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Nervous System and Brain
Nervous System
76
Psychology
Undergraduate 2
06/08/2011

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Term
Somantic Nervous System
Definition

Division of Peripheral Nervous system that controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles.

 

Arms, legs, neck, back, ect...

Term
Autonomic Nervous System
Definition

Regulates heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, digestion, horomone secretion and other functions.

 

Functions with out conscious effort.

 

Few of its responses can be controlled volunitary.

 

Has Two sub Divisions, sympathetic, and parasympathetic.

Term
Sympathetic Nervous System
Definition

- Division of the Autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations.

 

- Triggered by threatening or challenging physical or psychological stimuli.

 

- Is the "'Flight or Fight" response.

 

- Syptoms include, sweating palms, tunnel vision, raised heart rate, ect...

Term
ParaSympathetic
Definition

- Divison of the Autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy.

 

 

- Activates when relaxing or digesting food

 

- Decreases heart rate, and lowers blood pressure.

Term
Reflex Response
Definition

- Unlearned, involuntary reactions to some stimulus.

 

- Neural connection underlying a reflex are prewired by genetic instructions.

 

- Example: If you touch something hot.

Term
Endocrine System
Definition

Body's "Slow" Chemical communication system.

 

- Uses horomones to Communicate.

Term
Pituitary Gland(Which System?)
Definition

- Master gland

 

- Secretes growth hormone(when sleeping)

 

- Controls the adrenal cortex, pancrease, thyriod and reproductive gland.

 

(In Endocrine System)

Term
Pancrease(Which System?)
Definition

- Regulates sugar level by secreting insulin.

 

- Too much causes hypoglycemia(Low blood sugar)

 

- Not enough causes Diabetes(High blood sugar)

 

(Part of the Endocrine System)

Term
Thyriod(Which System)
Definition

- Regulates Metabolism

 

- Under-secretion leads to reduction in motivation and weight gain.

 

- Over- secretion leads to high metabolism, weight loss.

 

(Part of the Endocrine System)

Term
Adrenal Glands(Which system)
Definition

- Has 2 parts

 

- Adrenal cortex(outside)

 

- Adrenal Medulla(Inside)

 

(Located in Endocrine System)

Term
Adrenal Cortex(Which System)
Definition

- Regulates Sugar and salt balance

 

(Endocrine System)

Term
Adrenal Medulla(Which system)
Definition

- Secrets two hormones that arouse the body to deal with stress and emergencies

 

-Epinephrine(Adrenaline)

&

- Norepinephrine(NonAdrenaline)

 

(Located in the Endocrine System)

Term

Brain Structure

What glial cells do for Nerurons

Definition

- Guided growth.

 

- Provide support of Brain.

 

- Insulates to prevent interference from other electrical signals

 

- Releases chemicals that influence a neuron's growth and function.

 

- More grow thru life.

Term
Neurons
Definition

 - Brain cell with specialized extensions.

 

-  Forms cast informational network:

~Receives sensory information.

~Controls Muscles.

~Regulates digestion.

~Secretes hormones.

~ Engage in complex mental prcesses.

 

Term
Neural Growth
Definition

-Brain will "Prune" extra neurons.

 

- Humans and Primates develope allmost all of their nerurons at birth.

 

- Exeptions

~Hippocampus(Memory related area of the brain)

~Olfactory bulb(Controls sense of smell)

Term
Repairing the Brain
Definition

- Mature brains have limited capacity to replace, rewire or repair damages neurons.

 

- Genetics programming turns of regrowth when neurons are fully grown.

 

- Explains why some people may recover some, but rarely all functions lost after brain damage.

~Stroke, gunshot wound, blow to the head, ect...

 

- People who are younger have a better chance of recovering if something happens in the form of brain damage.

Term
Cell Body
Definition
Part of Neuron that provides fuel, manufactores chemicals.
Term
Dendrites
Definition
Branching extensions at the cell body, recieves messages from other nerurons, muscles, or sense organs.
Term
Axon
Definition
Long, thread like structure of the neuron that carries signals away from cell body. Inside Myelin sheath.
Term
Myelin Sheath
Definition
Tube like segement of fatty material that wraps around axon and insulates from electrical interference.
Term
Terminal Bulbs
Definition
Each in a container for neurotransmitters, and sends them through synaps.
Term
Peripheral Nervous System
Definition
Nevers located through out body, except brain and spinal cord.(Can be repaired)
Term
Central Nervous System
Definition
Neurons located in the brain and Spinal cord
Term
Nerves
Definition

- String like bundles of axon and dendrites that come from spinal cord.

 

- Carry info from the senes, skin, muscles, and organs to and from the spinal cord.

 

- Nerves in the Periphal Nervous System has the ability to grow or reattache if severed or damaged.

