1-3 theta & delta
Stage 4: deep NREM
lowest level of brain activity, neurons synchronize
REM : High brain activity, paralyzed
Beta waves