Ap Psych Chap. 3

Front 1

CT ( computed tomography) scan

Back 1

X ray photos taken from different angles & combined by computer into a slice through the body

Front 2

PET (positron emission tomography) scan

Back 2

Visual display of brain activities that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task

Front 3

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

Back 3

Technique using magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer generated images of soft tissue. Show brain anatomy

Front 4

fMRI ( functional MRI)

Back 4

Technique for revealing blood flow and brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. Show brain function

Front 5

Brain stem

Back 5

Oldest part & central core of brain. From spinal cord swelling as it enters skull. Responsible for autonomic survival functions

Front 6

Medulla

Back 6

Base of brainstem. Controls heartbeat and breathing

Front 7

Reticular formation

Back 7

Nerve network in brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal

Front 8

Thalamus

Back 8

Brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of brainstem. Directs messages to sensory receiving areas in cortex & transmits replies to the cerebellum & medulla

Front 9

Cerebellum

Back 9

"Little brain" at rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input & coordinating mvmnt output & balance

Front 10

Limbic system

Back 10

Doughnut shaped neural system ( hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus) located below cerebral hemispheres; associated w/ emotions & drives

Front 11

Biological psychology

Back 11

Branch of psych concerned w/ links between biology & behavior

Front 12

Neuron

Back 12

A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

Front 13

Sensory neurons

Back 13

Neurons that carry incoming info from sensory receptors to the brain from the spinal cord

Front 14

Motor neurons

Back 14

Neurons that carry outgoing info from brain & spinal cord to the muscles and glands

Front 15

Interneurons

Back 15

Neurons within the brain & spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs & motor outputs

Front 16

Dendrite

Back 16

Bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages & conduct impulses toward the cell body

Front 17

Axon

Back 17

Extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands

Front 18

Myelin Sheath

Back 18

Layer of fatty tissue segment ally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next.

Front 19

Action potential

Back 19

A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

Front 20

Threshold

Back 20

The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

Front 21

Synapse

Back 21

Junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. Tiny gap called synapse cleft or gap

Front 22

Neurotransmitters

Back 22

Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. Travel across synapse & bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate impulse

Front 23

Reuptake

Back 23

A neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron

Front 24

Endorphins

Back 24

"Morphine-within" --natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.

Front 25

Nervous system

Back 25

The body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems

Front 26

Central nervous system (CNS)

Back 26

Brain & spinal cord

Front 27

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Back 27

The sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body

Front 28

Nerves

Back 28

Bundled axons that form "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs

Front 29

Somatic nervous system

Back 29

The division of the PNS that controls the body's skeletal muscles. Also called skeletal nervous system

Front 30

Autonomic nervous system

Back 30

Part of PNS that controls the glands& the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Sympathetic division = arouses. Parasympathetic division= calms

Front 31

Sympathetic nervous system

Back 31

Division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations.

Front 32

Parasympathetic nervous system

Back 32

Division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

Front 33

Reflex

Back 33

A simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus,such as the knee-jerk response

Front 34

Endocrine system

Back 34

Body's slow chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the blood

Front 35

Hormones

Back 35

Chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, affect other tissues

Front 36

Adrenal glands

Back 36

Pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine & non-epinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress

Front 37

Pituitary glands

Back 37

Endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands

Front 38

Amydala

Back 38

Two Lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion

Front 39

Hypothalamus

Back 39

A neural structure lying below the thalamus; directs maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward.

Front 40

Cerebral cortex

Back 40

Intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center.

Front 41

Glial cells

Back 41

Cells in nervous system that support , nourish, and protect neurons.

Front 42

Frontal lobes

Back 42

Portion of cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements

Front 43

Parietal lobes

Back 43

Portion of cerebral cortex at top of head toward rear; receives sensory input for touch & body position

Front 44

Occipital lobes

Back 44

Portion of cerebral cortex at back of head; areas that receive info from visual fields

Front 45

Temporal lobes

Back 45

Portion of cerebral cortex above ears; includes auditory areas that receive info primarily from opposite ear

Front 46

Motor cortex

Back 46

Area of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

Front 47

Sensory cortex

Back 47

area at front of parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

Front 48

Association areas

Back 48

Areas of cerebral cortex not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; involved in higher mental functions such as learning p, remembering, speaking and thinking

Front 49

Aphasia

Back 49

Impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage

Front 50

genome

Back 50

the complete instructions for making an organism