Biopsychology 1. Recognize the parts of the neuron (axon, cell body, terminal, dendrite) and what they do for the neuron.-The cell body, or the soma, is the life support center of the cell, where the nucleus is located.-The axon is the long extension of the neuron, insulated with myelin sheath, which speeds up communication within the neuron. -The axon terminal are the branched endings of the axon that send messages to other neurons.-Dendrites are branched out from the cell body and receive signals from the axon terminals of other neurons.Communication within the neuron happens as so: The cell body creates an electrical signal, which travels down the axon and to the axon terminal, where the signal is transmitted to other neurons. Dendrites of the receiving neurons receive the signal and act out on the signal.2. Use action potentials and neurotransmitters to explain communication within/between neurons.Action potentials are neural impulses, or brief electrical charges that travel down the axon to the terminal. Action potentials fire completely or not at all; they do not fire a little bit or a whole lot. Actionpotentials are the communication style for within a neuron.Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that allow for communication between neurons. Action potentials travel down the terminal and facilitate the release of neurotransmitters so that neighboring neurons can receive the signal.3. Describe how the brain changes because of development, injury, and learning.Neurons can change in four major ways: the growth of dendrites and axons, synaptogenesis (the forming of new synapses, or spaces for communication between neurons), pruning (the death of certain neurons and axons that aren’t necessary to brain function), and myelination (insulating axons with myelin sheath to create faster communication within the neuron).Long-term potentiation (LTP) occurs with learning and makes neurons more efficient in communicating with each other. An example of LTP is driving; when you first learn how to drive, you are very aware of everything you must do in order to safely and correctly operate the vehicle. After a while, however, you rarely have to think about what you are doing in order to drive the car.Structural plasticity is critical for learning. It is changes in the brain and the nervous system over time. As you grow older, your neural plasticity decreases sharply, which is why it is so hard to learn new things, like playing the piano, when you are older.4. Be able to distinguish between the central and peripheral nervous system.The central nervous system (CNS) is comprised of your brain and spinal cord. Your body communicates with itself via the CNS; signals from the nerves in your fingers are sent to your spinal cord, which are then sent to your brain. In reaction to that signal, your brain sends a complementary signal back downthe spinal cord and to the nerves in your finger, which would register the sensation of whatever it is you’re feeling.The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is made up of the autonomic and somatic systems. The somatic nervous system is basically the system you can control. You are using your somatic system when you type on a keyboard or walk to your desk because these movements are within your control. The autonomic nervous system controls things that you have no voluntary control over, such as digestion, cardiac rhythms, and so forth. The somatic nervous system is broken down into two other systems, the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. The sympathetic system controls the “fight or flight” syndrome and prepares your body for times of danger or stress; it increases your heart rate, activates your sweat glands, and makes the hair on the back of your neck rise. The parasympathetic controls “restand digest” or all other times that you are not in the “fight or flight” mode.5. Identify and describe the role of each of the four lobes in the cerebral cortex in relation to behavior.*While each lobe has many functions, I am identifying those that I gather to be the most important and unique to that lobe.Frontal lobe – oversees the function of all other lobes (executive functioning), control of the motor cortex, and includes the prefrontal cortex (responsible for higher thinking and personality). Damage to the prefrontal cortex can result in drastic personality changes.Parietal lobe – responsible for touch and perception; contains the somatosensory cortex which registers extremes like heat, pain, and pressure.Temporal lobe – contains the auditory cortex (responsible for hearing), Wernicke’s area, Broca’s area, and autobiographical information. This lobe plays a key role in understanding language.Occipital lobe – contains the visual cortex.6. Describe the roles that the basal ganglia, Wernicke’s area, Broca’s area, limbic system, cerebellum, brain stem, and spinal cord play in behavior.Basal ganglia – controls movement that allows us to receive rewards, such as reaching for your cell phone. Damage to this area can contribute to Parkinson’s disease.Wernicke’s area – speech comprehension; damage to this area makes us unable to understand what others are saying.Broca’s area – ability to produce speech; we may understand what someone is saying to us but are almost unable to say what we want to say in reply. This can have a more depressive effect than damage to Wernicke’s area.Limbic system – this is the emotional center of the brain. The thalamus relays information from the sense organs, such as your skin, to the primary sensory cortex so your brain can register that it is hot or cold outside. The hypothalamus regulates internal body states and the pituitary gland; damage to this can lead to hormonal imbalance which can result in a number of issues (for example, hormones trigger the menstrual cycle; imagine if that hormone never triggered or never stopped triggering).Brain stem – connects the cerebral cortex and the spinal cord and performs some basic bodily functions.Cerebellum – coordinates movement and controls balance.Amygdala – plays a key role in excitement, fear, and arousal.Hippocampus – plays a role in spatial memory; damage to this area causes an inability to form new memories.Spinal cord - Its main function is to facilitate communication between the brain and the rest of the body.7. Explain how the autonomic and somatic nervous systems work in emergency or everyday situations.As
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