Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
appsych neurobiology
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| phrenology | the detailed study of the shape and size of the cranium as a supposed indication of character and mental abilities |
| dendrite | branchlike parts of a neuron meant to receive information |
| soma | cell body of neuron |
| axon | threadlike extension of neuron that carries nerve impulses away from the cell body |
| myelin sheath/glial cells | fatty tissue that helps speed neural impulses (eaten away at in case of multiple sclerosis) |
| nodes of ranvier | gaps in myelin sheath |
| terminal buttons | knoblike structures that branch out from an axon |
| sensory neurons | carry impulses from sense organs to the spinal cord and brain |
| interneurons | neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs |
| motor neurons | neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands, controls movement |
| afferent neurons (sensory) | take information from senses to brain |
| efferent neurons | take information from brain to rest of body |
| Electrical vs. chemical signals | electrical (long distance) and chemical (short distance) |
| resting potential | neuron not firing a neural impulse |
| action potential | nerve impulse down an axon |
| all or none response | neuron's reaction of either firing or not firing |
| absolute refractory period | since an action potential has just finished, another one can not begin during this moment |
| how we perceive some stimuli as stronger than other stimuli | A strong stimulus can trigger more neurons to fire, and to fire more often. But it does not affect the action potential's strength or speed. |
| excitatory postsynaptic potential | the neuron is more likely to fire action potential |
| inhibitory postsynaptic potential | less likely to fire action potential |
| synapse | junction where information is transmitted from one neuron to the next |
| synaptic cleft | gap between adjacent neurons |
| synaptic vesicles | Tiny pouches in axon terminals that contain neurotransmitters |
| receptor sites | locks in incoming neurotransmitter |
| excitatory neurotransmitters | excite the next cell into firing |
| inhibitory neurotransmitters | inhibit the next cell from firing |
| central nervous system | brain and spinal cord, body's decision maker |
| peripheral nervous system | nerves that connect the CNS to the rest of the body |
| autonomic nervous system | part of PNS that controls glands and muscles of internal organs |
| symapthetic nervous system | arousal; fight or flight |
| parasymathetic nervous system | rest and digest |
| neural networks | interconnected neural cells |
| blood-brain barrier | filtering mechanism of capillaries that carry blood to the brain and spinal cord tissue, blocking the passage of certain substances |
| spinal cord | conducts sensory and motor nerve impulses to and from the brain, conducts motor reflexes |
| hindbrain | An area of the brain that coordinates information coming into and out of the spinal cord (medulla, pons, cerebellum) |
| forebrain | largest and most complicated region of the brain, including the thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system, and cerebrum. |
| cerebrum | largest area of brain responsible for all voluntary activities of the body |
| association areas | cerebral cortex; help provide sense and meaning to information registered in the cortex |
| prefrontal cortex | part of frontal lobe responsible for thinking, planning, memory and language |
| cerebral cortex | nerve cells and grey matter |
| visual cortex | occipital lobe; perceives visual stimuli |
| motor cortex | controls voluntary movements |
| somatosensory cortex | registers and processes body touch and movement sensations |
| broca's area | speech production, in frontal lobe |
| wernicke's area | language comprehension |
| medulla | controls heartbeat and breathing, base of brainstem |
| pons | sleep and arousal, brainstem |
| reticular formation | a nerve network that travels through the brainstem and thalamus and plays an important role in controlling arousal |
| cerebellum | balance and coordination |
| limbic system | neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives. |
| thalamus | relays messages between lower brain centers and cerebral cortex, on top of brainstem |
| hypothalamus | brain region controlling pituitary gland |
| hippocampus | memory |
| amygdala | A limbic system structure involved in memory and emotion, particularly fear and aggression |
| corpus callosum | a broad band of nerve fibers joining the two hemispheres of the brain |
| brain plasticity | capacity for the brain to alter its structure and function |
| stereotaxic instrument | a device for the precise placement of electrodes in the brain |
| eeg | An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface, these waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp (electroencephalogram) |
| ct/cat scan | a series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body |
| mri | 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 |
| fmri | a form of magnetic resonance imaging of the brain that registers blood flow to functioning areas of the brain |
| pet scan | a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task |
| axial | top |
| coronal | front and back |
| sagittal | left to right |
| left hemisphere | controls language, math, and logic |
| right hemisphere | creative, intuitive, spacial |
| why the lh is dominant | more verbal, analytical, and orderly than the right brain |
| hormones | chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues |
| gonads | sex glands |
| genotype vs phenotype | Collection of alleles vs Physical expression of alleles |
| nature vs nurture issue | the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors |
| epigenetics | the study of influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change |
Created by:
aroujekld
Popular Psychology sets