Psych Ch 2

Front 1

biological perspective

Back 1

concerned with the links between biology and behavior. Includes psychologists working in neuroscience, behavior genetic, and evolutionary psychology.

Front 2

neuron

Back 2

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

Front 3

dendrites

Back 3

a neuron's bushy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body

Front 4

axon

Back 4

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

Front 5

myelin sheath

Back 5

a fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next

Front 6

action potential

Back 6

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

Front 7

threshold

Back 7

the level of stimulation required to trigger 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 synaptic cleft.

Front 9

neurotransmitters

Back 9

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.

Front 10

reuptake

Back 10

a neurotransmitter's re absorption by the sending neuron

Front 11

endorphins

Back 11

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

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

central nervous system (CNS)

Back 13

the brain and spinal cord
the body's decision maker

Front 14

peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Back 14

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

Front 15

nerves

Back 15

bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs

Front 16

sensory neurons

Back 16

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

Front 17

motor neurons

Back 17

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

Front 18

interneurons

Back 18

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

Front 19

somatic nervous system

Back 19

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

Front 20

autonomic nervous system (ANS)

Back 20

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 21

sympathetic nervous system

Back 21

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

Front 22

parasympathetic nervous system

Back 22

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

Front 23

reflex

Back 23

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

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

Front 26

adrenal glands

Back 26

a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones that help 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

lesion

Back 28

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

Front 29

electroencephalogram (EEG)

Back 29

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 30

PET (positron emission tomography) scan

Back 30

a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task

Front 31

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

Back 31

a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue. MRI scans show brain anatomy.

Front 32

fMRI (functional MRI)

Back 32

a technique for revealing blood flow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. fMRI scans show brain function.

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

thalamus

Back 35

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 36

reticular formation

Back 36

a nerve network that travels through the brainstem and plays an important role in controlling arousal.

Front 37

ceremellum

Back 37

the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordination movement output and balance.