Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
75 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Apx how many neurons does the body contain |
100 billion |
|
What are the types of neurons |
Anaxon, bipolar, multipolar, unipolar |
|
What is the name for a neuron cell body |
Soma |
|
Where is the action potential generated |
In the soma |
|
Where are signals received |
Dendrites |
|
What is the insulating layer around the neurons |
Myelin |
|
name the 3 main types of neurons |
interneurons, motor neurons and sensory neurons |
|
what are the key features of Neurons |
Specialized membrane covering the entire surface, Ability to communicate with other cells using signals |
|
the "resting potential" of a neurons is? |
Negative. -70 millivolts |
|
The polarization of the cell is due to what? |
A higher concentration of negative Ions inside the cell than outside |
|
Neurons stay at a negative polarization due to? |
Selective permeability, electrostatic pressure, sodium/potassium pump - which exchanges Na+ molecules within the cell for K- molecules outside the cell |
|
What is the threshold of excitation |
the figurative level at which the excitatory post synaptic potential causes the neuron to fire |
|
Describe inhibitory post-synaptic potentials |
Potential that acts against EPSP to prevent the neuron firing |
|
describe what occurs once the threshold of excitation is met and exceeded |
Once enough excitatory PSP enter the cell and the threshold is met, the polarity inside the cell is reversed (swapped from negative to positive), this is due to Na+ channels being forced open. This happens in sequence down the axon of the neuron (this is the neuron firing). Once the Na+ reaches the Axon heads, calcium gates open and calcium beings to enter the buttons, which pushes neurotransmitters out of the button, ready to enter the dendrites of another neuron. |
|
in what way does myelin speed up neuron firing/action potential |
Ion exchange must only occur at the gaps of ranvier; not along the whole length of axon |
|
what is the main excitatory neuron |
Glutamate |
|
What is the main inhibitory neuron |
GABA |
|
what type of neuron is Seratonin, what does it affect |
inhibitory, mood and impulse control, sleep and pain perception |
|
the sympathetic NS deals with? and is a part of which portion of PNS |
Fight or flight, autonomous |
|
describe localisation of the brain |
Simplified association of specific regions of the brain with specific process |
|
what are the 3 components of the Hindbrain, describe them |
- The medula, which controls automatic things like breathing, - The pons, which bridges the medula with the rest of the brain, as well as controls dreaming, breathing, etc - The cerebellum, which controls movement/balance and motor control |
|
what are the 3 dopamine pathways in the midbrain and their functions |
Nagrostriatal - voluntary movement - disorder would be parkinsons Mesolimbic - attaches to Ventral tagmental area and ends at nucleus accumbens - reward pathway, affected by drug use Meso-cortical - attaches at VTA and ends at pre frontal cortex - information processing, schizophrenics have damage here |
|
What is the thalamus responsible for? |
Sensory information processing and communication - sends information to appropriate portions of the cortex |
|
What does the hypothalamus do? |
provides motivation for survival; hunger, arousal, fear etc |
|
The limbic system contains what? What do they do? |
The amygdella; the emotional center of the brain, processes primarily negative emotions or instant sensations (Danger!!!) Hypocampus; Memories are created here, though not stored here! |
|
The most recently developed portion of the brain is what? |
The cortex, the external covering of the brain, separated into a number of sections |
|
what divides the cortex into it's 4 segments? Name the segments |
The central sulcus and lateral fissure, seperate brain into parietal, occipital, frontal and temporal |
|
About 1/3 of the cortex makes up the..? It is the most recent part of the brain to develope |
Prefrontal Cortex |
|
Prefrontal Cortex is responsible for? |
Higher level thinking and cognitive ability |
|
What purpose does the corpus callosum serve |
Connecting the left and right hemmispheres of the brain |
|
Which hemisphere controls Language |
The left |
|
The left side of the brain controls which side of the body |
The right |
|
in a split brain patient, when an object is presented to the left field of view, does the brain posses the ability to describe the object? |
No, Language is processed in the left brain, where as something perceived in the left field of view is processed in the right brain |
|
which hemisphere is considered for natural and holistic, and which is the analytical |
the right is holistic, the left is analytic |
|
What is Evolutionary Psychology |
Evolutionary psychology is our attempt to understand how evolution and natural selection has shaped who we are and how we act - Specifically we relate this to "Sexual Selection" |
|
Provide a description of sexual selection |
Sexual selection is the study of how our sexual preferences have developed of time as well as how those preferences benefit us |
|
What is the core goal of sexual evolutions |
Having plentiful, healthy/fit babies |
|
What are female and males respective mating strategies |
Males are promiscuous and competitive Females are choosy |
|
What are female/males respective responses to sexual infidelity? What do they respond to most |
~Males worry about women sleeping with other males - and the fear that the children those women bear may not be theirs ~Females worry that males will develop emotions for another and no longer provide for them/their children |
|
What are female/males respective mating preferences |
Males prefer woman who are young and attractive - woman seek men who are older and thus well off |
|
How does scent factor into attraction? |
People find the scent of those whose genes differ from theirs more attractive. Helps encourage genetic diversity |
|
What is Gangestad's "Sexy son" theory |
Gangestad theorized that woman will seek out attractive, dominant males for the sole purpose of sex, specifically when they are in a fertile part of their cycle - with the intention of having a child who in turn is attractive and will have a greater chance of carrying on her genes |
|
Define "sensation" |
Using a sensory receptor to detect stimulus and send that information to the brain |
|
Define "Perception" |
The translation and application of sensory information |
|
What do you call the transferal of physical information into electrical signals in the brain |
Transduction |
|
What composes the Midbrain |
The Basal ganglia, substantia nigra, Ventral tegmental area |
|
What are the 3 main dopamine pathways of the midbrain? |
Nagrostriatal - includes basal ganglia and substantia Nigra; primarily controls smooth movement Mesolimbic - Starts in Ventral tegmental area and expends to the nucleus accumbens in the limbic system. The brains primary "reward" network Meso Cortical Pathway - Starts in VTA as well, expents to prefrontal cortex |
|
What is included in the "forebrain" |
Thalamus, hypothallamus, limbic system (amygdella and hypocampus), Cortex |
|
What are the 4 regions of the cortex associated associated with |
Frontal: Voluntary movement, contains the motor strip for this. Broccas area is also in the frontal lobe, and this controls Parietal Lobe: Somatosensory strip is here, it receives information from the body parts Occipital lobe: Responsible for vision/visual information Temporal: Auditory region of cortex, contains "wernickes area" - which controls language/is in the left hemisphere. |
|
Define Sensation and perception |
Sensation: the use of sensory receptors to send info to the brain via electrical current Perception: th |
|
What does Each sensory system always contains |
Sensory receptors, Neural pathways and a brain area dedicated to processing the information |
|
What is sensory adaptiation |
Sensory adaption is when the receptors stop firing if the stimulus remains constant, and begins again if it changes (increases) |
|
Describe the sensory threshholds |
Absolute threshold; minimum level for detections Difference threshold; level of differentiation we can detect between stimuli |
|
The study of sensation and perception, and the relationship between stimulus and perception is what |
Psychophysics |
|
What factors influence sensory detection theory |
Sensory sensitivity and response bias |
|
Describe top down processing |
Perceptual assumptions based on pre-determined/preexisting information |
|
What is subliminal perception |
The idea that information that we aren't consciously aware of can influence us, it works but has only been seen to work in situations where an individual is pre-disposed to the desired action |
|
What are the three characteristics of light |
Hue, intensity and saturation |
|
what part of the eye helps focus our vision |
the lense |
|
What are the layers of the retina |
Cones and rods |
|
Which component of the retina allows for low-light vision, why is this |
Rods; they are more sensitive to light however cannot perceive colour |
|
What part of the retina can see colour and how |
Cones, these are sensitive to light. There are 3 types of rods, short, medium and long, which refers to the wavelength it can perceive, not the actual size of the photoreceptor |
|
Where are most of the cones located in the eye |
Fovea |
|
Describe the order of operations for vision |
Light enters the eye, passing the iris, cornea and lense. It is seen by the cones and rods of the eye, which convert the waves into electrical impulses. Gangion cells take this impulse and transport it to the optic nerve axon, which passes along the base of the retina and into the optic disk, then down the optic nerve and into the thalamus, where it's relayed to the visual cortex (occipital lobe) |
|
After light has passed the visual cortex it is sent along 2 pathways, what are they and where do they go. Also, what is this pathway group called |
The Dorsal pathway; move to the parietal lobe The Ventral pathway; to the temporal lobe Cortico pathway |
|
Explain the theory of perpetual constancy |
Despite visual changes to objects, we still perceive them as having the same shape (Ex; a chair that has been moved still has the same shape, even if we see it differently). The same applies to colours |
|
What are each of the 3 cones associated with |
Short - purplish light Medium - greenish Long - Red/orangish |
|
What is the opponent processing theory |
The idea that retinal ganglia exist in opposing pairs; black - white red - green blue - yellow |
|
what causes sound |
Sound is the result of waves, which in turn result from changes in pressure within an elastic medium (air/water) molecules coming together is condensation, the opposite of rarefaction |
|
What are the perceivable physical characteristics of sound waves |
pitch and loudness |
|
Where does the outer ear end |
the tympanic membrane |
|
What are the auditory ossicles |
Maleus, incas and stapes |
|
Sound is transduced through the auditory ossicles, which beat on what |
The oval window |
|
what is contained in the inner ear, how is sound processed here |
The basilar membrane, which is covered in cilia that respond to the sound waves being transduced by the ossicles. Information is taken via auditory nerves to the thalamus (to the medial geniculate nucleus) |
|
What is frequency theory |
Different sound frequencies cause neurons to fire more quickly or more slowly |