Brain And Behavior Exam

Front 1

Epigenetics

Back 1

Study of factors that change gene expression, without changing gene sequences

Front 2

Methylation

Back 2

A chemical modification of DNA that doesn't affect the nucleotide sequence, but makes the genes less likely to be expressed

Front 3

Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene

Back 3

Poor maternal care induces methylation of this gene in rodent pups

Genes also methylated in humans, in those who suffer child abuse

Front 4

Changes in the aging brain

Back 4

Overall thinning of the cortex

Reduction of white/grey matter volumes

Hippocampus may shrink

Front 5

What are 2 cellular changes associated with Alzheimer's?

Back 5

Amyloid Plaques: formed by build-up of beta-amyloid

Neurofibrillary Tangles: abnormal tangles of filaments, including the Tau protein

Basal forebrain nuclei that make ACh are lost

Front 6

Sensory Transduction

Back 6

Conversion of electrical energy from a stimulus into a change in membrane potential in a receptor cell

Front 7

Generator Potential

Back 7

Local changes in membrane potential, MEDIATES B/W IMPACT OF STIMULI AND THE INITIATION OF ACTION POTENTIALS

Front 8

Labeled Lines concept

Back 8

Each nerve input to the brain reports only a particular type of information

Front 9

Pacinian Corpuscles

Back 9

Skin Receptor, sensitive to textures, responds to vibration and pressure, stretches sodium channels open

Front 10

Meissner's Corpuscles

Back 10

Respond to changes in stimuli (touch)

Front 11

Merkel's Discs

Back 11

Respond to isolated points (touch)

Front 12

Ruffini Corpuscles

Back 12

Detects stretching of the skin

Front 13

Free nerve endings

Back 13

respond to pain, head, and cold

Front 14

Somatosensory System

Back 14

System of brain w/ specialized receptors and neural mechanisms to detect body sensations

Front 15

Receptive Field

Back 15

Region in which a stimulus will alter a sensory neuron's firing rate

Front 16

Adaptation

Back 16

Progression loss of receptor sensitivity as stimulation is maintained- adapt to constant and certain stimulation

Ex: not noticing ticking of clock, not noticing feeling of clothes on skin

Front 17

Tonic Receptors

Back 17

Show slow or no decline in action potential frequency in adaptation

Front 18

Phasic Receptors

Back 18

Display adaptation and decrease frequency of action potentials

Front 19

Organization of Sensory Cortex

Back 19

-Primary sensory cortex

-Non Primary sensory cortex

-Primary Somatosensory cortex

Front 20

Primary Somatosensory Cortex

Back 20

S1. In postcentral gyrus, receives touch information from the opposite side of the body

Front 21

Synesthesia

Back 21

Condition in which a stimulus in one modality creates a sensation in another

ex: person may perceive colors when looking at numbers- flavors when hearing musical notes

Front 22

Pain

Back 22

The discomfort associated with tissue damage

helps us to withdraw from its source, engage in recuperative actions, and signal others

Front 23

TRPV1 Receptors

Back 23

Binds Capsaicin

On thin, unmyelinated C fibers that conduct slowly, producing lasting pain

**This receptor normally detects painful heat

Front 24

TRP2 receptor

Back 24

Detects even higher temps than TRPV1, opens Na channel in response to rising temps, Does not respond to Capsaicin

Found on A delta fibers, LARGE MYELINATED AXONS that register pain quickly

Front 25

Spinothalamic System

Back 25

Transmits sensations of pain and temp to the brain from the body

Glutamate and substance p released

Front 26

closed-loop control mechanism

Back 26

Maximizes motor accuracy

feedback info is obtained during the movement and corrections are made

Front 27

open-loop control mechanism

Back 27

Maximizes motor speed

no external feedback- activity is pre-programmed or ballistic

Front 28

Hierarchy of motor control system

Back 28

Skeletal System (determine when movements possible)

Spinal cord (controls skeletal muscles)

Brainstem (integrates motor commands)

Primary motor cortex (initiates commands for action)

non-primary motor cortex (motor commands)

cerebellum and basal ganglia (modulate activities of control systems)

Front 29

Synergists

Back 29

Muscles that act together to move a limb

Front 30

fast-twitch muscle fibers

Back 30

contracts rapidly, fatigues easily (anaerobic)

Front 31

slow-twitch muscle fibers

Back 31

contracts with low intensity, fatigue slowly

Front 32

FIlaments

Back 32

thick: made of myosin

thin: made of actin

Front 33

Proprioception

Back 33

collection of information about body movements and position; body sense

muscle spindle: responds to stretch

golgi tendon organs: responds to muscle tension`

Front 34

Pyramidal system

Back 34

M1 and non-primary motor cortex

executing/planning/initiating all motor movements

Front 35

Extrapyramidal system

Back 35

Cerebellum and Basal Ganglia

Fine-tuning and mediating motor movement

Front 36

Damage to Pyramidal system

Back 36

Paralysis

Weakness (paresis) of voluntary movements

Apraxia (inability to carry out movements even though paralysis hasn't occurred)

Front 37

damage to extrapyramidal system

Back 37

abnormal gait and posture

Ataxia (loss of coordination)

decomp. of movement

Parkinson's

Huntington's

Front 38

2 main regions of Non-primary motor cortex

Back 38

Supplementary motor area: important for initiation of movement sequences

Premotor cortex: activated when motor sequences are guided by external (Sensory) events

Front 39

Basal Ganglia

Back 39

group of interconnected forebrain nuclei

caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, w input from substantia nigra and subthalamic nucleus

helps control amplitude and direction of movement- important for movements performed by memory

Front 40

Cerebellum

Back 40

receives inputs from sensory sources

guides movement through inhibition and fine-tunes skilled movements

Front 41

cornea and lens

Back 41

focus light

Front 42

refraction

Back 42

bending of light, done by cornea

Front 43

ciliary muscles

Back 43

adjust focus by changing shape of lens inside eye

Front 44

accommodation

Back 44

focusing the lens w ciliary muscles

Front 45

photoreceptors

Back 45

sensory neurons that detect light (rods and cones)

Front 46

rods (Scotopic system)

Back 46

works in dim light but is insensitive to color

Front 47

cones (photopic system)

Back 47

requires more light and allows color vision

Front 48

optic disc

Back 48

where blood vessels and ganglion cell axons leave the eye

Front 49

blind spot

Back 49

lack of photoreceptors on optic disc, brain systems fill in missing info in blind spot so out visual scene stays uninterrupted

Front 50

Lateral inhibition

Back 50

process in which sensory receptor cells inhibit information from neighboring receptor cellsve

Front 51

ventral processing stream

Back 51

identifying obejects (what are the objects you see)

Front 52

dorsal processing stream

Back 52

assessing the location of objects (where the objects are)