Psy 150 Module 3

Front 1

Biological psychologist

Back 1

the study of the links between biological and psychological processes. associations between body, mind, and behavior

Front 2

Neuron

Back 2

nerve cell and basic building block of the nervous system.

Front 3

How neurons communicate

Back 3

neuron recives signal from other neurons. some say to fire some say not to. the threshold is reached the action potential starts moving. like a gun it either fires or it dosent. the action potential travels down the axon from the cell body to terminal branches. the signal is transmitted to the recving cell but must cross the synapse gap

Front 4

neuron threshold

Back 4

level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse. threshold is reached when
excitatory (“Fire!”) signals outweigh the inhibitory (“Don’t fire!”) signals by a certain amount.

Front 5

defintion of the synapse

Back 5

a junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron

Front 6

definition of neurotransmitters

Back 6

chemicals used to send a signal across the synaptic gap.

Front 7

dendrites

Back 7

a neurons busy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.

Front 8

axon

Back 8

the neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands

Front 9

myelin sheath

Back 9

a fatty tissue layer that covers the axon of some neurons and helps speed neural impulses

Front 10

cell body

Back 10

the cell's life support center. factory of the neuron

Front 11

neural impulse

Back 11

(action potential) electrical signal traveling down the axon

Front 12

endorphins

Back 12

natural opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure

Front 13

type of neurotransmitter

acetylcholine

Back 13

enables muscle action, learning, and memory

ex:people with alzheimers, acetylcholine-producing neurons deterioate

Front 14

types of neurotransmitters

dopamine

Back 14

influences movement,learning, attention, and emotion.

Front 15

types of neurotransmitters

serotonin

Back 15

affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal

Front 16

types of neurotransmitters

norepinephrine

Back 16

helps controls alertness and arousal

Front 17

types of neurotransmitters

GABA

Back 17

a major inhibotry neurotransmitter

ex: undersupply linked to siezures, tremors, and insomnia

Front 18

types of neurotransmitters

Glutamate

Back 18

a major excitatory neurotransmitter: invovled in memory

Front 19

Sensory (afferent) neurons

Back 19

neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

Front 20

motor (efferent) neurons

Back 20

neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands

Front 21

interneurons

Back 21

neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

ex:Your spine’s interneurons
trigger your hand to pull away from a fire before you can say OUCH!

Front 22

Central nervous system (CNS)

Back 22

the brain and spinal cord, is the body’s decisionmaker.

Front 23

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Back 23

gathers information from the body and sends CNS decisions out to the body.

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body

Front 24

Somatic nervous system

Back 24

the divison of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles. also called the skeletal nervous system. enables voluntary control of our skeletal muscles

Front 25

how somatic system works example

Back 25

as a person reaches the bottom of a page, the somatic system will report to your brain the current state of your skeletal muscles and carry instructions back, triggering your hand to turn the page

Front 26

autonomic nervous system

Back 26

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs(like the heart). has sympathetic divison and parasympathetic divison

sympathetic arouses: fight or flight

parasympathetic calms: rest or digest

Front 27

sympathetic nervous system

Back 27

the part of the autonomic nervous system that mobilizes energy in stressful situations

fight or flight

Front 28

parasympathetic nervous system

Back 28

the part of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body by conserving its energy

resting or digesting

Front 29

endocrine system

Back 29

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

Front 30

hormones

Back 30

chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands. travel through the bloodstream and affect other tissues

Front 31

adrenal glands

Back 31

a pair of endocrine glands that sit above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) help arouse body in times of stress

Front 32

pituitary gland

Back 32

master gland of endocrine system. under influence of the hypothalamus the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands

Front 33

hypothalamus

Back 33

controls maintenance functions such as eating: helps govern endocrine system: linked to emotion and reward

Front 34

amygdala

Back 34

linked to emotions located in the limbic system

Front 35

cerebellum

Back 35

"little brain" rear of the brainstem. functions include processing sensory input. coordinating movement output and balance. and enabling nonverbal learning and memory

Front 36

medulla

Back 36

the base of the brain stem;controls heartbeat and breathing

Front 37

thalamus

Back 37

the brains sensory router, located on top of the brainstem it directs messages to the sensory receving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

Front 38

cerebral cortex

Back 38

ultimate control and information-processing center. interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres

Front 39

occipital lobes

Back 39

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head, includes areas that receive information from the visual fields.

Front 40

temporal lobe

Back 40

portion of cerebral cortex above the ears. includes auditory areas each receving information primarily information from the oppisite ear

Front 41

frontal lobe

Back 41

portion of cerebral cortex behind the forehead involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements

Front 42

parietal lobes

Back 42

portion of cerebral cortex at the top of the head near the the rear. receives sensory input for touch and body positon

Front 43

association areas

Back 43

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 remebering, thinking, and speaking

Front 44

plasticity

Back 44

the brains ability to change especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience.

Front 45

corpus callasum

Back 45

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

Front 46

motor cortex

Back 46

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

Front 47

sensory cortex

Back 47

area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement