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PSYCH 3 - Neurobiolo

TermDefinition
neuroanatomy the study of the parts and functions of neurons
neuron individual nerve cell
dendrites rootlike parts that stretch out from the cell body that make synaptic connections with other neurons
soma also known as the cell body; contains the nucleus and has a -70 charge.
axon wirelike structure that extends from the soma and ends at the terminal buttons
myelin sheath a fatty covering around the axon that speeds neural impulses.
terminal buttons the branched end of an axon that contains neurotransmitters inside the vesicles.
neurotransmitters chemicals located in vesicles that enable neurons to communicate.
synapse the space between the terminal buttons of one neuron and the dendrites of another neuron
receptor sites puzzle like pieces located on the ends of dendrites that neurotransmitters fit into to cause a change in the membrane of the neuron.
threshold when enough neurotransmitters are received to open the selectively permeable membrane of a neuron.
action potential a change in charge that causes the electric message to fire
all or none principle a neuron either fires completely or it does not fire at all.
neural firing when a nerve impulse is sent out from a cell body and reaches a certain threshold, the action potential will fire and send the signal down the axon.
excitatory neurotransmitters neurotransmitters that excite the next cell into firing
inhibitory neurotransmitters neurotransmitters that inhibit or stop the next cell from firing
acetylcholine neurotransmitter that serves the function of muscle memory and memory. deficit results in Alzheimer's
dopamine neurotransmitter that serves the function of mood and muscle memory. deficit results in Parkinson's and excess results in schizophrenia
endorphins neurotransmitter that serves the function of alleviating pain. really addictive.
serotonin neurotransmitter that serves the function of mood control, deficit results in clinical depression.
GABA neurotransmitter that serves the function of sleep control. deficit results in sleep problems. this neurotransmitter begins to inhibit after 5 hours of not being exposed to light.
Glutamate neurotransmitter that serves the functions of being excitatory and learning. deficits can result in migraines and seizures.
Oxytocin neurotransmitter that serves the function of nurturing a newborn, and mother's love. deficit can result in post-partum depression when the levels of this are low or nonexistent.
Norepinephrine neurotransmitter that serves the function of energy and alertness. deficit can result in depression.
afferent (sensory) neurons neurons that receive information from the senses and deliver information to the brain.
efferent (motor) neurons neurons that take information from the brain to other parts of the body to make the body move.
central nervous system system consists of all the nerves housed in bone including the skull and vertebrae.
spinal cord long bundle of nerves that extend from the brain through the spinal column of bone.
peripheral nervous system system consists of all the nerves in the rest of the body excluding those contained in bones.
somatic nervous system system that controls all voluntary muscle movements and receives impulses from the motor cortex.
autonomic nervous system system that controls all automatic functions such as the heart, lungs, organs, glands and reflects these functions in times of fight or flight
sympathetic nervous system system that mobilizes our body to respond to stress, is the alert system of the body and can accelerate some automatic functions and reserve others.
parasympathetic nervous system system that slows down the sympathetic n.s. and the body after a stress response.
accidents events that weren't meant to reveal information about how the brain works. example: Phineas Gage's event.
lesions removal or destruction of the brain when necessary. example: frontal lobotomies.
EEG scan that detects brain waves in different stages of consciousness mostly used in sleep research to learn more about the stages of sleeping and dreaming.
CAT a sophisticated X-ray that creates a 3D image of the brain to get more insight on only the structure of the brain. example: look for a tumor
MRI similar to a CAT scan but develops more detailed images of the brain with magnetic fields to determine things such as density and location of brain material.
PET scan that lets people see what areas of the brain are active during certain tasks and measures how much of a chemical (neurotransmitter) is being used in a specific part of brain.
fMRI a scan that combines elements of a MRI and a PET scan and can tie brain structure and brain activity together.
Hindbrain part of the brain located on the top of the spinal cord and controls the basic biological functions and is the life support system
Medulla part of hindbrain that controls blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing.
Pons part of the hindbrain that connects the hindbrain with the mid and forebrain and controls facial expressions.
Cerebellum part of the hindbrain that means "little brain" and coordinates habitual muscle movements.
Midbrain the smallest of the parts of brain that coordinates simple movements with sensory information.
Reticular formation part of the midbrain that controls body arousal and ability to focus. without it functioning we would fall into a deep coma
Forebrain the part of the brain that controls thought and reason and makes humans "human"
Thalamus part of the forebrain responsible for receiving sensory information and sending it to the appropriate areas of the brain.
Hypothalamus part of the forebrain responsible for controlling body temp, libido, hunger, thirst, and the endocrine system.
Amygdala part of the forebrain connected to the hippocampus. responsible for experiences of emotion
Hippocampus part of the forebrain connected with the amygdala that is vital to our memory system by processing memories first before they enter the cerebral cortex
Limbic system part of the brain involved with our behavioral and emotional responses, most are needed for survival such as feeding, reproduction, caring for young, and fight or flight responses.
Cerebral cortex the gray wrinkled surface that is super thin and made up of densely packed neurons.
Hemispheres the two divisions of the cerebral cortex containing the left and right.
Left hemisphere hemisphere of the cerebral cortex responsible for controlling motor functions of the right side of the body and believed to be used for logic and sequential thinking.
Right hemisphere hemisphere of the cerebral cortex responsible for controlling motor functions of the left side of body and believed to be for spacial and creative tasks.
Hemispheric specialization specialization in the functions of each hemisphere.
corpus callosum the bundle of nerve fibers that connects the two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex and allows each hemisphere to send signals and communicate with the other.
lobes a collection of different areas and specific cortices.
association area any area of the cerebral cortex that is not associated with receiving sensory information and controlling motor movements
frontal lobes consists of the prefrontal cortex that directs thought processes such as emotional control, and contains Broca's area.
broca's area part of the frontal lobe that controls the muscles involved in producing language or speech
wernicke's area part of the temporal lobe that interprets written and spoken speech. problems with this area can affect the ability to understand language and syntax.
motor cortex located in the frontal lobe and sends signals to muscles by controlling voluntary movements.
parietal lobes lobe located on top of brain behind the frontal lobe that contains the sensory cortex
sensory cortex cortex that receives sensations from the rest of the body.
occipital lobes lobe located at the back of the brain which is responsible for interpreting messages from the retinas of our eyes. contains the visual cortex.
temporal lobes lobe located on the sides of the brain that receive impulses that are interpreted by the auditory cortices. contains the wernicke's area.
brain plasticity the ability of neurons to adapt and take over other functions if another area is damaged. younger brains are more likely to compensate damage.
endocrine system system of glands that secrete hormones and is controlled by the hypothalamus.
adrenal glands glands that secrete adrenaline.
monozygotic twins identical twins that developed from one fertilized egg and have the same genetic DNA
Created by: kennedeyclark
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