Ch2

Front 1

acetylcholine (ach)

Back 1

it is found at the synapses between neurons and muscle cells, stimulates the skeletal muscles to contract but actually slows contractions in the heart muscle.

Front 2

action potential

Back 2

when the neurons fire causing a reversal of electric charge

Front 3

afferent (sensory) neuron

Back 3

a neuron that carries information from the senses to the central nervous system.

Front 4

agonist

Back 4

a chemical substance that mimics or enhances the effects of a neurotransmitter

Front 5

amygdala

Back 5

brain structure located near the hippocampus, responsible for fear responses and memory of fear.

Front 6

antagonists

Back 6

chemical substances that block or reduce a cell’s response to the action of other chemicals or neurotransmitters.

Front 7

association areas

Back 7

areas within each lobe of the cortex responsible for the coordination and interpretation of information, as well as higher mental processing.

Front 8

autonomic nervous system (ans)

Back 8

division of the pns consisting of nerves that control all of the involuntary muscles, organs, and glands.

Front 9

axon

Back 9

a fiber attached to the soma, and its job is to carry messages out to other cells.

Front 10

axon terminals

Back 10

responsible for communicating with other nerve cells.

Front 11

biological psychology, or behavioral neuroscience

Back 11

the branch of neuroscience that focuses on the biological bases of psychological processes, behavior, and learning.

Front 12

broca’s aphasia

Back 12

condition resulting from damage to broca’s area, causing the affected person to be unable to speak fluently, to mispronounce words, and to speak haltingly.

Front 13

central nervous system (cns)

Back 13

composed of the brain and the spinal cord

Front 14

cerebellum

Back 14

part of the lower brain located behind the pons that controls and coordinates involuntary, rapid, fine motor movement, and may have some cognitive functions.

Front 15

cerebral hemispheres

Back 15

the two sections of the cortex on the left and right sides of the brain.

Front 16

cerebrum

Back 16

the upper part of the brain consisting of the two hemispheres and the structures that connect them.

Front 17

computed tomography (ct)

Back 17

brain-imaging method using computer-controlled x-rays of the brain.

Front 18

corpus callosum

Back 18

thick band of neurons that connects the right and left cerebral hemispheres.

Front 19

cortex

Back 19

outermost covering of the brain consisting of densely packed neurons, responsible for higher thought processes and interpretation of sensory input.

Front 20

dendrites

Back 20

the parts of the neuron that receive messages from other cells and are attached to the cell body

Front 21

diffusion

Back 21

the process of ions moving from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration

Front 22

dopamine (da)

Back 22

a neurotransmitter found in the brain

Front 23

efferent (motor) neuron

Back 23

a neuron that carries messages from the central nervous system to the muscles of the body.

Front 24

electrostatic pressure

Back 24

the relative electrical charges when the ions are at rest.

Front 25

endocrine glands

Back 25

glands that secrete chemicals called hormones directly into the bloodstream.

Front 26

endorphins

Back 26

pain-controlling chemicals in the body.

Front 27

enzymatic degradation

Back 27

process by which the structure of a neurotransmitter is altered so it can no longer act on a receptor.

Front 28

excitatory synapse

Back 28

synapse at which a neurotransmitter causes the receiving cell to fire.

Front 29

frontal lobes

Back 29

areas of the brain located in the front and top, responsible for higher mental processes and decision making as well as the production of fluent speech.

Front 30

functional magnetic resonance imaging (fmri)

Back 30

mri-based brain-imaging method that allows for functional examination of brain areas through changes in brain oxygenation.

Front 31

gaba-aminobutyric acid (gaba)

Back 31

the most common neurotransmitter producing inhibition in the brain, can help to calm anxiety

Front 32

glia cells

Back 32

serve as a sort of structure on which the neurons develop and work and that hold the neurons in place.

Front 33

glutamate

Back 33

nervous system’s major excitatory neurotransmitter is

Front 34

gonads

Back 34

sex glands; secrete hormones that regulate sexual development and behavior as well as reproduction.

Front 35

hippocampus

Back 35

curved structure located within each temporal lobe, responsible for the formation of long-term declarative memories.

Front 36

hormones

Back 36

chemicals released into the bloodstream by endocrine glands.

Front 37

hypothalamus

Back 37

small structure in the brain located below the thalamus and directly above the pituitary gland, responsible for motivational behavior such as sleep, hunger, thirst, and sex.

Front 38

inhibitory synapse

Back 38

synapse at which a neurotransmitter causes the receiving cell to stop firing.

Front 39

ions

Back 39

charged particles

Front 40

lesioning

Back 40

insertion of a thin, insulated electrode into the brain through which an electrical current is sent, destroying the brain cells at the tip of the wire.

Front 41

limbic system

Back 41

a group of several brain structures located primarily under the cortex and involved in learning, emotion, memory, and motivation.

Front 42

magnetic resonance imaging (mri)

Back 42

brain-imaging method using radio waves and magnetic fields of the body to produce detailed images of the brain.

Front 43

medulla

Back 43

the first large swelling at the top of the spinal cord, forming the lowest part of the brain, which is responsible for life-sustaining functions such as breathing, swallowing, and heart rate.

Front 44

milk letdown reflex

Back 44

involves contraction of the mammary gland cells to release milk for the nursing infant

Front 45

mirror neurons

Back 45

neurons that fire when an animal or person performs an action and also when an animal or person observes that same action being per-formed by another.

Front 46

motor cortex

Back 46

rear section of the frontal lobe, responsible for sending motor commands to the muscles of the somatic nervous system.

