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Biopsych 26-27
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Biopsychology | The scientific study of the biological bases of behavior and mental processes. |
| Neuron | A specialized nerve cell that transmits information; the fundamental building block of the nervous system. |
| Neurogenesis | The formation of new neurons in the brain. |
| Dendrites / Receptors | Dendrites are the branching extensions of a neuron that receive chemical messages and initiate electrical impulses. Receptors are the specific molecular sites on dendrites where neurotransmitters bind. |
| Axon | The long extension of a neuron that carries the electrical message away from the cell body toward other cells. |
| Axon Terminals | The branches at the end of the axon that release and reabsorb neurotransmitters. |
| Cell body | The part of the neuron that contains the nucleus and maintains the life of the cell. |
| Myelin / myelin sheath | A layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the axon that provides insulation and increases transmission speed. |
| Multiple sclerosis | An autoimmune disease that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin sheath, disrupting the transmission of nerve signals. |
| Myasthenia gravis | An autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction, disrupting communication between nerves and muscles. |
| Action potential | A brief electrical charge that travels down the length of an axon. |
| Resting Potential | The state of a neuron when it is ready to fire, characterized by a negative charge inside the cell relative to the outside. |
| Polarization | The resting state of a neuron where a distinct difference in electrical charge exists between the inside and the outside of the cell membrane. |
| Depolarization | The change in electrical charge that occurs when a neuron fires, during which positive ions rush into the cell. |
| Refractory Period | A brief resting period after a neuron fires during which it cannot fire again because it is pumping positive ions back outside to reset. |
| Threshold | The minimum level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse. |
| All or none response | The principle that a neuron either fires with full strength or it does not fire at all. |
| Synapse (synaptic gap) | The microscopic space between the axon terminal of the sending neuron and the dendrites of the receiving neuron. |
| Excitatory vs Inhibitory Signals | Excitatory signals make an action potential more likely; inhibitory signals make an action potential less likely. |
| Neurotransmitters | Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gap to transmit data between neurons. |
| Acetylcholine | A neurotransmitter dealing with movement and memory, associated with Alzheimer's disease and myasthenia gravis. |
| Dopamine | A neurotransmitter dealing with movement, attention, learning, and emotion, associated with schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease. |
| Serotonin | A neurotransmitter dealing with mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal, associated with depression. |
| Norepinephrine | A neurotransmitter dealing with alertness, arousal, and the fight-or-flight response, associated with depression. |
| GABA | The primary inhibitory neurotransmitter dealing with calmness, associated with anxiety, seizures, and insomnia. |
| Glutamate | The primary excitatory neurotransmitter dealing with memory, associated with migraines and seizures due to overstimulation. |
| Substance P | A neurotransmitter dealing with the transmission of pain signals to the brain. |
| Endorphins | A neurotransmitter that decreases pain and improves mood, acting as the body's natural opiate. |
| Reuptake | The process by which the axon terminals of the sending neuron reabsorb leftover neurotransmitters from the synapse. |
| Reuptake Inhibitors | Drugs that block the reabsorption of neurotransmitters back into the sending neuron, leaving more chemical available in the synapse. |
| Agonist | A molecule that increases a neurotransmitter's action, mimicking it to encourage neural firing. |
| Antagonist | A molecule that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter's action, discouraging neural firing. |
| Psychoactive Drug | Any chemical substance that passes through the blood-brain barrier to alter perceptions, moods, and behavior. |
| Tolerance | The diminishing effect of a drug with regular use at the same dose, requiring larger doses to achieve the same effect. |
| Addiction | The compulsive craving and use of a drug despite known adverse psychological or physiological consequences. |
| Withdrawal | The discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing or reducing the use of an addictive drug. |
| Stimulants | Drugs that excite neural activity and speed up body functions, increasing heart rate and breathing. |
| Caffeine | A mild stimulant drug that increases alertness by blocking adenosine receptors in the brain. |
| Cocaine | A powerful stimulant drug that blocks the reuptake of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, producing temporary euphoria. |
| Depressants | Drugs that reduce neural activity, slow down body functions, and depress the sympathetic nervous system. |
| Alcohol | A depressant drug that slows central nervous system activity, disrupts memory processing, and lowers inhibitions. |
| Hallucinogens | Drugs that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of real sensory input. |
| Marijuana/THC | A hallucinogen whose active ingredient triggers mild hallucinations, relaxes the body, and can distort time perception. |
| Opioids | Drugs that depress neural functioning and act as pain relievers by mimicking endorphins. |
| Heroin | A highly addictive opioid drug that suppresses pain and produces strong feelings of euphoria. |
| Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders | A group of severe disorders characterized by distortions in one or more of five areas: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, disorganized motor behavior, and negative symptoms. |
| Chronic vs acute | Chronic schizophrenia is a slow-developing, long-lasting condition where recovery is doubtful; acute schizophrenia is a rapid-onset condition, typically following a traumatic event, where recovery is much more likely. |
| Positive vs Negative Symptoms | Positive symptoms are inappropriate behaviors that are added to a typical personality; negative symptoms are standard behaviors or emotional responses that are missing or subtracted. |
| Delusions | False, distorted beliefs, such as delusions of persecution or grandeur, that accompany psychotic disorders. |
| Hallucinations | False sensory perceptions, such as hearing voices or seeing things, that occur in the absence of real sensory input. |
| Word salad | A positive symptom featuring a jumbled, disorganized, and incoherent arrangement of words. |
| Flat Affect | A negative symptom marked by a complete lack of apparent emotional expression or responsiveness. |
| Catatonia | Disorganized motor behavior that can manifest as purposeless excitement or total motionlessness. |
| Catatonic stupor | A negative symptom manifestation of catatonia characterized by a complete lack of movement and responsiveness to the environment. |
| Dopamine Hypothesis | The theory that schizophrenia is caused by an oversupply of or oversensitivity to dopamine receptors in the brain. |
| Mania | A hyperactive, wildly optimistic, and dangerously impulsive state. People in this state talk too much, can't sleep, have racing thoughts, engage impulsive shopping, risky investments, etc. |
| Bipolar cycling | The process of experiencing alternating periods of depression and mania over varying stretches of time. |
| Bipolar I disorder | A mood disorder characterized by at least one full, severe manic episode, which often alternates with major depressive episodes. |
| Bipolar II disorder | A mood disorder characterized by alternating between major depressive episodes and milder hypomanic episodes. |
| Evolutionary perspective | The viewpoint that focuses on how behaviors and mental processes evolved to increase human survival and reproduction. |
| Biological perspective | The viewpoint that focuses on psychological disorders as stemming from physiological, genetic, or biochemical malfunctions. |
| Antipsychotic medications | Psychoactive drugs used to treat schizophrenia by blocking dopamine receptor sites to decrease positive symptoms. |
| Dopamine | The neurotransmitter targeted by antipsychotics; an oversupply is linked to schizophrenia, while regulation issues lead to motor side effects and sometimes Parkinson's. |
| Tardive Dyskinesia | A neurological side effect of long-term antipsychotic use characterized by involuntary, repetitive movements of the facial muscles, tongue, and limbs. |
| Antianxiety medications | Psychoactive drugs used to control anxiety and agitation by depressing central nervous system activity. |
| GABA | The inhibitory neurotransmitter commonly targeted by antianxiety medications to induce calmness. |
| Antidepressant medications | Psychoactive drugs used to treat depression and anxiety by altering the availability of serotonin, norepinephrine, and/or dopamine. |
| SSRI | Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; antidepressants that block the reabsorption of serotonin, leaving more available in the synapse to improve mood. |
| Mood stabilizing medication | Psychoactive drugs used to steady the emotional highs and lows associated with bipolar disorders. |
| Lithium | A chemical element used as a standard mood-stabilizing medication to treat bipolar disorder. |
| Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) | A biomedical therapy for severely depressed patients where a brief electric current is sent through the brain to trigger a therapeutic seizure. |
| Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) | A non-invasive application of repeated pulses of magnetic energy to the brain to stimulate or suppress cortical activity; used to treat depression. |
| Psychosurgery | Brain surgery that removes or destroys brain tissue in an effort to alter problematic behavior. |
| Lesioning | The intentional, active destruction of a microscopic piece of brain tissue to halt neurological symptoms or eliminate bad behavior. |
| Lobotomy | A historical form of psychosurgery once used to calm uncontrollably violent patients by severing the nerves connecting the frontal lobes to the inner emotion centers of the brain. |
| Nervous System | The body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the central and peripheral nervous systems. |
| Central Nervous System (CNS) | The division of the nervous system consisting of the brain and the spinal cord that interacts with all processes in the body. |
| Spinal Cord | The bundle of neurons running down the back that acts as the primary transmission cable between the brain and the rest of the body. |
| Reflex Arc | A simple neural pathway in the spinal cord that allows sensory neurons, motor neurons, and interneurons to work together to respond to a stimulus before the brain registers it. |
| Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) | The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body, relaying messages between the CNS and the periphery. |
| Sensory Neuron (afferent) | Neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors inward toward the central nervous system. |
| Motor Neuron (efferent) | Neurons that carry outgoing information away from the central nervous system outward to the muscles and glands. |
| Interneuron | Central nervous system neurons located within the brain and spinal cord that internally communicate and intervene between sensory inputs and motor outputs. |