Term
Action Potential
Definition

-Neural Impulse 

 

 - Brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

 

- Like a battery can only go one way.

 

-Neruon and can be on or off(exite or inhibit)

Term
Synaps
Definition
Junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving nueron.
Term
Synaptic Gap
Definition

Tiny gap in junction

 

- Receptors and Nuerotransmitters have to be alike(Same Chemical)

Term
Neurotransmitters
Definition

- Chemicals are released from sending neurons

 

- Travel across the synapse

 

- Bind to receptor sites on receiving neurons

 

- Either send all or send none (Depression feel normal chemical never gets to receptor sight, and never deliever the signal)

Term
Re-uptake
Definition

- Neurotransmitters in synapse are reabsorbed into sending neurons

 

- Applies the brakes on nerotransmitters action(Never sends signal)

Term
MRI(What does it stand for)
Definition

- Magnetic Resonance Imagery

 

- Passes non harmful radio frequencies thru brain.

 

- Uses computer generates images to identify tumors and brain dmage.

Term
fMRI(What does it stand for)
Definition

- Functional Magnetic Resonance Imagery

 

- Measures activity of specific neruons that are functioning during a task.

 

- Used to study functions of the brain in real time.

 

Term
Brainstem(hindbrain)
Definition

- Oldest part of brain, beginning where the spinal cord enters the skull.

 

- Automatic survival functions.

 

- If damages you will die.

Term
Reticular Formation(Where?)
Definition

Located in the Brainstem

 

- Never network in brainstem

 

 - arouses forebrain(cortex)  so its ready to process

 

- Damages will result in Coma "Vegatative State"

Term
Pons(Where)
Definition

Located in Brainstem

 

- Bridges for transmitting messages between spinal cord and brain.

 

- Makes chimicals involved in sleep.

 

Term
Medulla(Where?)
Definition

Located in Brainstem

 

- Controls repiration, heart rate, and blood pressure.

 

- Large amounts of alcohol, heroin or depressant drugs supresses functions and leads to death.

 

 

Term
Cerebellum
Definition

- Coordinates motor movement and balance.

 

- Involved in preforming timed motor response.

 

- Required for games and sports.

 

- Alcohol effects the balance(Why people fall and can't walk straight).

Term
The Limbic System
Definition

- Primitive or animal brain

 

- Associates with emotions and motivational drives.

 

 

(Inside is Hypothalamus, Amygdala, Thalamus, Hippocampus)

Term

Hypothalamus(Where?)

Definition

Located in the Limbic System

 

- Motivational behaviors(eating, drinking, sex).

 

- Emotional behaviors.

 

- Contols autonomic nervous system.

- Fight or Flight response

- Expirement with rats, Rats cross an electrified grid for self stimulation when electodes are placed in hypthalamus.

 

Will do anyting because they feel good.

 

 

Term
Amygdala(Where)
Definition

Located in the Limbic System

 

- Receives input from all the senses

 

- Evaluates emotional significance of stimuli and facial expressions especially those involving fear, distress or threat.

 

- Goats in the lion cage.

Term

Thalamus(Where?)

Definition

Located in Limbic System

 

- Receives sensors information

 

- Relays infomation to area in the cortex.

 

- If damaged problems with seeing and hearing.

 

 

Term
Hippocampus
Definition

Located in Limbic System

 

- Involved in saving many kinds of memories.

 

- If you have damage you will not be able to form Declarative Memories. Like Henry M.

Term
Cortex
Definition

- Ultimate control and information processing center.

 

- Each brain hemishpere is divided into four lobes that are separated by fissures.

 

- Left side of brain controls right side of body; Right side of Brain controls left side of body.

 

- Four lobes split in half(Two hemispheres).

Term
Frontal Lobe
Definition

- Voluntary motor movements

 

- Interpreting and preforming emotional behaviors.

 

- Personality, attention, decision making.

 

- "Phineas Gage" Story.

Term
Motor Cortex(Where)
Definition

Located in Frontal Lobe

 

- Initiates all voluntary movement.

 

- Right side of brain control left side of body

 

- Left side of brain controls right side of body.

 

- "Stroke Victims"

Term
Parietal Lobe
Definition

- Processes sensory information from body parts(Not seeing or hearing) but touch.

 

- Somatosensory cortex

 

- Touch, limb location, pain and tempurate.

Term
Temporal Lobe
Definition

Holds Primary Auditory Cortex, Auditory Association Area, Wernicke's Area.

 

 

Term
Primary Auditory Cortex
Definition

 Changes electical signals from ears into sounds

 

 All signals wll be converted to electrical signals to thalamus then to Temporal Lobe back to sound.

 

Goes to Primary than to Association Area.

Term
Auditory Association Area
Definition
Transforms basic sound from Primary Auditory Area into recongnizable information(Sounds and words)
Term
Broca's Area
Definition

Located in Frontal Lobe

 

- Necessary for combining sounds into words and arranging words into sentences.

