Dr. Fraser Ch. 3 Psych Terms 2/3

Front 1

Spinal Cord

Back 1

The part of the CNS contained within the spinal column that receives signals from the peripheral senses (such as touch and pain) and relays them to the brain. It also conveys messages from the brain to the rest of the body.

Front 2

Reflexes

Back 2

Involunatry, unlearned reactions in the form of swift, automatic and finely coordinated movements in response to external stimuli. Reflexes are organized completely within the spinal cord.

Front 3

Hindbrain

Back 3

An extension of the spinal cord contained inside the skull. Nuceli in the hindbrain, especially the medulla, control blood pressure, heart rate, breathing and other vita functions.

Front 4

Medulla

Back 4

An area in the midbrain that controls blood pressure, heart rate, breathing and other vital functions through the use of reflexes and feedback systems.

Front 5

Reticular Formation

Back 5

A network of nuceli and fibers threaded throughout the hindbrain and midbrain. This network alters the activity of the rest of the brain.

Front 6

Locus Coerules

Back 6

A small nucleus in the brainstem that contains most of the cell bodies of neurons that use norepnephrine in the brain.

Front 7

Cerebellum

Back 7

The part of the hindbrain whose function is to control finely coordinated movements and to store learned assosciations that involve moement such as those movements required in dance or athletics.

Front 8

Midbrain

Back 8

A small structure that lies between the hindbrain and the forebrain. The midbrain relays information from the eyes, ears and skin and controls certain types of automatic behaviors in response to information received through those structures.

Front 9

Substancia nigra/striatum

Back 9

An area of the midbrain involved with smooth intiation of movement.

Front 10

Forebrain

Back 10

The most highly developed part of the brain; it is responsible for the most complex aspects of behavior and mental life.

Front 11

Thalamus

Back 11

A structure in the forebrain that relays signals from the eyes and other sense organs to higher levels in the brain and plays an important role in processing and making sense out of this information.

Front 12

Hypothalamus

Back 12

A structure in the forebrain that regulates hunger, thirst and sex drives; it has many connections to and from the ANS and to other parts of the brain.

Front 13

Suprachiasmatic Nuclei

Back 13

Nuclei in the hypothalamus that generate biological rhythms.

Front 14

Cerebrum

Back 14

The largest part of the forebrain. It is divided into the left and right cerebral hemispheres and contains the striatum and limbic system.

Front 15

Amygdala

Back 15

A structure in the forebrain that, among other things, assosciates features of stimuli from two sensory modalities, such as linking the shape and feel of objects in memory.

Front 16

Hippocampus

Back 16

A structure in the forebrain assosciated with the formation of new memories.

Front 17

Limbic System

Back 17

A set of brain structures that play an important role in regulating emotion and memory. The limbic system is a system because its components have major interconnections and influence related functions.

Front 18

Cerebral Hemispheres

Back 18

One half, either left or right, of the round, almost spherical, outermost part of the cerebrum.

Front 19

Cerbral Cortex

Back 19

the outer surface of the cerebrum, consisting of two cerebral hemispheres. It is physically divided into 4 areas, called the frontal, occipital, parietal and temporal lobes. It is divided functionally into the sensory cortex, motor cortex, and assosciation cortex.

Front 20

Sensory Cortex

Back 20

The part of the cerebral cortex located in the parietal, occipital and temporal lobes that receive stimulus information from the skin, eyes, and ears, respectively.

Front 21

Motor cortex

Back 21

The part of the cerebral cortex whose neurons control voluntary movements in specific parts of the body. Some neurons control movement of the hands; others stimulate the movement of the foot, the knee, the head, and so on.

Front 22

Assosciation cortex

Back 22

Those parts of the cerebral cortex that receive information from more than one sense or combine sensory and motor information to perform complex cognitive tasks such as abstract thinking or assosciating words with images.