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Biology of the Mind
Chapter 2 vocab and statements
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the role of a biological psychologist? | Biological psychologists study the links between our biology and our behavior. |
| What is a neuron? | A neuron is a nerve cell. |
| What is the basic building block of the nervous system? | The basic building block of the nervous system is the neuron. |
| What is a dendrite? | A dendrite is the neuron's bushy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body. |
| What is an axon? | An axon is the neuron's extension that passes messages through its branching terminal fibers that form junctions with other neurons, muscles or glands. |
| What is action potential? | Action potential is a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. |
| What is a threshold? | A threshold is the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse. |
| What is a synapse? | A synapse is the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. |
| What are neurotransmitters? | Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. |
| What happens when a neurotransmitter is released? | When a neurotransmitter is released by the sending neuron, it travels across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse. |
| What does acetylcholine do? | Acetylcholine (ACh) enables muscle action, learning, and memory. |
| What is a common illness caused by the malfunction of acetylcholine? | A common illness due to the malfunction of ACh is Alzheimer's disease. |
| What are endorphins? | Endorphins, "morphine within," are natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure. |
| What is the role of dopamine? | Dopamine influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion. |
| What are common illnesses resulting from the malfunctions of dopamine? | Excess dopamine receptor activity is linked to schizophrenia. Starved of dopamine, the brain produces the tremors and decreased mobility of Parkinson's disease. |
| What is the role of serotonin? | Serotonin affects mood, hunger, sleep and arousal. |
| What can result from a malfunction of serotonin? | Under supply of serotonin is linked to depression. Prozac and some other antidepressant drugs raise serotonin levels. |
| What are the roles of endorphins? | Endorphins lessen pain and boost mood. |
| What can result from a malfunction of endorphins? | If flooded with fake opiates, the brain may stop producing endorphins, causing intense discomfort. |
| What is the nervous system? | The nervous system is the body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems. |
| What is the central nervous system? | The central nervous system is the brain and spinal cord. |
| What is the peripheral nervous system? | The peripheral nervous system is the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body. |
| What are nerves? | Nerves are bundles axons that form neural "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscle glands and sense organs. |
| What are sensory neurons? | Sensory neurons are neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord. |
| What are motor neurons? | Motor neurons are neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands. |
| What are interneurons? | Interneurons are neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs. |
| What is the somatic nervous system? | The somatic nervous system is the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles, aka the skeletal nervous system. |
| What is the autonomic nervous system? | The autonomic nervous system is the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs. |
| What is the sympathetic nervous system? | The sympathetic nervous system is the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations. |
| What is the parasympathetic nervous system? | The parasympathetic nervous system is the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy. |
| What is a reflex? | A reflex is a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus. |
| What is the endocrine system? | The endocrine system is the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the blood stream. |
| What are hormones? | Hormones are chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands. |
| What do hormones do? | Hormones travel through the blood stream and affect other tissues. |
| What are adrenal glands? | Adrenal glands are a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones that help arouse the body in times of stress. |
| What are pituitary glands? | Pituitary glands are the endocrine system's most influential gland. |
| What do pituitary glands do? | Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands. |
| What is a lesion? | A lesion is tissue destruction. |
| What its the brainstem? | The brainstem is the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull. |
| What is an electroencephalogram? | An electroencephalogram is an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface. |
| What is a positron emission tomography scan? | A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task. |
| What is magnetic resonance imaging? | Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images od soft tissue. |
| What do MRI scans show? | MRI scans show brain anatomy. |
| What is functional MRI? | Functional MRI (fMRI) is a technique for revealing blood flow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. |
| What does a functional MRI scan show? | An fMRI scan shows brain function. |
| What is a medulla? | A medulla is the base of the brainstem. |
| What does the medulla do? | The medulla controls heartbeat and breathing. |
| What is a thalamus? | A thalamus is the brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem. |
| What is the role of the thalamus? | The thalamus directs messages to the sensory receiving ares in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla. |
| What is reticular formation? | Reticular formation is a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal. |
| What is the cerebellum? | The cerebellum is the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem. |
| What are some functions of the cerebellum? | Some functions of the cerebellum include some nonverbal learning, processing sensory input, ad coordinating movement output and balance. |
| What is the limbic system? | The limbic system is the neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives. |
| What is the amygdala? | The amygdala is two lima-bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system. |
| What does amygdala influence? | Amygdala influences aggression and fear. |
| What is the hypothalamus? | The hypothalamus is a neural structure lying below the thalamus. |
| What does the hypothalamus do? | The hypothalamus directs several maintenance activities , helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward. |
| What does the hypothalamus influence? | Some neural clusters in the hypothalamus influence hunger; others regulate thirst, body temp, and sexual behavior. |
| What is the cerebral cortex? | The cerebral cortex is the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and info-processing center. |
| What are the frontal lobes? | The frontal lobes are the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead. |
| What are the frontal lobes involved with? | The frontal lobes are involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments. |
| What are parietal lobes? | Parietal lobes are a portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear. |
| What does the parietal lobes do? | Parietal lobes receive sensory input for touch and body position. |
| What are occipital lobes? | Occipital lobes are the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head. |
| What are temporal lobes? | Temporal lobes are a portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas. |
| What is the role of the temporal lobes? | The temporal lobes receive information primarily from the opposite ear. |
| What is the motor cortex? | The motor cortex is the area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements. |
| What is the sensory cortex? | The sensory cortex is the area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations. |
| What are association areas? | Association areas are areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions. |
| What are association areas involved in? | Association areas are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, speaking, and integrating information. |
| What is aphasia? | Aphasia is an impairment of language. |
| What is aphasia caused by? | Aphasia is usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or Wernicke's area (impairing understanding). |
| What is Broca's area? | Broca's area is an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech. |
| What does Broca's area control? | language expression |
| What is Wernicke's area? | Wernicke's area is a brain area, usually in the left temporal lobe, that is involved in language comprehension and expression. |
| What does Wernicke's area control? | language reception |
| What is plasticity? | Plasticity is the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by recognizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience. |
| What is neurogenesis? | Neurogenesis is the formation of new neurons. |
| What is corpus callosum? | Corpus callosum is the large band of neural fivers that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers connecting them. |
Created by:
moore.daneisha
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