| Somatic Nervous System | The division of the peripheral nervous system that governs voluntary processes and controls skeletal muscles. |
| Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) | The division of the peripheral nervous system that governs involuntary, automatic processes such as internal organ functions and glands. |
| Sympathetic Nervous System | The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations for a fight-or-flight response. |
| Parasympathetic Nervous System | The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy for a rest-and-digest state. |
| Lesion | Tissue destruction; a brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue used to study function. |
| Electroencephalogram (EEG) | A brain scan that measures and records waves of electrical energy sweeping across the brain's surface via electrodes placed on the scalp. |
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) | A brain scan technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of soft tissue to show brain anatomy and structures. |
| Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) | A brain scan technique that reveals blood flow and oxygen consumption to show active brain structures and function in real time. |
| Brainstem | The oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; responsible for basic survival functions. |
| Medulla | The base of the brainstem that controls heartbeat and respiration. |
| Reticular Activating System | A nerve network traveling through the brainstem into the thalamus that plays a role in controlling alertness and arousal. |
| Cerebellum | The structure at the rear of the brainstem that coordinates muscle movement, balance, and certain types of learning. |
| Procedural Learning | The form of non-conscious memory or learning associated with motor skills and physical habits, managed by the cerebellum. |
| Limbic System | A neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres consisting of the thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, hippocampus, and amygdala; associated with emotions and drives. |
| Amygdala | Two small neural clusters in the limbic system linked to basic emotional responses, specifically fear and anger. |
| Hypothalamus | A limbic system structure that controls the endocrine system via the pituitary gland and regulates hunger, thirst, body temperature, and sexual behavior. |
| Hippocampus | A limbic system structure that processes explicit, long-term memories for storage. |
| Thalamus | The brain's sensory control center that directs incoming sensory information (except smell) to the correct part of the cerebral cortex for processing. |
| Pituitary Gland | The principal gland of the endocrine system which is controlled by the hypothalamus, releases growth hormone, and regulates other glands. |
| Cerebral Cortex | The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center. |
| Glial cells | Cells in the nervous system that provide structure, insulation, communication, and waste transport for neurons. |
| Frontal Lobe | The portion of the cerebral cortex located just behind the forehead involved in speaking, muscle movements, and making plans or judgments. |
| Motor Cortex | An area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary skeletal movements. |
| Prefrontal Cortex | The forward-most part of the frontal lobe responsible for decision-making, reasoning, and self-control. |
| Executive Functioning | Higher-order cognitive processes including planning, working memory, attention, and inhibiting inappropriate impulses. |
| Broca's area | A region in the left frontal lobe that controls language production and muscle movements involved in speech. |
| Parietal Lobe | The portion of the cerebral cortex located near the back crown of the brain that contains the somatosensory cortex and association areas. |
| Somatosensory Cortex | An area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations. |
| Association areas | The parts of the cerebral cortex not involved in primary motor or sensory functions, but rather dedicated to integrating, processing, and organizing information. |
| Occipital Lobe | The portion of the cerebral cortex located at the rear of the brain that processes visual information. |
| Temporal Lobe | The portion of the cerebral cortex located on the sides of the brain above the ears involved in auditory and linguistic processing. |
| Wernickes's area | A region in the left temporal lobe responsible for language comprehension and understanding. |
| Aphasia | The impairment of language, usually caused by left-hemisphere damage to either Broca's area (impairing expression) or Wernicke's area (impairing comprehension). |
| Plasticity | The brain's ability to modify or create new neural connections to adapt throughout development or reorganize following damage. |
| Brain plasticity | Alternative term for plasticity; allows the function of a damaged part of the brain to be assumed by a different, undamaged part. |
| Corpus Callosum | The large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them. |
| Contralateral hemispheric organization | The structural setup where the left hemisphere of the brain controls and receives sensory input from the right side of the body, and vice versa. |
| Hemispheres | The left and right halves of the cerebral cortex, each specialized for different types of cognitive tasks. |
| Split Brain | A condition resulting from surgery that severs the corpus callosum, preventing communication between the left and right hemispheres. |
| Left Hemisphere | The half of the cerebral cortex that controls the right side of the body and specializes in language (contains Broca's Area and Wernicke's Area), logic, and sequential processing. |
| Right Hemisphere | The half of the cerebral cortex that controls the left side of the body and specializes in spatial relationships, facial recognition, and emotional perception. |
Created by:
lcurty100