Term
Broca's Aphasia
Definition
Person can't speak in fluent logical sentences, but can understand written and spoken words.
Term

Wernicke's Area

Definition

- Located in the left Temporal Lobe

 

- Necessary for speaking coherently and for understanding speech.

Term
Wernicke's Aphasia
Definition
Difficulty Understanding spoken or written words and putting them into sentences.
Term
Occipital Lobe
Definition
Contains Primary Visual cortex, and Visual Association Area.
Term
Primary Visual Cortex
Definition

- Changes electrical signals from eyes into basic visual sensations(ligjht, lines, color, texture).

 

Then sends to the Visual Association Area.

Term
Visual Association Area
Definition

Transforms the basic sensations from primary visual cortex into meaningful visual perecptions(objects, people)

 

- Damages leads to Visual Agnosia

Term
Visual Agnosia
Definition

- Indicidual fails to recongnize some object, person, or color yet has ability to see and secribe peices or parts of some visual stimulus.

 

(People drawing horse could not put the pieces together)

 

(Man mistoke wife's hair for hate because he could not recognize things for what they are.)

Term
Sensation
Definition
Meaningless bits of information that results when the brain processes electrical signals  from sense organs.
Term
Perception
Definition
Meaingful sensory experiences that results after the rabin combines hundreds of senstations (Your interpertation(Subjective))
Term
Transduction
Definition

Sense organ transforms physical energy into electrical signals.

 

- Then sent to brain.

 

Term
Adaptation
Definition

- Decreases response of sense organs thru exposure to continous level of stimulation.

 

Like the smell of tabacco.

Term
Visible Spectrum
Definition

- Wavelength of electromagnetic energy we can see; waves are right length to stimulate receptors in eye(Photoreceptors that fire neurons to brain)

 

- Other wavelengths are invisble to eye

 

- Everything you respond to is reflected light to your eye.

Term
Lightwaves
Definition

- Strikes objects and relects back in broad beam.

 

- Eyes changes broad beam to narrow, focues one.

 

- Objects appear upside down on retina, brain turns objects right side up.

 

Your eye is like a camera.

Term
Cornea
Definition

- Rounded, transparent covering over front of eye.

 

- Lasik surgery corrects this by reshapping the cornea

Term
Pupil
Definition

Round openeing at fron of eye(Hole).

Sensative to light.

Term
Iris
Definition

- Circular muscles that surrounds pupil

 

- Relaxes(dilates) and constricts

 

- Contains colored pigment.

Term
Lens
Definition

- Bends and focuses light waves into even narrow beam.

 

- Attached to muscles that adjusts curve of lens that adusts focus.

Term
Retina
Definition

- In the back of eye ball

 

- Thin fims that is there that contains cells(Photoreceptors) that are extremely light sensative.

Term
Rods
Definition

Contains Rhodopsin

 

- Very light sensative 

 

- Mostly work in Dim light

 

- Doesn't resond to color, just black, whit, grey.

 

- In Periphery.

 

Term
Cones
Definition

Contains Opsins

 

- Activated in bright light

 

- Color and fine detail

 

- In center (Fovea)

 

- Used in Flight or Fight response.

 

 

Term
Optic Nerve
Definition

- Nerves implus flow thru optic nerve and then exit back of eye.

 

- Each eye has a blind spot

 

- Send signal to Thalamus then to occipital lobe.

Term
Color Blind
Definition
Inabilty to distinguish two or more shades in color spectrum.
Term
Monochromatic
Definition

- Total color blindness(rare)

 

- Can only see black and white

 

- Only rods and one kind of functioning cone in eyes.

Term
Dichromatic Color Blind
Definition

- Trouble distinguishing red from green

 

- Only two kinds of cones in the eye

 

- Inherited genetic defect

 

- Mostly in males

 

- Can mostly see shades on green.

Term
Pain
Definition

- Essential survival(Avoid/escape danger, recover from injuries).

 

Different from other senses because:

 

- Of different stimuli(light, noise, temp)

 

- Intensity depends on physical stimulus and social/phych Factors(Subjective)

 

- Treatment depends on physical injury and reduscing physh/emotional distress.(People may not notice the pain until they look at the injury)

 

-Adaption Possible

 

Term
Gate Control Theory
Definition

- Non- pain nerver impulses compete with pain impulses in trying to reach brain

 

- Creates a bottle neck effect or neutral gate.

 

- Shifting attention or rubbing an injured area decreases the passage of painful impulse

Term
Endorphines
Definition

- Chemicals, produced by brain, secreted in reponse to injury or sever physical/ psychological stress.

 

- Similar to the effects of morphine.

 

- Produced in situations in fear, anxiety, stress bodily injury and intense aerobic activity.

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