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psych ch 2
Stack #146000
| vocab | definition |
|---|---|
| brainstem | the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions |
| medulla | the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing |
| dendrite | the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body |
| thalamus | the brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla |
| action potential | a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon |
| reticular formation | a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal |
| cerebellum | the 'little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; its functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance |
| limbic system | a doughnut-shaped system of neural structures below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as fear and agression and drives such as those for food and sex. Includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalmus |
| amygdala | two lima bean-sized neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion |
| hypothalamus | a neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion |
| cerebral cortex | the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the crebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center |
| frontal lobes | the portion of the crebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements |
| parietal lobes | the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position |
| occipital lobes | the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas, each receiving information from the opposite visual field |
| temporal lobes | the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear |
| motor cortex | an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements |
| sensory cortex | the area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement |
| 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 arouses; |
| aphasia | impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke's area (impairing understanding) |
| sympathetic nervous system | controls language expression-an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech |
| Wernicke's area | controls language reception--a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe |
| plasticity | 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 arouses; |
| corpus callosum | the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them |
| split brain | 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 its energy |
| reflex | a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response |
| endocrine system | the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream |
| hormones | chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect another |
Created by:
betsyenmj
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