Psychology 100 Test 2

Front 1

biological psycholgy

Back 1

the psychological specialty focused on the physical and chemical changes that cause, and occur in response to, behavior and mental processes.

Front 2

nervous system

Back 2

A complex combination of cells whose primary function is to allow an organism to gain information about what is going on inside and outside the body and to respond appropriately.

Front 3

neuron

Back 3

Fundamental unit of the nervous system; nerve cell.

Front 4

glial cells

Back 4

Cells in the nervous system that hold neurons together and help them communicate with one another.

Front 5

axon

Back 5

A fiber that carries signals from the body of a neuron out to where communication occurs with other neurons.

Front 6

dendrite

Back 6

A neuron fiber that receives signals from the axons of other neurons and carries those signals to the cell body.

Front 7

synapse

Back 7

The tiny gap between neurons across which they communicate.

Front 8

action potential

Back 8

An abrupt wave of electrochemical changes traveling down an axon when a neuron becomes depolarized.

Front 9

myelin

Back 9

A fatty substance that wraps around some axons and increases the speed of action potentials.

Front 10

refractory period

Back 10

A short rest between action potentials.

Front 11

neurotransmitters

Back 11

Chemicals that assist in the transfer of signals from one neuron to the other.

Front 12

receptors

Back 12

Sits on the surface of a cell that allow only one type of neurotransmitter to fit into them, triggering a chemical response that may lead to an action potential.

Front 13

postsynaptic potential

Back 13

The change in the membrane potential of a neuron that has recieved stimulation from another neuron.

Front 14

excitatory postsynaptic potential

Back 14

A postsynaptic potential that depolarizes the neuronal membrane, making the cell more likely to fire an action potential.

Front 15

inhibitory postsynaptic potential

Back 15

A postsynaptic potential that hyperpolarizes the neuronal membrane, making a cell less likely to fire an action potential.

Front 16

neural network

Back 16

Neurons that operate together to perform complex functions.

Front 17

sensory systems

Back 17

The parts of the nervous system that provide information about the environment.

Front 18

motor systems

Back 18

The parts of the nervous system that influence muscles and other organs to respond to the environment in some way.

Front 19

peripheral nervous system

Back 19

The parts of the nervous system not housed in bone.

Front 20

central nervous system

Back 20

The parts of the nervous system encased in bone, including the brain and spinal cord.

Front 21

somatic nervous system

Back 21

The subsystem of the peripheral nervous system that transmits information from the senses to the central nervous system and carries signals from the central nervous system to the muscles.

Front 22

autonomic nervous system

Back 22

A subsystem of the peripheral nervous system that carries messages between the central nervous system and the heart, lungs, and other organs and glands.

Front 23

nuclei

Back 23

Collections of nerve cell bodies in the central nervous system.

Front 24

fiber tracts/pathways

Back 24

Axons in the central nervous system that travel together in bundles.

Front 25

spinal cord

Back 25

The part of the central nervous system within the spinal column that relays signals from peripheral senses to the brain and conveys messages from the brain to the rest of the body.

Front 26

reflex

Back 26

Involuntary, unlearned reaction in the form of swift, automatic, and finely coordinated movements in response to external stimuli.

Front 27

hindbrain

Back 27

An extension of the spinal cord contained inside the skull where nuclei control blood pressure, heart rate, breathing and other vital functions.

Front 28

medulla

Back 28

An area in the hindbrain that controls blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, and other vital functions.

Front 29

reticular formation

Back 29

A network of cells and fibers threaded throughout the hindbrain and midbrain that alters the activity of the rest of the brain.

Front 30

locus coeruleus

Back 30

A small nucleus in the reticular formation that is involved in directing attention.

Front 31

cerebellum

Back 31

The part of the hindbrain whose main funcitons include controlling finely coordinated movements and storing memories about movement, but which may also be involved in impulse control, emotion, and language.

Front 32

midbrain

Back 32

A small structure between the hindbrain and forebrain that relays information from the eyes, ears, and skin that controls certain types of automatic behaviors.

Front 33

substantia nigra

Back 33

An area around the midbrain involved in the smooth beginning of movement.

Front 34

striatum

Back 34

A structure within the forebrain that is involved in the smooth beginning of movement.

Front 35

forebrain

Back 35

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

Front 36

thalamus

Back 36

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

Front 37

hypothalamus

Back 37

A structure in the forebrain that regulates hunger, thirst, and sex drives.

Front 38

suprachiasmatic nuclei

Back 38

Nuclei in the hypothalamus that generate biological rhythms.

Front 39

amygdala

Back 39

A structure in the forebrain that, among other things, associates features of stimuli from two sensory modalities.

Front 40

hippocampus

Back 40

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

Front 41

limbic systems

Back 41

A set of brain structures that play important roles in regulating emotion and memory.

Front 42

cerebral hemispheres

Back 42

The left and right halves of the rounded, outermost part of the brain.

Front 43

cerebral cortex

Back 43

The outer surface of the brain.

Front 44

sensory cortex

Back 44

The parts of the cerebral cortex that receive stimulus information from the senses.

Front 45

motor cortex

Back 45

The part of the cerebral cortex whose neurons conrol voluntary movements in specific parts of the body.

Front 46

association cortex

Back 46

Those parts of the cerebral cortex that receieve information from more than one sense or that combine sensory and motor information to perform complex cognitive tasks.

Front 47

corpus callosum

Back 47

A massive bundle of fibers that connects the right and left cerebral hemisphers and allows them to communicate with each other.

Front 48

lateralized

Back 48

Referring to the tendency for one cerebral hemisphere to excel at a particular function or skill compared with the other hemisphere.

Front 49

plasticity

Back 49

The ability to create new synapses and to change the strength of synapses.

Front 50

neurotransmitter system

Back 50

A group of meurons that communicates by using the same neurotransmitter.

Front 51

acetylcholine

Back 51

A neurotransmitter used by neurons in the peripheral and central nervous systems in the control of functions ranging from muscle contraction and heart rate to digestion and memory.

Front 52

norepinephrine

Back 52

A neurotransmitter involved in arousal, as well as in learning and mood regulation.

Front 53

serotonin

Back 53

A neurotransmitter used by cells in parts of the brain involved in the regulation of sleep, mood, and eating.

Front 54

dopamine

Back 54

A neurotransmitter used in the parts of the brain involved in regulating movement and experiencing pleasure.

Front 55

GABA

Back 55

A neurotransmitter that inhibits the firing of neurons.

Front 56

glutamate

Back 56

A excitatory neurotransmitter that helps strengthen synaptic connections between neurons.

Front 57

endorphone

Back 57

One of a class of neurotransmitters that bind to opiate receptors and moderate pain.

Front 58

endocrine system

Back 58

Cells that form organs called glands and that communicate with one another by secreting chemicals called hormones.

Front 59

gland

Back 59

An organ that secrets hormones into the bloodstream.

Front 60

hormones

Back 60

Chemicals secreted by a gland into the bloodstream, which carries them throughout the body.

Front 61

fight-or-flight syndrome

Back 61

Physical reactions triggered by the sympathetic nervous system that prepare the body to fight or to run from a threatening situation.

Front 62

immune system

Back 62

The body's system of defense against invading substances and microorganisms.

Front 63

autoimmune disorders

Back 63

Physical problems caused when cells of the body's immune system attack normal body cells as if they were foreign invaders.