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AP Psychology Brain and Behavior Flashcards

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7681144502amygdalaPart of Limbic System - responsible for fear responses and the memory of fear - if damaged - inability to create fear responses, risky behavior, deficits in recognizing emotion0
7681144503somatosensory cortex- Between motor cortex and parietal lobe - receives tactile information from the body,each area of cortex corresponds to an area of the body. - if damaged - difficulties in perceiving touch in certain areas of body.1
7681144504temporal lobe-contains auditory cortex which makes us capable of hearing -also contains Wernicke's Area -if damaged, difficulty processing hearing2
7681144505thalamus- part of limbic system - receives sensory cortex and sends them to appropriate areas of forebrain -Smell is NOT processes here3
7681144506occipital lobe- receives and interprets visual input from retinas - if damaged - loss of vision, partial/ complete blindness4
7681144507Wernicke's area- in temporal lobe - language comprehension - if damaged - inability to comprehend written or spoken language5
7681144508cerebral cortex- gray wrinkled surface of a thin layer packed of neurons - all thinking activities (determining personality, planning, intelligence, organization); divided into 4 lobes - if damaged - sensory and motor problems6
7681144509medulla- above spinal cord, part of brain stem, below pons - basic bodily functions such as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, circulation ,etc. - if damaged - death, drooling, breathing assistance, drooling7
7681144510neurotransmitter- chemicals in terminal buttons that travel in the synaptic gap between neurons - brain chemicals that communicate information throughout our body and brain8
7681144511motor cortex- frontal lobe, edge of back frontal lobe touching parietal lobe - generate neural impulses that control the execution of movement - if damaged - loss of muscle function, paralysis9
7681144512pituitary gland- next to optic nerve and hypothalamus - releases growth hormones - if damaged - production of hormones is irregular or stops10
7681144513reticular formation- part of brain stem - regulate sleeping, alertness, focus controls, sleep- wake cycle - if damaged - lack of sleep, over sleeping, loss of focus, never wake up11
7681144514pineal gland- part of endocrine system - produces melatonin; affects sleep patterns - if damaged - hypertension, epilepsy, sexual dysfunction12
7681144515glial cells- specialized cells that take care of neurons by providing nutrients, clearing dead neurons, and producing myelin sheath13
7681144516spinal cord- connects peripheral nervous system to brain; sends information from body to brain and from brain to body. -can also initiate life saving reflexes (act as a primitive brain) - if damaged, paralysis14
7681144517serotonin-Neurotransmitter involved in mood, motivation, and temperature - low in depressed people, anti-depressants boost serotonin levels -ecstasy and other hallucinogens release serotonin15
7681144518dopamine- Neurotransmitter involved in reward and pleasure - Also regulates movement - deficiency results in Parkinson Disease, muscle rigidity - too much: feelings of pleasure/high; linked with schizophrenia -cocaine releases large amounts of dopamine16
7681144519norepinephrine- neurotransmitter secreted in response to stress - too much: emotional, anxiety, depression - too little: loss of alertness, memory problems, lack of arousal and interest17
7681144520acetylcholine (ACh)-neurotransmitter involved in muscle contraction and memory - too much: intense muscle contractions - too little: immobility, related to Alzheimer's18
7681144521GABA- main inhibitory neurotransmitter, calms the body - too much: anxiety, shortness of breath, numbness - too little: anxiety disorders19
7681144522glutamate- main excitatory neurotransmitter involved in learning and memory - too much: over excitation ,restlessness, nervousness, insomnia20
7681144523brain stem- above spinal cord, includes pons; medulla; midbrain - in charge of basic vital life functions - if damaged - organ failure, difficulties balancing and moving21
7681144524Broca's area- left frontal lobe, directly above temporal cortex - produces fluent speech - if damaged - Broca's aphasia, repetitive speech22
7681144525cerebellum- behind brainstem, below occipital lobe - monotors and regulates motor control, automatic muscle movements, balance, timing - if damaged - inability to walk, dizziness, slurred speech23
7681144526corpus callosum- connects right and left hemisphere and allows information to pass through - split brain patients24
7681144527frontal lobe-area of cerebral cortex involved in planning, solving, decision making, motor control - if damaged- inability to express language, atypical social skills -Phineas Gage25
7681144528hippocampus-critical in the formation of new memories - if damaged - severe memory impairment, inability to form new memories26
