Biological Psychology

Front 1

Dendrites

Back 1

receive messages from other cells and conduct impulses toward the cell body

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Cell Body

Back 2

the cell's life support center

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Axon

Back 3

The extension of a neuron through which messages are sent to other neurons or to muscle glands

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Myelin Sheath

Back 4

A layer of fatty cells covering the axon, helps speed neural impulses

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Neuropsychology

Back 5

concerned with the links between biology and behavior

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neuron

Back 6

building block of the nervous system

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Threshold

Back 7

level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse; excitatory signals minus inhibitory signals must equal a minimum intensity

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Action Potential

Back 8

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

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agonist

Back 9

mimic neurotransmitters (morphine)

Front 10

antagonist

Back 10

block neurotransmitters (poison)

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acetylcholine (ach)

Back 11

Involved with learning and memory (alzheimer's)

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dopamine

Back 12

motor movement and alertness (lack of dopamine leads to parkinson's disease; too much leads to schizophrenia)

Front 13

serotonin

Back 13

involved in mood control (lack of leads to clinical depression)

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endorphins

Back 14

natural neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure

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central nervous system

Back 15

the brain and spinal cord

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peripheral nervous system

Back 16

sensory and motor neurons that connect the cns to the rest of the body

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somatic nervous system

Back 17

controls voluntary muscle movements

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autonomic

Back 18

controls the automatic functions of the body

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sympathetic nervous system

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arouses the body, fight or flight response

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parasympathetic nervous system

Back 20

calms the body

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left brain

Back 21

speech and language, likes things logically, planned and structured

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right brain

Back 22

abstract, emotional and spatial, makes subjective decisions, fluid and spontaneous, demonstrated instructions

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corpus callosum

Back 23

connects the 2 hemispheres and allows them to communicate

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brainstem

Back 24

automatic survival functions

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medulla

Back 25

controls heartbeat and breathing

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Pons

Back 26

connects brain regions together, facial expression

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reticular formation

Back 27

network that plays an important role in controlling contiousness

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thalamus

Back 28

the brain's sensory switchboard

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cerebellum

Back 29

voluntary movement and balance. also formulates implicit memories

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limbic system

Back 30

associated with emotions and drives

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amygdala

Back 31

emotion--agression and fear

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hypothalamus

Back 32

eating, drinking, sex drive, and body temperature

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hippocampus

Back 33

explicit memory

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pituitary gland

Back 34

linked to growth

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frontal lobes

Back 35

speaking, muscle movements, making plans and judgements

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parietal lobes

Back 36

sensations, pressure and pain

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occipital lobes

Back 37

visual areas

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temporal lobes

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auditory areas

Front 39

plasticity

Back 39

the ability for our brains to form new connections after neurons are damaged

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glial cells

Back 40

support, nourish and protect neurons

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aphasia

Back 41

impairment of language

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broca's area

Back 42

muscle movement involved in speech -- broken speech

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wernicke's area

Back 43

language comprehension--meaningless words

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endocrine

Back 44

set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream

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adrenal glands

Back 45

secrete adrenaline to arouse the body in times of stress