Psych 101 Chapter 3

Front 1

Neurons

Back 1

•cellsin the nervous system that communicate with one another to performinformation-processing tasks

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Cell Body (soma)

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•):thepart of a neuron that coordinates information-processing tasks and keeps thecell alive

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Dendrite

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•thepart of a neuron that receives information from other neurons and relays it tothe cell body

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Axon

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}thepart of a neuron that transmits information to other neurons, muscles, orglands}long projection that extends from thesoma}transmits electrical impulses toward theadjacent neuron and stimulates the release of neurotransmitters}

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Myelin Sheath

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}Someaxons are wrapped in this fatty substance which insulates them and makes thenerve impulse travel more efficiently

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Multiple Sclerosis

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}:effects CNS (brain, spinal chord, and optic nerves), in MS the myelin sheath isbroken down/eroded

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Synapse

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the junction between the dendrites of one neuronand the axon or cell body ofanother.

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Sensory Neurons

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the junction between the dendrites of one neuronand the axon or cell body ofanother.

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Motor Neurons

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•neuronsthat carry signals from the spinal cord to the muscles to produce movement–ALS(Lue Garig’sdisease) is the degeneration of motor neurons

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Interneurons

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•neuronsthat connect sensory neurons, motor neurons, or other interneurons

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Mirror Neuron System

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•Mirrorneurons are found in the frontal andparietal lobes and have been identified in other species in addition to humans.•Mirrorneurons are activated when an organism engages in a behavior or observesanother engage in that behavior.–Theyare also more highly activated when observing action within a context.•Recognizinganother person’s goals or intentions–innateempathy?

Front 12

Electrochemical action

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•Thecommunication of information within and between neurons proceeds in two stages:conduction and transmission.

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Resting potential

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•thedifference in electric charge between the inside and outside of a neuron’s cellmembrane

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Action potential

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•anelectric signal that is conducted along a neuron’s axon to a synapse

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Refractory Period

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}The span of time, after an actionpotential has been generated, when the neuron is returning resting state andthe neuron cannot generate an action potential

Front 16

All or none principle

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•Theaction potential of a neuron always fires at the same intensity•Acell either fires or it doesn’t: nohalfway•Ifthe depolarization threshold is not reached, there is no action potential

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Myelin and Nodes of Ranvier

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Myelin is formed bya type of glial cell, and it wraps around a neuron’s axonto speed the movement of the action potential alongthe length of the axon. Breaks in the myelin sheath are called the nodes ofRanvier. The electricimpulse jumpsfrom node to node, thereby speeding the conductionof information down the axon.

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Terminal buttons

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Little knobs at the end of the axon thatcontain tiny sacs of neurotransmitters called vesicles

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Neuro transmitters

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•chemicalsthat transmit information across the synapse to a receiving neuron’s dendrites

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receptors

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: partsof the cell membrane that receive the neurotransmitter and initiate or preventa new electric signal

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Synaptic Transmission

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(1)The actionpotential travels downthe axonand(2) stimulates the release of neurotransmitters from vesicles.(3) The neurotransmitters are released intothe synapse, where they float to bind with receptor sites on a dendrite of a postsynaptic neuron, initiating anewactionpotential. Theneurotransmitters are clearedout of the synapse by(4)reuptake into the sending neuron, (5) being broken down by enzymes in the synapse, or (6) binding to autoreceptors on the sending neuron.

