| Question | Answer |
| Neuron | nerve cell that communicates information throughout the brain (like a vehicle) |
| GABA | neurotransmitter important in producing sleep and reducing anxiety (important inhibitory neurotransmitter) |
| Brain Plasticity | the ability of neural networks to change through growth and organization |
| Glucose And Metabolism Are Measured In... | a PET scan |
| Study Of Accidents | document what area was damaged and how behavior was changed after the accident (tells us what the area does for human behavior) |
| Autonomic Nervous System | controls automatic functions of our body such as the heart and lungs (part of the PNS) |
| Acetylcholine | neurotransmitter involved with movement and memory (exictatory) |
| Low Dopamine May Cause... | Parkinson's disease |
| Too Little Serotonin May Cause... | depression |
| Temporal Lobe | responsible for hearing and some speech functions, contains Wernicke's area (part of the cerebral cortex) |
| fMRI | combines elements of a PET Scan and MRI to scan the brain's structure AND activity while certain tasks are performed (used to detect blood oxygen levels) |
| Klinefelter's Syndrome | biological males have an extra X chromosome, XXY pattern, have both male and female features/genitalia (usually causes minimal sexual development and extreme introversion) |
| The Peripheral Nervous System Includes... | includes a somatic nervous system and an autonomic nervous system |
| Glutamate | neurotransmitter important in learning and memory (exictatory) |
| An MRI Uses... | magnetic fields to measure the density and location of brain material |
| Neurotransmitters | brain chemicals that communicates information throughout the brain and body |
| Synapse | space between two neurons where neurotransmitters are released |
| Motor Cortex | involved in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary movements (part of the cerebral cortex) |
| The Frontal Lobe Includes... | the motor strip and Broca's area |
| EEG | detects brain waves, also known as electrical activity and fluctuations (mainly used during sleep studies) |
| Parietal Lobe | interprets touch and pain, contains the somatosensory strip (part of the cerebral cortex) |
| Reuptake | when the neurotransmitters are reabsorbed by the sending neuron |
| The Left Hemisphere Of The Brain Controls... | responsible for language, logic, numbers, analysis, lists, and sequence (also controls the right side of the body) |
| Sex Hormones | responsible for pregnancy, puberty, menstruation, menopause, sex drive, sperm production and more |
| A fMRI Is The Only Scan That Tells Us... | structure AND function |
| Receptor | a protein molecule embedded within the membrane of a dendrite that receives chemical signals from outside the cell (determines whether or not the chemical can go into the receiving cell) |
| Action Potential | occurs when a neuron sends information down an axon (neuron firing) |
| Chromosomal Abnormalities Information | our sex is determined by our 23rd pair of chromosomes, men are XY and women are XX |
| Corpus Callosum | bundle of nerve fibers that aid communication between the hemispheres |
| Myelin Sheath | fatty covering around the axon that helps information travel faster |
| Adrenal Glands | produce hormones that help regulate your metabolism, immune system, blood pressure, response to stress and other essential functions |
| Exictatory | increase the firing and release of neurons |
| Axon | part of the neuron that sends information away to other neurons (ends of axons have terminal buttons) |
| Efferent | type of neuron that takes information from the brain to the rest of the body (motor neurons) |
| Accident Definition | unintentional damage to the brain |
| Wernicke's Area | interprets written and spoken speech, usually in the left hemisphere (part of the temporal lobe) |
| Broca's Area | controls movements involved for producing speech (part of the frontal lobe) |
| Hippocampus | helps in creating memories, surrounds the thalamus (part of the inner brain) |
| All Or None Principle | the neuron either doesn't reach the threshold, or a full action potential is fired |
| Frontal Lobe | plays an important part in integrating personality and forming complex thoughts, helping to plan and make decisions (part of cerebral cortex) |
| Study Of Lesions | can infer function of the brain area by observing behavior after the surgery (tells us what the area does for human behavior) |
| The Inside Of A Cell Is... | negative compared to its outside |
| Afferent | type of neuron that takes information from the senses to the brain (sensory neurons) |
| Terminal Buttons | parts of the neurons that are located at the end of the axon that contains neurotransmitters |
| Central Nervous System (CNS) | includes brain and spinal chord |
| Neurons Send Messages... | electrochemically (chemicals cause and electrical signal) |
| PET Scan | an non-detailed picture of the brain that lets researchers see which part of the brain is most active during certain tasks (measures how much of a certain chemical your brain is using) |
| Motor Strip | handles all body movement (part of the frontal lobe) |
