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55 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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biological psychologists
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study the links between our biology and our behavior
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Neuron
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Nerve cell; Basic building black of the nervous system.
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Dendrite
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The neurons bushy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses towards the cell body.
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Axon
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The neuron's extension that passes messages through its branching terminal fibers that form junctions with other neurons, muscles, or glands.
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Action Potential
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A neural impulse; a brief electrical change that travels down an axon.
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Threshold
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The level of stimulation required to trigger a natural impulse.
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Synapse
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The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or synapse cleft.
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Myelin Sheath
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Covers the axon of some neurons and helps speed impulses.
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Neurotransmitters
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Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse.
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Endorphins
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"morphine within" - natural neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.
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Acetylcholine (ACh)
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A neurotransmitter messenger thats at every junction between a motor neuron and skeletal muscle. When its clocked, we become paralyzed. It enables muscle action, learning and memory.
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Dopamine
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A neurotransmitter that influences movement, learning, attention and emotion - linked to schizophrenia.
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Serotonin
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A neurontranmitter that Affects mood, hunger, sleep and arousal. Linked with depression. Prozac raises serotonin levels.
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Norepinephrine
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A Neurotransmitter that helps control alertness and arousal. an undersupply can depress mood.
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Endorphins
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A neurotransmitter that lessens pain and boosts mood.
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What neurotransmitter is linked to Alzheimer's disease?
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Endorphin
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Nervous System
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The body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous system.
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Central Nervous System (CNS)
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The brain and the spinal cord.
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Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
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The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body.
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Nerves
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Bundled axons that form natural "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs.
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Sensory Neurons
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Neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord.
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Motor Neurons
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Neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands.
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Interneurons
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Neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.
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Somatic Nervous System
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The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles. Also called the skeletal nervous system.
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What are the 2 division of the nervous system?
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The peripheral and central nervous systems.
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What are the 2 divisions of the peripheral nervous system?
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The autonomic and the somatic systems.
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What are the 2 divisions of the autonomic nervous system?
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The sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems.
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Autonomic Nervous System
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The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs.
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Sympathetic Nervous System
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The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations.
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Parasympathetic Nervous System
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The division of the autonomic nervosa system that calms the body, conserving its energy.
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Reflex
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A simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response.
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Endocrine System
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The body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.
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Hormones
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Chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues.
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Adrenal Glands
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A pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress
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Pituitary Gland
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The endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, this gland regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.
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Lesion
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Tissue destruction of the brain.
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Brainstem
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The oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions.
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Electroencephalogram
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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.
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PET (Position Emission Tomography) Scan
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A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task.
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MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
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A technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer generated images of soft tissue. MRI scans show brain anatomy.
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fMRI (functional MRI)
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A technique for revealing blood flow and therefore, brain activity by comparing successful MRI scans. These scans show brain function.
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Medulla
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The base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing.
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Thalamus
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Receives information from all the senses except smell and routes it to the higher brain regions; directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.
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Reticular Formation
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A nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important tole in controlling arousal (i.e. waking up).
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Cerebellum
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Baseball sized. "little brain" at rear of the brainstem. Functions include some nonverbal learning, processing sensory input, and coordinating movement output and balance.
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Limbic System
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Neural system (includes hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemisphere; associated with emotions and drives.
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Amygdala
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2 limabean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to fear, aggression and timidity and other emotions.
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Hypothalamus
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A neural structure lysing below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temp),helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland and is linked to emotion and reward.
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Cerebral Cortex
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The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres the body's ultimate control and information processing center.
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Sensory Cortex
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Area at the from of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movements sensations.
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Associated Areas
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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, speaking and integrating information
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Aphasia
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Impairment of language, usually caused by left-hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impaired speaking) or to Wernicke's area (impaired understanding).
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Broca's Area
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Controls language expression; an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.
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Wernicke's Area
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Controls language reception; a brain area usually in the left temporal lobe that is involved in language comprehension and expression.
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Angular Gyrus
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Involved in reading aloud, damage to it leaves a person able to speak and understand but not read.
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