Psychology - The Brain

CNS

100

This neurotransmitter is inhibitory and produces a calming effect that helps to slow you down, lowering your heart rate and blood pressure.

GABA

200

What is the neurotransmitter glutamate responsible for?

Enhancement of action potentials, learning and memory

300

Neurotransmitters are typically stored in which part of the neuron?

Axon Terminal (Terminal Buttons)

400

What is the function of the myelin sheath?

Fatty material that covers the neuron and allows for faster movement of electrical impulses along the axon

500

What is the function of the synapse?

Space between neurons that allows neurons to communicate with one another.  

Brain

100

Associates emotions with experiences. Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn.

Amygdala

200

Part of the brain that is responsible for: thought, detailed perceptions and complex behavior. Let’s you understand yourself, others and the outside world

Cerebral Cortex

300

This is the control center for speech production, enabling the articulation of words and ideas through spoken and written language

Broca's Area

400

This lobe is responsible for spatial reasoning and knowing where you are in space

Parietal Lobe

500

This is responsible for the formation of memories, long-term, short-term and working memory

Hippocampus

Master Computer

100

This lobe is responsible for hearing and memory. Helps you understand the meaning of words and objects

Temporal Lobe

200

Allows information to flow from left hemisphere to right.

Corpus Callosum

300

Regulates body functions and motivates behavior (warm to cold, circadian rhythm), and controls the pituitary gland

Hypothalamus

400

Balance, motor coordination and motor learning (riding a bike)

Allows you to ride a bike, listen to music, and chat up your friend all at the same time.

Cerebellum

500

This lobe is responsible for visual perception including color, form and motion.

Occipital Lobe

Scans

100

Scanning process that combines many 2-D x-ray images to generate cross sections or 3-D images of the brain

CAT scans (Computerized Axial Tomography)

200

A recording of electrical signals from the brain made by hooking up electrodes to the subjects scalp. 

EEG (Electroencephalograph) 

300

This scan requires the individual to inject a very small quantity of radioactive glucose so that the observer can see blood flow or metabolism in any part of the brain.

PET scan (Positron Emission Tomography)

400

This scan realigns the body's hydrogen atoms so that they all spin along the same axis. Then there is a radio pulse that is sent to the brain and when the atoms eventually return to their original state they release an energy that this machine can pick up and produce an image of the different types of tissue.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

500

This scan measures the very faint magnetic fields that emanate from the head as a result of brain activity. It is the most accurate resolution of the timing of the nerve cell activity.

MEG (Magnetoencephalography)

Anything

100

This lobe is most responsible for your executive function: attention, working memory, self-control and impulse control. It also gives one the ability to process info, make judgments and solve problems.

Frontal Lobe

200

This is responsible for understanding both spoken and written language by being involved in phonologic retrieval.

Wernicke's area

300

This is the part of the brain that is also known as the lizard brain. It helps to process and regulate emotion, memory, learning and your sense of smell.

The Limbic System

400

This produces and releases hormones that regulate bodily functions including growth and sexual development, metabolism, body's response to stress and trauma, regulates body temperature and can release hormones to regulate body temperature.

Pituitary Gland

500

Responsible for basic functions of survival. Controls heart rate, breathing, swallowing, urination, etc.

Brain Stem