Chapter 2

Front 1

Biological Psychology

Back 1

A branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior

Front 2

Action Potential

Back 2

A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. The action potential is generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axon's membrane.

Front 3

Axon

Back 3

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

Front 4

Dendrite

Back 4

The bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.

Front 5

Myelin Sheath

Back 5

A layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node the the next.

Front 6

Neuron

Back 6

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

Front 7

Neurotransmitters

Back 7

Chemical messengers that traverse 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.

Front 8

Synapse

Back 8

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 cleft.

Front 9

Acetylcholine (ACH)

Back 9

A neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also triggers muscle contraction.

Front 10

Endorphins

Back 10

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

Front 11

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Back 11

The brain and spinal cord.

Front 12

Nervous System

Back 12

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

Front 13

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Back 13

The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body.

Front 14

Interneurons

Back 14

Central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.

Front 15

Motor Neurons

Back 15

Neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands.

Front 16

Nerves

Back 16

Neural "cables" containing many axons. These bundled axons, which are part of the peripheral nervous system, connect the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs.

Front 17

Sensory Neurons

Back 17

Neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system.

Front 18

Autonomic Nervous System

Back 18

The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.

Front 19

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Back 19

The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving energy.

Front 20

Relfex

Back 20

S simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response.

Front 21

Somatic Nervous System

Back 21

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

Front 22

Sympathetic Nervous System

Back 22

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

Front 23

Neural Networks

Back 23

Interconnected neural cells, With experience, networks can learn, as feedback strengthens or inhibits connections that produce certain results. Computer simulations of neural networks show analogous learning.

Front 24

Endocrine System

Back 24

The body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.

Front 25

Hormones

Back 25

Chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect another.

Front 26

Adrenal

Back 26

A pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys. The adrenals secrete the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine (adrenaline and noradrenaline), which help to arouse the body in times of stress.

Front 27

Pituitary Gland

Back 27

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

Front 28

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Back 28

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.

Front 29

Lesion

Back 29

Tissue destruction. A brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue.

Front 30

FMRI

Back 30

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: a technique for revealing blood flow and, therefore brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. MRI scans show brain anatomy; fMRI scans show brain function.

Front 31

MRI

Back 31

Magnetic Resonance Imaging: a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within the brain.

Front 32

PET Scan

Back 32

Positron Emission Tomography: a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task.

Front 33

Brainstem

Back 33

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.

Front 34

Medulla

Back 34

The base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing.

Front 35

Reticular Formation

Back 35

A nerve network in the brainstem that plays an improtant role in controlling arousal.

Front 36

Cerebellum

Back 36

The "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; its functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance.

Front 37

Thalamus

Back 37

The brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.

Front 38

Amygdala

Back 38

Two lima bean sized neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion.

Front 39

Hypothalamus

Back 39

A neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature) helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland.

Front 40

Limbic System

Back 40

A doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as fear and aggression and drives such as those for food and sex. Includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus.

Front 41

Cerebral Cortex

Back 41

The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information processing center.

Front 42

Glial Cells (Glia)

Back 42

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

Front 43

Frontal Lobes

Back 43

The portion of the cerebral cortex lying behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments.

Front 44

Motor Cortex

Back 44

An area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements.

Front 45

Occipital Lobes

Back 45

The portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas, which receive visual information from the opposite visual field.

Front 46

Parietal Lobes

Back 46

The portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position.

Front 47

Temporal Lobes

Back 47

The portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each of which receives auditory information from the opposite ear.

Front 48

Association Areas

Back 48

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, and speaking.

Front 49

Sensory Cortex

Back 49

The area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and process body touches and movement sensations,

Front 50

Aphasia

Back 50

Impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke's area (impairing understanding).

Front 51

Broca's Area

Back 51

Controls language expression -- an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.

Front 52

Wernicke's Area

Back 52

Controls language reception -- a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe.

Front 53

Plasticity

Back 53

The brain's capacity for modification, as evident in brain reorganization following damage (especially in children) and in experiments on the effects of experience on brain development.

Front 54

Corpus Collosum

Back 54

The large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them.

Front 55

Split Brain

Back 55

A condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers (mainly those of the corpus collosum) between them.