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biopsych vocab
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Phrenology | a fake science which involves the measurement of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits |
| Neuron | a specialized cell that passes messages; a nerve cell |
| Dendrite | the branches of a neuron that receive chemical messages and begin electrical messages toward the cell body |
| Axon | the part of the neuron that carries the electrical message away from the cell body, toward another cell |
| Receptors | alternate name for dendrites |
| Myelin / myelin sheath | insulation that covers axon |
| Nodes of Ranvier | gaps between myelin sheath on axon |
| Action potential | an electrical charge that travels through a neuron |
| Resting Potential | when the neuron is ready to fire; has negative charge inside |
| Refractory Period | period after firing when neuron can’t fire again; pumping positively charged ions back out to get negative inside again |
| Excitatory Signals | when the neuron is told to fire |
| Inhibitory Signals | when the neuron is told not to fire |
| Threshold | the point at which enough neurotransmitter has attached to the dendrites so the dendrites can open |
| All or none response | either the neuron fires or it doesn’t |
| Synapse (synaptic gap) | the space between the axon of the sending neuron and the dendrites of the receiving neuron |
| Neurotransmitter | a chemical messenger that travels through the synapses between neurons and unlocks dendrites to create an action potential |
| Acetylcholine | neurotransmitter dealing with Movement and memory (related to Alzheimer's) |
| Dopamine | neurotransmitter dealing with Movement, attention, and emotion (related to schizophrenia and Parkinson's) |
| Serotonin | neurotransmitter dealing with Mood, hunger, and sleep (related to depression) |
| Norepinephrine | neurotransmitter dealing with Alertness (related to depression) |
| GABA | inhibitory neurotransmitter dealing with Calmness (related to anxiety, seizures, tremors, and insomnia) |
| Glutamine | neurotransmitter dealing with Memory (related to migraines and seizures) |
| Endorphins | neurotransmitter that decreases pain and improves mood |
| Reuptake | when the terminal buttons of the axon reabsorb leftover neurotransmitters |
| Terminal Buttons | the end of the axon that releases and reabsorbs neurotransmitter |
| Agonist | a drug that causes neurons to fire |
| Antagonist | a drug that stops neurons from firing |
| Blood-brain barrier | a layer of capillaries that stops most chemicals in the blood from getting into the brain |
| L-dopa | a drug that can pass through the blood-brain barrier and be turned into dopamine by the brain |
| Psychoactive Drug | a drug that can pass through the blood-brain barrier |
| Opiates | a group of drugs that relieve pain and produce feelings of euphoria for the user by mimicking endorphins |
| Stimulants | speed up body functions, increase heart rate, and breathing and are all at least mildly addicting |
| Hallucinogens | create euphoria, feelings of detachment, and distort perceptions. They are known to evoke vivid images in the absence of sensory input |
| Tolerance | when you’ve taken a drug so often that you need more of a drug to achieve the same effect |
| Addiction | when you mentally and/or physically need a drug to function |
| Withdrawal | symptoms that occur when someone stops or reduces of use of a psychoactive drug that has been taken repeatedly for period of time |
| Depressants | a class of drugs that slow down the sympathetic nervous system, disrupt memory processing, reduce self-awareness, relieve anxiety, and lower inhibitions |
| Schizophrenia | a disorder characterized by hallucinations, delusions, and high dopamine levels |
| Delusions | false perceptions about self or others or environment |
| Hallucinations | sensory experiences without sensory stimulation |
| Selective Attention | the frontal lobe in a person with schizophrenia does not filter out unimportant stimuli |
| Positive symptoms | the presence of inappropriate behaviors (ex in schizophrenia: hallucinations, inappropriate laughter/tears, etc) |
| Negative Symptoms | the absence of inappropriate behaviors (ex in schizophrenia: toneless voice, expressionless face, etc) |
| Dopamine Overactivity | the theory that schizophrenia is caused by excess dopamine |
| Chronic Schizophrenia | slow-developing schizophrenia that can hardly ever be recovered from |
| Acute Schizophrenia | when someone has episodes of severe schizophrenia symptoms (usually brought on by stress), followed by periods where they experience few or no symptoms |
| Biomedical therapy | the attempt to reduce symptoms of disorder through physical interventions like drug therapies, electroconvulsive treatment, and psychosurgery |
| Psychopharmacology | the study of substances that influence mental states |
| Antipsychotic Drugs | drugs that reduce dopamine levels (ex: Thorazine) |
| Tardive Dyskinesia | involuntary movements of the tongue, lips, face, trunk, and extremities that occur in patients treated with certain antipsychotic drugs |
| Antianxiety Drugs | drugs including Xanax and Ativan that reduce central nervous system activity |
| Antidepressant Drugs | drugs including Serotonin, Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil that increase serotonin levels to help with depression, anxiety, ocd, and ptsd |
| SSRI | most antidepressants are this type of drug |
| Neurogenesis | when new neurons are formed in the brain, mostly during prenatal development, but also continuing in certain brain regions throughout adulthood |
| Mood Stabilizing Drugs | drugs like Lithium that reduce symptoms of bipolar disorder |
| Electroconvulsive Shock Therapy | a treatment for depression that involves small electric shocks that are passed through the brain, causing changes in brain chemistry that quickly reverse symptoms of disorder |
| Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) | a magnetic coil is placed against the scalp, where it delivers a magnetic pulse to stimulate nerve cells involved in mood control and depression |
| Psychosurgery | an operation in which a small piece of brain is destroyed or removed (only done if all other treatment options have failed) |
| Lobotomy | a neurosurgical treatment of a mental disorder that involves severing connections in the brain's prefrontal cortex (no longer done) |
| Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy | therapy that encourages the patient to briefly focus on a trauma memory while wiggling their eyes, with the intention of changing the way that the memory is stored, so it’s less vivid and emotional |
| Light Exposure Therapy | a treatment in which you’re exposed to an artificial light source that mimics sunlight in order to treat SAD and/or depression |
| Nervous System | the body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the central and peripheral nervous systems |
| Central Nervous System (CNS) | the brain and the spinal cord |
| Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) | the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body |
| Sensory Neuron (afferent) | neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system |
| Motor Neuron (efferent) | neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands |
| Interneurons | central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs |
| Somatic Nervous System | the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles |
| Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) | the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls automatic functions such as the endocrine system and the internal organs |
| Sympathetic Nervous System | the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations |
| Parasympathetic Nervous System | the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving energy |
| Reflex | caused by interneurons in the spine |
| Endocrine System | system of glands that produce hormones |
| Hormones | chemical messengers of the bloodstream |
| Adrenal Gland | gland that produces epinephrine / adrenaline |
| Pituitary Gland | gland that produces growth hormone |
| Oxytocin | cuddle hormone |
| Thyroid | gland that deals with metabolism |
| Pancreas | gland that produces insulin |
| Ovaries / Testes | glands that produce testosterone and estrogen |
| Electroencephalogram (EEG) | a brain scan that measures waves of electrical energy |
| Computed Tomography Scan (CT) | a brain scan that uses x-rays to get a basic picture of brain structures |
| Positron Emission Tomography (PET) | a brain scan that uses radioactive glucose to measure active parts of the brain |
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) | a brain scan that uses magnets to get a detailed picture of the brain's structures |
| Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) | a brain scan that uses magnets and tracks oxygen flow to see the brain's active structures |
| Brainstem | part of the brain that controls the most basic functions |
| Medulla | the part of the brain that controls heartbeat and respiration |
| Pons | the part of the brain that deals with sleep, dreaming, and facial expression |
| Thalamus | the part of the brain that sends incoming sensory information to the correct part of the cerebral cortex for processing |
| Reticular Formation | part of the brainstem that deals with alertness and arousal |
| Cerebellum | the part of the brain that coordinates muscle movements that allow humans to maintain posture and balance |
| Limbic System | brain center made of amygdala, hippocampus, and hypothalamus |
| Amygdala | the part of the brain that creates basic fear or anger responses |
| Hypothalamus | the part of the brain that controls the hormone system, which is in charge of hunger, thirst, growth, body temperature, and other functions |
| Hippocampus | the part of the brain that creates long-term, explicit memories |
| Reward Center | another name for limbic system |
| Reward Deficiency Syndrome | theory that some people are more likely to be addicts because they don’t have enough dopamine in reward center |
| Cerebral Cortex | the part of the brain that processes sensations, sends out directions for movement, creates language, does all conscious thinking and planning |
| Glial cells | cells that feed and clean up after neurons |
| Frontal Lobe | the part of the cerebral cortex that deals with abstract thought, planning, self-control, and contains the motor cortex |
| Prefrontal Cortex | the smartest part of the front lobe – used for decision making |
| Broca’s area | part in left frontal lobe that produces language |
| Parietal Lobe | the part of the cerebral cortex that contains the sensory cortex and lots of association areas |
| Occipital Lobe | the part of the cerebral cortex that processes vision, contains some association areas |
| Temporal Lobe | the part of the cerebral cortex that processes hearing, contains some association areas |
| Wernickes’s area | part in left temporal lobe that understands language |
| Motor Cortex | the part of the frontal lobe that sends motor messages to body parts, telling them to move |
| Somatosensory Cortex | the part of the parietal lobe that processes pain and touch information from the body |
| Association Areas | the parts of the cerebral cortex that aren't directly involved with movement or sensation; this is where thinking occurs |
| Aphasia | loss of language |
| Plasticity | the brain can rewire, especially when brain damage happens at younger ages |
| Corpus Callosum | the band of fibers that connects the two hemispheres |
| Lateralization | the left side of the cerebral cortex controls the right and vice versa |
| Split Brain | a patient without the Corpus Callosum |
Created by:
lcurty100
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