Front 22

Acetylcholine(ACh):

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•involvedin a number of functions including voluntary motor control

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Dopamine(DA):

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•regulatesmotor behavior, motivation, pleasure, and emotional arousal

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Gluatmate:

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major excitatory neurotransmitterinvolved in information transmission throughout the brain

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GABA

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major inhibitory neurotransmitter in thebrain

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Norepinephrine (NE)

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•influencesmood and arousal

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Serotonin(5-HT)

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involved in the regulation of sleep andwakefulness, eating, and aggressive behavior

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Endorphins

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•chemicalsthat act within the pain pathways and emotion centers of the brain

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agonists

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•drugsthat increase the action of a neurotransmitter

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antagonist

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•drugsthat block the function of a neurotransmitter

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substantia nigra

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•Givesrise to the dopamine-containing pathway facilitating readiness for movement •Thisis the part of the brain affected by Parkinson’s Disease

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Nervous system

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•: aninteracting network of neurons that conveys electrochemical informationthroughout the body

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Central Nervous System (CNS)

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–composedof the brain and the spinal cord

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Peripheral Nervous System

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–):connectsthe CNS to the body’s organs and muscles

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Somatic Nervous System

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•conveysinformation into and out of the CNS

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Autonomicnervous systems (ANS

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•carriesinvoluntary and automatic commands that control blood vessels, body organs, andglands

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Sympathetic Nervous System

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–: preparesthe body for action in threatening situations (“fightor flight”)

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Parasympathetic Nervous System

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–: helpsthe body return to a normal resting state (“restand digest”)

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Hindbrain

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coordinates information coming intoand out of the spinal cord, and controls the basic functions of life

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Medulla

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•extensionof the spinal cord into the skull that coordinates heart rate, circulation,respiration, etc.

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reticular formation

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a brain structure that regulates sleep,wakefulness, and levels of arousal

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cerebellum

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•alarge structure that controls fine motor skills

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pons

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•abrain structure that relays information from the cerebellum to the rest of thebrain

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midbrain

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important for orientation andmovement

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tectum

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•orientsorganism to environment

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tegmentum

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involved in movement and arousal

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Forebrain

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highest level of brain; critical forcomplex cognitive, emotional, sensory, and motor functions

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Thalmus

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•relaysand filters information from the senses and transmits the information to thecerebral cortex

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hypothalmus

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•regulatesbody temperature, hunger, thirst, and sexual behavior

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amygdala

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•: playsa central role in many emotional processes, particularly the formation ofemotional memories

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hippocampus

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critical for creating new memories andintegrating them into a network of knowledge so that they can be storedindefinitely in other parts of the cerebral cortex

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pituitary gland

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•the“master gland” of the body’s hormone-producing system, which releases hormonesthat direct the functions of many other glands in the body

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basal ganglia

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•setof subcortical structures that directs intentional movement•receiveinput from the cerebral cortex and send output to the motor centers of thebrain stem

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cerebral cortex

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Four lobes of the cortex (in eachhemisphere

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Frontal lobe

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has specialized areas for movement,abstract thinking, planning, memory, and judgment

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parietal lobe

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: processesinformation about touch

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occipital lobe

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§processesvisual information

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Temporal lobe

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§: responsiblefor hearing and language

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association areas

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•areasof the cerebral cortex that are composed of neurons that help provide sense andmeaning to information registered in the cortex–

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corpus callosum

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a thick band of nerve fibers thatconnects large areas of the cerebral cortex on each side of the brain andsupports communication of information across the hemispheres

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brain plasticity

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•Sensorycortices can adapt to change.•Thebrain is plastic: functions that were assigned to certain areas of the brainmay be capable of being reassigned to other areas of the brain to accommodatechanging input from the environment.•Greateruse of a function may allocate greater space in the cortical map.•Physicalexercise can benefit the strength and connections of synapses in the brain.

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EEG

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–adevice used to record electrical activity in the brainShowswhen brain activity occurs but notexactly where

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MRI

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}Uses magnetic fields to produce veryfinely detailed images of the structureof the human brain and other soft tissues}Shows wherebut not when

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fMRI

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}Variation on MRI, tells about brain activity bymeasuring changes in blood flow}Showswhere AND when

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PET

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•Involvesinjecting patient with “harmless” radioactive form of: §oxygen(bloodflow) §glucose(metabolism)§otherlabel of interest (forexample, a researcher interested in dopamine might make a tracer that binds todopamine receptors)