PSYCHOLOGY ATAR

• What are neurotransmitters?

  they are chemicals that transmit information from one neuron to the next.
• Direction of transmission

  Dendrite to axon terminal
• What is the process of neurons transmitting information between each other?

  Synaptic transmission
• Acetylcholine (neurotransmitter)

  1. Memory and memory loss
  2. Muscle movement
  3. Control of hippocampus
• Dopamine (neurotransmitter)

  1. Emotional arousal
  2. Pleasure & reward
  3. Attention
• Serotonin (neurotransmitter)

  1. Mood regulation
  2. Control of eating, sleep, arousal, pain
• Norepinephrine (neurotransmitter)

  1. Affects emotional arousal, anxiety, fear
• Decrease in acetylcholine

  progressive dementia and Alzheimer's disease
• Describe how information is passed from one neuron to next via the synapse

  1. Electrical impulses (action potential) travel to axon terminal in pre-synaptic neuron
  2. Action potential causes neurotransmitters to be released from vesicles in axon terminal
  3. Neurotransmitters bind to receptor sites on dendrites of post-synaptic neuron
  4. Dendrite converts neurotransmitters into electrical nerve impulses which travel to cell body
• Define action potential

  -> electrical impulses that travels along the axon of neurons toward the axon terminals

  -> causes release of neurotransmitters into synaptic cleft

  A)
• Role of the synapse

  allows neural transmission to occur by converting electrical nerve impulses from one neuron into a chemical signal then back to electrical nerve impulses in another neuron
• Brain

  Decision-making organ; processes and interprets information
• Hindbrain

  Base of the brain; controls sleep, breathing, heart rate
• Pons

  Nerve group above medulla; controls tear production, chewing
• Medulla

  Regulates sleep, motor movement; located above hindbrain
• Midbrain

  Sends information to the forebrain
• Reticular Formation

  Neuronal network in midbrain; controls arousal and sleep cycles
• Forebrain

  Includes cerebrum, hypothalamus, thalamus; above midbrain
• Cerebrum

  Largest part of forebrain; divided into left and right hemispheres
• Hypothalamus

  Regulates body temperature, emotions, and basic survival functions
• Thalamus

  Located beneath cerebral cortex; acts as a communication center
• Cerebral Cortex


  Outer layer of cerebrum; responsible for higher brain functions
• Left Hemisphere


  Controls right side sensory input; logical thinking and language
• Right Hemisphere


  Controls left side sensory input; spatial tasks and creativity
• Corpus Callosum


  Connects left and right hemispheres for communication
• Lobes of the Brain


  Four divisions in each hemisphere: frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital
• Frontal Lobe


  Responsible for problem solving, reasoning, and personality expression
• Parietal Lobe


  Processes sensory and auditory information; spatial awareness
• Temporal Lobe


  Handles speech understanding, auditory processing, and smell perception
• Occipital Lobe


  Manages visual perception and processing
• Broca's Area


  Located in left frontal lobe; involved in speech production
• Wernicke's Area


  Manages language comprehension and word understanding
• Phineas Gage


  Suffered left frontal lobe damage; personality and organizational skills altered
• Roger Sperry


  Studied hemisphere disconnection effects; split-brain research
• Walter Freeman


  Performed frontal lobotomies; believed in thalamus role in emotions
• Hindbrain


  The 'lower brain' supporting bodily functions, movement, and balance; includes brainstem, medulla, pons, cerebellum, and part of the reticular formation.
• Medulla


  Continuation of the spine; controls breathing, heartbeat, and digestion.
• Pons


  Receives visual information to control eye and body actions; sits above the medulla.
• Cerebellum


  Walnut-shaped area that coordinates body movement; receives information from the pons.
• Midbrain


  Sits above the hindbrain and below the forebrain; regulates sleep, motor movement, and arousal.