Front 47

motor pathway

Back 47

nerves coming from the cns to the voluntary muscles, consisting of efferent neurons.

Front 48

nerves

Back 48

bundle of axon

Front 49

nervous system

Back 49

a network of cells that carries information to and from all parts of the body.

Front 50

neuron

Back 50

the specialized cell in the nervous system that receives and sends messages within that system.

Front 51

neuropeptides

Back 51

a group of substances known as can serve as neurotransmitters, hormones, or influence the action of other neurotransmitters

Front 52

neuroplasticity

Back 52

the ability within the brain to constantly change both the structure and function of many cells in response to experience or trauma.

Front 53

occipital lobe

Back 53

section of the brain located at the rear and bottom of each cerebral hemisphere containing the primary visual centers of the brain.

Front 54

olfactory bulbs

Back 54

two bulb-like projections of the brain located just above the sinus cavity and just below the frontal lobes that receive information from the olfactory receptor cells.

Front 55

oligodendrocytes

Back 55

a type of glial cell that produces myelin for the neurons in the brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system)

Front 56

oxytocin

Back 56

hormone released by the posterior pituitary gland that is involved in reproductive and parental behaviors.

Front 57

pancreas

Back 57

endocrine gland; controls the levels of sugar in the blood.

Front 58

parasympathetic division (eat-drink-and-rest system)

Back 58

part of the ans that restores the body to normal functioning after arousal and is responsible for the day-to-day functioning of the organs and glands..

Front 59

parietal lobes

Back 59

sections of the brain located at the top and back of each cerebral hemisphere containing the centers for touch, temperature, and body position.

Front 60

peripheral nervous system (pns)

Back 60

all nerves and neurons that are not contained in the brain and spinal cord but that run through the body itself.

Front 61

pineal gland

Back 61

endocrine gland located near the base of the cerebrum; secretes melatonin.

Front 62

pituitary gland

Back 62

gland located in the brain that secretes human growth hormone and influences all other hormone-secreting glands (also known as the master gland).

Front 63

pons

Back 63

the larger swelling above the medulla that connects the top of the brain to the bottom and that plays a part in sleep, dreaming, left-right body coordination, and arousal.

Front 64

positron emission tomography (pet)

Back 64

brain-imaging method in which a radioactive sugar is injected into the subject and a computer compiles a color-coded image of the activity of the brain.

Front 65

reflex arc

Back 65

the connection of the afferent neurons to the interneurons to the efferent neurons, resulting in a reflex action.

Front 66

reticular formation (rf)

Back 66

an area of neurons running through the middle of the medulla and the pons and slightly beyond that is responsible for general attention, alertness, and arousal.

Front 67

reuptake

Back 67

process by which neurotransmitters are taken back into the synaptic vesicles.

Front 68

schwann cells

Back 68

a type of glial cell that produces myelin for the neurons of the body (the peripheral nervous system

Front 69

semipermeable

Back 69

this means some substances that are outside the cell can enter through tiny protein openings

Front 70

sensory pathway

Back 70

nerves coming from the sensory organs to the cns consisting of afferent neurons.

Front 71

serotonin

Back 71

a neurotransmitter originating in the lower part of the brain that can have either an excitatory or inhibitory effect

Front 72

soma

Back 72

cell body, which is the part of the cell that contains the nucleus and keeps the entire cell alive and functioning.

Front 73

somatic nervous system

Back 73

division of the pns consisting of nerves that carry information from the senses to the cns and from the cns to the voluntary muscles of the body.

Front 74

somatosensory cortex

Back 74

area of cortex at the front of the parietal lobes responsible for processing information from the skin and internal body receptors for touch, temperature, and body position.

Front 75

spatial neglect

Back 75

condition produced most often by damage to the parietal lobe association areas of the right hemisphere, resulting in an inability to recognize objects or body parts in the left visual field.

Front 76

spinal cord

Back 76

a long bundle of neurons that carries messages between the body and the brain and is responsible for very fast, lifesaving reflexes.

Front 77

ssris

Back 77

some of the drugs used to treat depression

Front 78

stem cells

Back 78

special cells found in all the tissues of the body that are capable of becoming other cell types when those cells need to be replaced due to damage or wear and tear.

Front 79

sympathetic division (fight-or-flight system)

Back 79

part of the ans that is responsible for reacting to stressful events and bodily arousal.

Front 80

synapse (synaptic gap)

Back 80

microscopic fluid-filled space between the axon terminal of the one cell and the surface of the next cell

Front 81

synaptic vesicles

Back 81

saclike structures found inside the synaptic knob containing chemicals

Front 82

temporal lobes

Back 82

areas of the cortex located along the side of the brain, starting just behind the temples, containing the neurons responsible for the sense of hearing and meaningful speech.

Front 83

thalamus

Back 83

part of the limbic system located in the center of the brain, this structure relays sensory information from the lower part of the brain to the proper areas of the cortex and processes some sensory information before sending it to its proper area.

Front 84

the field of neuroscience

Back 84

a branch of the life sciences that deals with the structure and functioning of the brain and the neurons, nerves, and nervous tissue that form the nervous system.

Front 85

thyroid gland

Back 85

endocrine gland found in the neck; regulates metabolism.

Front 86

vasopressin

Back 86

the hormone that controls levels of water in our body

Front 87

wernicke’s aphasia

Back 87

condition resulting from damage to wernicke’s area, causing the affected person to be unable to understand or produce meaningful language.