Psychology Concepts Ch. 2

Front 1

What are neurons, and how do they transmit information?

Back 1

1. elementary components of nervous system (electrochemical information system)
2. Sensory- carry from sense to brain and spinal cord
3. Motor- carry info from brain and spinal cord out to muscles
4. Interneurons- btw sensory and motor, within brain and spinal cord
5. When reacting to signals, a neuron sends an (action potential) signal through it's axons (electro-chemical), receives through dendrites

Front 2

How do nerve cells communicate with other nerve cells?

Back 2

1. AP reach end of axon, they stimulate the release of neurotransmitters.
2. These carry message across synapse to receptor sites.
THEN: sending neuron absorbs leftovers (reuptake) and receiving generates own AP to relay message.

Front 3

How do neurotransmitters influence behavior, and how do drugs and other chemicals affect neurotransmission?

Back 3

1. Each NT travels a specific path in brain... this effects behavior and emotions. (drugs can affect communication at synapse)
3. Agonists excite by mimicking or blocking reuptake
4. Antagonists inhibit release or block it's effect.

Front 4

What are the functions of the nervous system's main divisions?

Back 4

1.CNS- central nervous system = brain and spinal cord
2. PNS- peripheral nervous system (connects via nerves)
a. somatic nervous system- voluntary control of the skeletal muscles
b. Automatic- controls muscles and glands via sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions

Front 5

How does the Endocrine system- the body's slower information system- transmit it's messages?

Back 5

1. It has a set of glands that secrete homones (main is pituitary)
2. They travel through the bloodstream and affect other tissues (incl. the brain)
3. the brain--> the hypothalamus--> pituitary--> other glands--> releases homones-->brain

Front 6

How do neuroscientists study the brain's connections to behavior and mind?

Back 6

1. Clinical observations
2. Lesioning
3. MRI (reveals brain structure), EEG, PET, and fMRI (reveal brain activity)

Front 7

What are the functions of important lower-level brain structures?

Back 7

1. Brainstem- oldest and responsible for automatic survival functions
a. medulla (heartbeat/breathing)
b. pons (coordinates movements)
c. reticular formation (arousal)
2. Thalamus (above brainstem, sensory switchboard)
3. cerebellum (attached to rear of brainstem, processes sensory info and coordinates movement)
4. Amgydala & hypothalamus - neural centers of limbic system linked to emotions memory, and drives
5. hypothalamus- controls pituitary
6. hippocampus- processes memory

Front 8

What functions are served by the various cerebral cortex regions?

Back 8

Four Lobes:
1. frontal
2. parietal
3. occipital
4. temporal
Motor Cortex- controls voluntary movements
Sensory Cortex- processes body sensations
Association areas-uncommitted portion of brain (process learning, remembering, and thinking)

Front 9

To what extent can a damaged brain recognize itself?

Back 9

1. Plasticity- if a hemisphere is damaged early in life, the others will pick up many of its functions
2. neurogenesis- form new neurons

Front 10

What split brains reveal about the functions of our two brain hemispheres?

Back 10

(severed corpus callosum)
1. Left hemisphere is more verbal
2. Right hemisphere excels in visual perception and recognition of emotion
3. each uniquely contribute

Front 11

How does handedness relate to brain organization?

Back 11

1. about 10% of us are left handed... most right handers process speech in left hemisphere as do more than half of lefties.