Neuroscience and Behavior Vocab
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| Biological Psychology | a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior (sometimes called behavior neuroscience, behavior genetics, or biopsychology
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| Neuron | a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system
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| Dendrite | the bushy, branching extension of a neuron that recieves messages and conducts impulses toward the cell body
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| Axon | the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass on to other neurons or to muscles or glands
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| Myelin Sheath | a layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons, enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next
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| Action Potential | a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. This is generated by the movement of postively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axon's membrane
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| Threshold | the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
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| Synapse | the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the recieving neuron
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| Neurotransmitters | chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, they travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the recieving neuron
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| Acetylcholine | a neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also triggers muscle contraction
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| Endorphins | "morphine within"- natural opiate-like transmitters linked to pain control and pleasure
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| Nervous System | the body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous system
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| Central Nervous System | the brain and spinal cord
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| Peripheral Nervous System | the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body
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| Nerves | neural "cables" containing many axons. These bundled axons, which are part of the peripheral nervous system, connect the central nervous system with the muscles, glands, and sense organs
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| Sensory Neurons | neurons that carry incoming informing information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system
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| Motor Neurons | neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands
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| Interneurons | central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs
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| Somatic Nervous System | the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles (aka skeletal nervous system)
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| Autonomic Nervous System | the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arrouses; its parasympathetic division calms
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| Sympathetic Nervous System | the division of the autonomic nervous system that arrouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations
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| Parasympathetic Nervous System | the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy
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| Reflex | a simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response
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| Neural Networks | interconnected neural cells. With experience, networks can learn, as feedback strengthens or inhibits connections that produce certain results. Computer simulations show analogous learning
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| Endocrine System | the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
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| Hormones | chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by the endocrine system and glands that are produced in one tissue and affect another
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| Adrenal Glands | a pair of glands just above the kidneys. They secrete the hormone epinephrine (adrenaline) and nonrepinephrine (nonadrenaline) which help to arrouse the body in times of stress
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| Pituitary Gland | the endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalmus, it regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands
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| Lesion | tissue destruction
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| Electroencephalogram (EEG) | an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweeps across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp
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| PET (Postion Emission Tomography) Scan | a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task
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| MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) | a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within the brain
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| fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) | a technique for revealing blood flow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing sucessive MRI scans.
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| Brain Stem | the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; it is responsible for automatic survivial functions
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| Medulla | the base of the brain stem; controls heartbeat and breathing
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| Reticular Formation | a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arrousal
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| Thalamus | the brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory recieving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla
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| Cerebellum | the "little brain" attatche to the rear of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory input to coordinate movement output and balance
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| Limbic System | a doughnut shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as fear and agression and drives such as those for food and sex. Includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus
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| Amygdala | two lima bean sized neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion
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| Hypothalamus | a neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature, etc.), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion
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| Cerebral Cortex | the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information processing center
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| Glial Cells (Glia) | cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons
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| Frontal Lobe | the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements
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| Parietal Lobes | the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; recieves sensory input for touch and body position
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| Occipital Lobes | the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas, which recieve visual information from the opposite visual field
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| Temporal Lobes | the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each of which recieve auditory information primarily from the opposite ear
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| Motor Cortex | an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that control voluntary movements
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| Sensory Cortex | the area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations
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| Association Areas | areas of the cerebral cortex taht are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking
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| Aphasia | impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (speaking) or Wernicke's area (understanding)
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| Broca's Area | controls language expression; an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech
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| Wernicke's Area | controls language reception; a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temperal lobe
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| Plasticity | the brain's capacity for modification, as evident in brain reorganization following damage (especially in children) and in experiments on the effects of experience on brain development
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| Corpus Callosum | the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them
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| Split Brain | a condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) between them
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