Psych Midterm

Front 1

Central Nervous System

Back 1

Brain and Spinal Cord.
-acts as an intermediary between the stimuli we receive and our responses to those stimuli.
-Plays a central role in coordinating and integrating all bodily functions.

Front 2

Hypothalamus

Back 2

-A small structure in the brain that serves many critical functions including temperature regulation.
-Perspiring in glans

Front 3

Neurons

Back 3

Cells that make up the nervous system

Front 4

Three classes of Neurons

Back 4

Motor, Sensory, Interneurons

Front 5

Sensory Neurons

Back 5

Carries messages to the CNS from receptors in the skin,ears, nose, eyes, and so forth.

Front 6

Motor Neurons

Back 6

Brain and sometimes the spinal cord interpret these messages from the Sensory Neurons and send appropraite responses through motor neurons which lead to muscles and glans

Front 7

Interneuron's

Back 7

-Resides only within the central nervous system
-since motor and sensory neurons rarely communicate directly, interneurons play a critical intermediary role. Without these connecting neurons, sensory messages would never result in the appropriate bodily responses.

Front 8

Dendrites

Back 8

Neurons typically receive neural messages at one end and pass them to the other end. the part of the neuron that receives most transmitted signals is a collectoin of fibers called DENDRITES. Extend out like branches of a tree.

Front 9

Axon

Back 9

Slender, extended fiber that takes a signal from the cell body at a point called the axon hillock and transmits it along its entire length.

Front 10

Myelinated or Unmyelinated axons

Back 10

Myelin is a type of cell that wraps around the axon providing it was insulation. Most peripheral axons are myelinated and most in brain are unmyelinated.

Myelin insulated and increased speed of conduction along the axon.

Front 11

Terminal Buttons

Back 11

The transmitting end of the axon consists of bulblike structures known as the TERMINAL BUTTONS.

-store and release neurotransmitters that enable nerve impulses to cross from one neuron to adjacent neurons.

Front 12

Resting Potential

Back 12

State in which a neuron is not transmitting a nerve impulse.
-Eventually the neurons will be activated by an impulse from an adjacent neuron- graded potential.

Front 13

Graded Potential

Back 13

The resting potential is distrubed when it received an impulse, the disturbance is known as Graded Potential.

Front 14

Action Potential

Back 14

When the sum of graded potential reaches a curtain magnitude or threshold a sudden depolariation begins- action potential.

-Once the action potential reaches the terminal buttons it initiates the release of the neurotransmitter substances which carry the messages to adjacent neurons.

Front 15

All or None Law

Back 15

-Once a nerve impulse is triggered within an axon, it is transmitted the antire length of the axon with no loss of intensity.

-The law states that if the sum of graded potentials reaches a threshold there will be an action potential. If the threshold is not reached however, no action potential will ocur.

Front 16

Gila Cells

Back 16

Help increase the speed of transmission of nerve imposes. The cell wrap around some axons and form an insulating cover called a Myelin Sheath.

Front 17

Myelin Sheath

Back 17

Speed up transmission of nerve impulses

Front 18

Node of Ranivier

Back 18

Each gila cell the axon membrane is exposed a small gap called node of ranivier .

Front 19

Salutatory Conduction

Back 19

the leaping of the nerve impulses so they can get to the terminal bttons quicker.

Front 20

Synaptic Gap

Back 20

When an electrical nerve impulse reaches the end of the axon, it cannot flow directly into another neuron. This is becuase there is a space between neurons known as the SYNAPTIC GAP.

Front 21

Synapse

Back 21

Chemical process that is necessary in bridging the synaptic gap. The synapse includes the synaptic gap and a portion of the presynaptic and postsynaptic membranes that are involved in transmitting a signal between neurons.

Front 22

excitatory neurotransmitters

Back 22

 If positively charged sodium ions enter, the membrane is excited or depolarized and graded potentials are caused.
-Neurotransmitters that cause thse changes are called exitatory neurotransmitters. and their effects are referred to as excitatory postsynaptic potentials, or ESPS’s.

Front 23

Inhibitory Postsynaptic Potentials or IPSP’s

Back 23

 If Positively charged potassium ions pass to the outside of the postsynaptic membrane or negatively charge chloride ions enter, the membrane and the graded potential results in making the membrane more negative. When they act this way they are ISPS’S.

Front 24

Synaptic Vesicles

Back 24

The neurotransmitters are contained within tiny sacs in the axon terminal buttons called SYNAPTIC VESICLES.

Front 25

Acetylcholine

Back 25

Location: Cortex, spinal cord, target organs activated by parasympathetic nervous system.

Excitatory

Functions: important role in motor movement becuase it is the chemical/neurotransmitter released from motor neurons onto muscle fibers to make them contract.
Excitation in the brain. Either excitation or inhibition in target organs of PNS.
involved in learning, movement, and memory.

Common disorder that involvesthis neurotransmitter is Alzheimers disease. degeneration of these neurons in the brain. Also, when nerve gas, black widow spider venom and botulism toxins interfere with this it can produce paralysis

Front 26

Norepinephrine

Back 26

Location: central and peripheral nervous system. Spinal cord, limbic system, cortex, target organs of sympathetic nervous system.

Functions: Arousal of reticular system. involved in eating, emotional behavior, learning, memory,stress.

EXCITATORY.

deficiencies in this are linked to depression and attention deficit disorders.

Front 27

Dopamine

Back 27

Located primarily in the brain, limbic system, basal ganglia, cerebellum.

Inhibitory

Function: motor movement, attention, learning, and memory. also meddiates reward and pleasure and it is the substance of addiction.

-All addictive drugs increase activity of dopamine system.

Deficiencies result in Parkinson's disease which is a severe motor disorder.
Schizophrenia is assosiated with too much dopamine in certain regeions of brain.

Front 28

Serotonin

Back 28

Location: brain stem, most of brain. Distributed throughout the brain and spinal cord.

Inhibitory.'

Functions: involved in the control of sleep/wake cycle, mood, appitite, emotional behavior, and arousal.

Defficiencies in serotonin are assosiated with sleep disorders, agression, eating disorder,and depression. all prescribed anti depressants are a class of drugs called serotonin uptake inhibitors prozac is an example.

Front 29

Gamma-amino butyric acid. GABA

Back 29

Major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain and spinal cord.

Functions: plays importnat role in regulating arousal and anxiety.

Drugs such as valium increase activity of GABA, producing a calming effect, even sleep.

Front 30

Endorphins

Back 30

Inhibitory

Location: spinal cord, most of brain.
Widely distributed throughout most of the brain.

Functions: well,being and euphoria, counteracting the influence of stress, modulating food and liquid intake, facilitating learning and memory, and reducing pain. involved in emotional behavior.
Science is particularly interested in the pain-reducing properties of endorphins, some of which may be 100 times strong than morphine.

Chemically similar to opiates such as morphine.

Front 31

Glutamate (glutamic acid)

Back 31

Brain and spinal cord.

-amino acid derived from glucose.
-one of the most important excitatory neurotransmitters.

Functions: involved in learning and memory.

-The food additive monosodium glutamate (MSG) contains glutamate, eating foods containg large amounts of MSG may produce dizziness and numbness.