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APSYCH CH2 A
apsych chapter 2 terms part A
Question | Answer |
---|---|
biological psychology | a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior. |
neuron | a nerve cell; the basic building block of of the nervous system. |
dendrite | the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body |
axon | the extension of a neuron ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands. |
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. |
action potential | a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. The action potential is generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axon's membrane. |
threshold | the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse |
synapse | the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving the neuron. |
synaptic gap/cleft | the tiny gap at this junction (synapse) |
neurotransmitters | chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps b/w neurons. Wen released by the sending neuron, neurotrans. travel across synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse. |
acetylcholine (ACh) | a neurotransmitter that, among its functions, triggers muscle contraction. |
endorphins | "morphine within" - natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure. |
nervous system | the body's speedy, electrochemical communication system, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems. |
central nervous system (CNS) | the brain and spinal cord |
peripheral nervous system (PNS) | the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body. |
nerves | neural "cables" containing many axons. These bundled axons, which are part of the peripheral nervous system (PNS), connect the central nervous system (CNS) with muscles, glands, and sense organs. |
sensory neurons | neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system (CNS). |
interneurons | central nervous system (CNS) neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor inputs. |
motor neurons | neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system (CNS) to the muscles and glands. |
somatic nervous system/skeletal nervous system | the division of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) that controls the body's skeletal muscles. |
autonomic nervous system | the part of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (like the hear). Its sympathetics division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms. |
sympathetic nervous system | 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, inborn response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response. |
neural networks | interconnected neural cells. With experience, networks can learn, as feedback strengthens or inhibits connections that produce certain results. Computer simulations of neural networks show analogous learning. |
reuptake | the process where excess neurotransmitters are reabsorbed by the sending neuron. |
curare | a poison from South American Indians put on the tips of their hunting darts, which occupies and blocks ACh receptor sites, leaving the neurotransmitter unable to affect the muscles. |
botulin | poison which can possibly be formed from improperly canned food causes paralysis by blocking ACh release fromt eh sending neuron. |
dopamine | function: influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion ; malfunctions: undersupply is linked to Alzheimer's disease. |
serotonin | function: affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal ; malfunctions: undersupply linked to depression. Prozac and some other antidepressant drugs raise serotonin levels. |
norepinephrine | function: helps control alertness and arousal ; malfunctions: undersupply can depress mood. |
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) | function: a major inhibitory neurotransmitter ; undersupply linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia. |
glutamate | function: a major excitatory neurotransmitter, also involved in memory ; malfunctions: oversupply can overstimulate brain, producing migraines or seizures (which is why some people avoid MSG, monosodium glutamate, in food). |
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 |
lesion | tissue destruction. A brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue. |
electroencephalogram (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. |
CT (computed tomography) 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. Also called CAT SCAN. |
PET (positron 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. |
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. |
brainstem | the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enter the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions. |
medulla | the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing |
reticular formation | a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal |
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. |
cerebellum | the "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; it helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance. |
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 aggression and drives such as those for food and sex. Includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus. |
amygdala | two almond-shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion. |
cerebral cortex | the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control land information-processing center. |
glial cells | cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons. |
frontal lobes | the portion of the cerebral 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; includes the sensory cortex. |
occipital lobes | the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas, which receive visual information from the opposite visual field. |
temporal lobes | the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each of which receives auditory 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 sensations. |
association areas | areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking. |
aphasia | impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke's area (impairing understanding) |
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. |
Wernicke's area | controls language reception - a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe |
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. |
corpus callosum | the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them. |
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. |
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. |
adrenal glands | a pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys. The adrenals secrete the hormones epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline), which help to arouse the body in times of stress. |
pituitary gland | the endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands. |