| DNA | a molecule that contains the genetic code that is unique to every individual |
| MRI | gives us pictures of the brain in a more detailed way than a CAT Scan, and ONLY gives us information about the brain structure (used to measure spinal cord and other dense areas) |
| Dopamine | neurotransmitter that helps control the brain's reward and pleasure system, and also helps regulate and control movement and emotional responses (inhibitory) |
| High Dopamine May Cause... | schizophrenia |
| Somatic Nervous System | controls voluntary body movements (part of the PNS) |
| Occipital Lobe | responsible for interpreting visual information (part of the cerebral cortex) |
| CAT Scan | sophisticated x-ray that produces a three-dimensional picture of the brain structure, and ONLY gives us information about the brain structure (used to see tumor structures or bleeding) |
| Dendrites | parts of the neuron that are branch-like structures that receive information from other neurons |
| Low Acetylcholine May Cause... | Alzheimer's disease and paralysis |
| Pons | responsible for producing facial expressions (part of the inner brain) |
| Inhibitory | decrease the firing and release of neurons |
| Serotonin | neurotransmitter involved with emotion and mood (inhibitory in pain pathways) |
| Norepinephrine | neurotransmitter that brings our nervous system into high alert and gives us energy (exictatory) |
| Amygdala | responsible for emotion, surrounds the thalamus (part of the inner brain) |
| Parasympathetic Nervous System | slows down our body after a stress response (break pedal) |
| Botox Stops... | acetylcholine |
| The Autonomic Nervous System Includes... | the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems |
| Sympathetic Nervous System | our body's alert system that responds to stress by accelerating or slowing down functions (includes fight-or-flight) |
| Semi-Permeable Membrane | membrane that surrounds neurons that allows some ions to pass through and blocks others |
| Interneurons | type of neuron that is located between sensory and motor neurons to help transform neurons from afferent to efferent and vice versa |
| Turner's Syndrome | only one X chromosome (can cause shortness, webbed necks, and differences in physical sexual development) |
| Vesicles | structures that contain the neurotransmitter (are inside the terminal buttons) |
| Medulla | controls breathing, digestion, heart rate, and reflexes (part of the inner brain) |
| Sensory Cortex | in charge of processing and interpreting sensory stimulus (contains areas of the cerebral cortex) |
| How Genes Affect Behavior | encode molecular products that build and govern the functioning of the brain through which behavior is expressed |
| Refractory Period | neuron needs a resting period before it can fire again |
| Thalamus | all incoming information to the brain goes to the thalamus first, and the thalamus sends the information to the correct area of the brain to be processed (part of the inner brain) |
| Down Syndrome | an extra chromosome is found on the 21st pair (can cause rounded face, shorter fingers/toes, slanted eyes set far apart, and some degree of mental retardation) |
| Inner Brain | holds the most vital functions for survival |
| Endorphin | neurotransmitter involved with pain reduction and pleasure (inhibitory) |
| Endocrine System | glands and organs that make hormones and release them directly into the blood so they can travel to tissues and organs all over the body |
| Cerebellum | coordinates body movements for balance and accuracy/motor learning (part of the inner brain) |
| Brain Lateralazation | the specialization of function in each hemisphere |
| Reticular Formation | alertness control center of the brain which helps us sleep and wake up (part of the inner brain) |
| Chromosomes | structure found inside the nucleus of a cell, made up of proteins and DNA organized into genes |
| Thomas Bouchard's Twin Studies | studied 100+ identical twins that were raised separately (found that they had similar personalities, interests and attitudes, proving that genetics do factor into behavior) |
| Genes | basic unit of heredity passed from parent to child, made up of sequences of DNA |
| Lesion Definition | intentional damage to a part of the brain for necessary treatment |
| Ions | chemicals with electrical charges |
| Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) | nerves branching beyond the spinal chord and into the body (consists of all nerves not encased in bone) |
| Soma | part of the neuron which contains the nucleus and other parts of the cell needed to sustain life (cell body) |
| Somatosensory Strip | interprets touch |
| Threshold | amount of neurotransmitters that must be received in order for the neuron to fire (if threshold is not met, neurons will not fire) |
| Hypothalamus | regulates basic needs like hunger, thirst, sex, and going to the bathroom (part of the inner brain) |
| The Right Hemisphere Of The Brain Controls... | responsible for rhythm, spatial awareness, color, imagination, daydreaming, holistic awareness, and dimension (also controls the left side of the body) |
