Chapter 2 Neuroscience

Front 1

neurons

Back 1

cells that transmit information within the nervous system

Front 2

glial cells (glia)

Back 2

Cells in the nervous system that compromise the support system for the neurons

Front 3

dendrites

Back 3

fibers projecting out of the cell body of a neuron whose function is to receive information from other neurons

Front 4

cell body

Back 4

the part of the neuron that contains its nucleus and the other biological machinery to keep the cell alive and that decides whether or not to generate a neutral impulse in order to pass incoming information on to other neurons

Front 5

axon

Back 5

the long, singular fiber projecting out of the cell body of a neuron whose function is to conduct the neural impulse from the cell body to the axon terminals triggering chemical communication with other neurons

Front 6

myelin sheath

Back 6

an insulating layer covering an axon that allows faster neural impulses

Front 7

neurotransmitter

Back 7

a naturally occurring chemical in the nervous system that specializes in transmitting information between neurons

Front 8

synaptic gap (synapse)

Back 8

the microscopic gap between neurons across which neurotransmitters travel to carry their messages to other neurons

Front 9

positron emission tomography (PET) scans

Back 9

a visual display of the activity levels in various areas in the brain generated by detecting the amount of positron emission created by the metabolization of radioactive glucose in each area

Front 10

functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Back 10

a computerized image of the activity levels of various areas in the brain generated by detecting the amount of oxygen brought to each area

Front 11

agonist

Back 11

a drug or poison that increases the activity of one or more neurotransmitters

Front 12

antagonist

Back 12

a drug or poison that decreases the activity of one or more neurotransmitters

Front 13

acetylcholine (ACh)

Back 13

a neurotransmitter involved in learning, memory, and muscle movement

Front 14

dopamine

Back 14

a neurotransmitter involved in arousal and mood states, thought processes, and physical movement

Front 15

Parkinson's disease

Back 15

a disease in which the person has movement problems such as muscle tremors, difficulty initiating movements, and rigidity of movement. These movement problems stem from a scarcity of dopamine in the basal ganglia

Front 16

blood-brain barrier

Back 16

a protective mechanism by which the blood capillaries supplying the brain create a barrier that prevents dangerous substances access to the brain

Front 17

L-dopa

Back 17

a drug for Parkinson's disease that contains the precursors to dopamine so that once it is in the brain, it will be converted to dopamine

Front 18

seratonin and norepinephrine

Back 18

neurotransmitters involved in levels of arousal and mood, sleep, and eating

Front 19

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

Back 19

antidepressant drugs that achieve their agonistic effect on serotonin by selectively blocking its reuptake

Front 20

selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSNRIs)

Back 20

antidepressant drugs that achieve their agonistic effect on serotonin and norepinephrine by selectively blocking their reuptake

Front 21

GABA (gama-aminobutryic acid)

Back 21

the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the nervous system. It is involved in lowering arousal and anxiety and regulating movement

Front 22

glutamate

Back 22

the main excitatory neurotransmitter in the nervous system. It is involved in memory storage, pain perception, strokes, and schizophrenia

Front 23

endorphins

Back 23

a group of neurotransmitters that are involved in pain relief and feelings of pleasure

Front 24

central nervous system (CNS)

Back 24

the brain and spinal cord

Front 25

peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Back 25

the part of the nervous system that links the CNS with the body's sensory receptors, muscles, and glands

Front 26

interneurons

Back 26

neurons that integrate information within the CNS through their communication with each other and between sensory and motor neurons in the spinal cord

Front 27

sensory neurons

Back 27

neurons in the PNS that carry information to the CNS from sensory receptors, muscles, and glands

Front 28

motor neurons

Back 28

neurons in the PNS that carry movement commands from the CNS out to the rest of the body

Front 29

spinal cord

Back 29

the conduit between the brain and the PNS for incoming sensory data and outgoing movement commands to the muscles

Front 30

spinal reflex

Back 30

a simple automatic action of the spinal cord not requiring involvement of the brain, such as the knee-jerk reflex

Front 31

somatic (skeletal) nervous system

Back 31

the part of the PNS that carries sensory input from receptors to the CNS and relays commands from the CNS to skeletal muscles to control their movement

Front 32

autonomic nervous system

Back 32

the part of the PNS that regulates the functioning of our internal environment (glands and organs like the heart, lungs, and stomach)

Front 33

sympathetic nervous system

Back 33

the part of the autonomic nervous system that is in control when we are highly aroused, as in an emergency, and need to prepare for defensive action

Front 34

parasympathetic nervous system

Back 34

the part of the autonomic nervous system that returns the body to its normal resting state after having been highly aroused, as in an emergency