7681144529hypothalamus- Part of limbic system - hunger thirst, body temperature, sleep, rage, aggression - if damaged - hypothermia, excessive sleep, weight gain/ loss, aggression27
7681144530limbic system- includes amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, thalamus - emotional control center of the brain - if damaged - uncontrolled emotions28
7681144531parietal lobe- area of cerebral cortex that receives and processes sensory information ( pain, touch, pressure), spatial attention29
7681144532pons- part of brain stem - facial expressions, bridge to cerebrum, sleep - if damaged- sleep disruption, inability to form facial expressions30
7681144533prefrontal cortex- front of frontal lobe - planning, reasoning judgement, social skills - if damaged - inability to inhibit social behaviors31
7681144534dendritesa branched fiber that extends outward from the main cell body. It receives incoming messages and carries information to the soma/cell body32
7681144535cell bodycontains nucleus, connected to dendrites and axon, functions as the "brain" of the neuron33
7681144536axonextended fiber that conducts information from the cell body to the terminal buttons; travels in the form of an electric charge (action potential)34
7681144537neural impulseelectrical signal traveling along an axon35
7681144538myelin sheathfatty substance that surrounds an axon, lubricating it and allowing for faster neural transmission.36
7681144539axon terminalsbulb like structures at the end of an axon, store and release the neurotransmitters37
7681144540synapsegap between neurons that neurotransmitters must travel across.38
7681144541all or none principleneuron either fires completely or doesn't fire at all39
7681144542EEG- electroencephalogram - detects brain waives - widely used in sleep and dreaming research40
7681144543CAT scan- computerized axial tomography - 3D picture - X-Ray - look for tumor - would not get any information about how active parts of the brain are41
7681144544MRI- magnetic resonance imaging - similar to CAT scan - more detailed picture - uses magnetic field to measure the density and location of brain material - gives information about the structure of the brain42
7681144545PET- position emission tomography - see what areas of the brain are most active during certain task - how much of a certain chemical parts of the brain are using43
7681144546Functional MRI- combines MRI and PET scan - shows details of brain structure with information about book flow in brain44
7681144547Central Nervous System- brain and spinal cord45
7681144548Peripheral Nervous System-neurons, glands, organs, muscles etc outside of the brain and body - further divided into somatic and autonomic46
7681144549efferent neurons- motor neurons - sends information from brain to body parts for movement47
7681144550afferent neurons- sensory neurons - send information to CNS from body parts48
7681144551agonistblocks re-uptake, excites, mimics the neurotransmitter, increases the response of the neurotransmitter by making excitatory more excited and inhibitory more inhibitory49
7681144552antagonistprevents release, blocks, inhibits, decreases the response of the neurotransmitter by making excitatory less excitatory and inhibitory less inhibited.50
7681144553resting potentialneuron is at rest, but ready to fire. it is negatively charged on the inside. Potassium ions are on the inside; Sodium ions are on the outside51
7681144554excitatory neurotransmitterneurotransmitters that make the receiving neuron MORE likely to generate an action potential; they increase activity52
7681144555inhibitory neurotransmitterneurotransmitters that make the receiving neuron LESS likely to generate an action potential; they decrease activity53
7681144556lesionnatural or man made destruction of brain tissue; one of the techniques used to study the brain54
7681144557plasticitythe ability for a brain to change; for instance in a child who has had a hemispherectomy, the right hemisphere may adapt and do functions that the right did.55
7681144558endocrine systemsystem of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream ( controlled by hypothalamus)56
7681144559Left hemisphereleft portion of the cerebral cortex, responsible for motor movement and sensation of the right side of the body, and the right visual field. Also the main language center57
7681144560Right hemisphereright portion of the cerebral cortex, responsible for motor movement and sensation of the left side of the body, and the left visual field. Also the area responsible for facial recognition.58
7681144561split brain patientsPatients who have had their corpus callosum severed to stop severe seizures. Experimentation with these patients allowed researchers to understand hemisphere specialization.59
7681144562Roger Sperry and Michael GazzanigaResearchers who worked with split brain patients to examine hemisphere specialization.60

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