Front 35

endocrine glandular system

Back 35

the body's other major communication system. Communication is achieved through hormones that are secreted by the endocrine glands and travel through the bloodstream to their target sites

Front 36

hormone

Back 36

a chemical messenger that is produced by an endocrine gland and carried by the blood-stream to target tissues throughout the body

Front 37

pituitary gland

Back 37

the most influential gland in the endocrine glandular system. It releases hormones for human growth and hormones that direct other endocrine glands to release their hormones

Front 38

emotion

Back 38

a complex psychological state that involves a state of physiological arousal, an outward behavioral expression of the emotion, and a cognitive appraisal of the situation to determine the specific emotion and its intensity

Front 39

James-Lange theory

Back 39

a theory of emotion proposing that an emotion is determined from a cognitive appraisal of the physiological arousal and behavioral responses, which occur first

Front 40

Cannon-Bard theory

Back 40

a theory of emotion proposing that an emotion is determined from simultaneously occurring physiological arousal, behavioral responses, and cognitive appraisal

Front 41

Schachter-Singer two-factor theory

Back 41

a theory of emotion proposing that an emotion is determined by cognitive appraisal of the physiological arousal and the entire environmental situation

Front 42

medulla

Back 42

a brain stem structure involved in many essential body functions, such as heartbeat, breathing, blood pressure, digestion, and swallowing

Front 43

pons

Back 43

a brain stem structure that serves as a bridge between the cerebellum and the rest of the brain and is involved in sleep and dreaming

Front 44

reticular formation

Back 44

a network of neurons running up the center of the brain stem that is responsible for our different levels of arousal and consciousness

Front 45

cerebellum

Back 45

a part of the brain involved in the coordination of our movements, sense of balance, and motor learning

Front 46

thalamus

Back 46

a part of the brain that serves as a relay station for incoming sensory information

Front 47

basal ganglia

Back 47

a part of the brain that is involved in the initiation and execution of movements

Front 48

limbic system

Back 48

a group of brain structures (hypothalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala) that play an important role in our survival, memory, and emotions

Front 49

hypothalamus

Back 49

a part of the brain that is involved in regulating basic drives such as eating, drinking, and having sex. It also directs the endocrine glandular system through its control of the pituitary gland and the autonomic nervous system to maintain the body's internal environment

Front 50

hippocampus

Back 50

a part of the brain involved in the formation of memories

Front 51

amygdala

Back 51

a part of the brain that is involved in emotions by influencing aggression, anger, and fear and by providing the emotional element of our memories and the interpretation of emotional expressions in others

Front 52

cerebral cortex

Back 52

the layers of interconnected cells covering the brain's two hemispheres. This is the control and information processing center for he nervous system; it is where perception, memory, and all other higher-level cognitive processing occur

Front 53

corpus callosum

Back 53

the bridge of neurons that connects the two cerebral hemispheres

Front 54

frontal lobe

Back 54

the are in each cerebral hemisphere in front of the central fissure and above the lateral fissure. The motor cortex is in this lobe

Front 55

parietal lobe

Back 55

the area in each cerebral hemisphere in back of the central fissure and above the lateral fissure. The somatosensory cortex is in this lobe

Front 56

temporal lobe

Back 56

the area in each cerebral hemisphere located beneath the lateral fissure. The primary auditory cortex is in this lobe

Front 57

occipital lobe

Back 57

the area located in the lower back of each cerebral hemisphere. The primary visual cortex is in this lobe

Front 58

motor cortex

Back 58

the strip of cortex in each cerebral hemisphere in the frontal lobe directly in front of the central fissure, which allows us to move different parts of our body

Front 59

somatosensory cortex

Back 59

the strip of cortex in each cerebral hemisphere in the parietal lobe directly in back of the central fissure, which allows us to sense pressure, temperature, and pain in different parts of our body as well as the position of our body parts

Front 60

association cortex

Back 60

all of the cerebral cortex except those areas devoted to primary sensory processing or motor processing. This is where all the higher-level cognitive processing that requires the association (integration) of information, such as perception and language, occurs

Front 61

Broca's area

Back 61

an area in the cerebral cortex responsible for fluent speech production. It is in the left frontal lobe of the majority of people, regardless of handedness

Front 62

Wernicke's area

Back 62

an area in the cerebral cortex responsible for comprehension of speech and text. It is in the left temporal lobe of the majority of people, regardless of handedness

Front 63

consciousness

Back 63

an individual's subjective awareness of their inner thinking and feeling and their external environment

Front 64

REM (rapid eye movement) sleep

Back 64

the stage of sleep that is characterized by rapid eye movements and brain wave patterns that resemble those for an awake state and in which most dreaming occurs. sometimes referred to as paradoxical sleep because the bodily muscles are immobilized but much of the brain is highly active