Psychology - Chapter 2, Nervous System And Brain

Front 1

the body's speedy, electrochemical communication system, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems

Back 1

nervous system

Front 2

the brain and spinal cord

Back 2

central nervous system (CNS)

Front 3

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

Back 3

peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Front 4

neural "cables" containing many axons; these bundled axons, which are part of the PNS, connect the CNS with muscles, glands, and sense organs

Back 4

nerves

Front 5

neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the CNS

Back 5

sensory neurons

Front 6

CNS neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

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interneurons

Front 7

the neurons that carry outgoing information from the CNS to the muscles and glands

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motor neurons

Front 8

the division of the PNS that controls the body's skeletal muscles (also called skeletal nervous system)

Back 8

somatic nervous system

Front 9

the part of the PNS that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart); its sympathetic division arouses, its parasympathetic division calms

Back 9

autonomic nervous system

Front 10

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

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sympathetic nervous system

Front 11

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

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parasympathetic nervous system

Front 12

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

Back 12

reflex

Front 13

interconnected neural cells; with experience, these can learn, as feedback strengthens or inhibits connections that produce certain results; computer simulations show analogous learning

Back 13

neural networks

Front 14

tissue destruction; naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue

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lesion

Front 15

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

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electroencephalogram (EEG)

Front 16

a series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body, also called CAT scan

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CT (computed tomography) scan

Front 17

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

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PET (positron emission tomography) scan

Front 18

a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within the brain

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MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

Front 19

the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; responsible for autonomic survival functions

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brainstem

Front 20

the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

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medulla

Front 21

a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal

Back 21

reticular formation

Front 22

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

Back 22

thalamus

Front 23

the "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; helps coordinate movement and balance

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cerebellum

Front 24

a doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as fear and aggression and drives such as those for food and sex; includes hippocampus, amygdala and hypothalamus

Back 24

limbic system

Front 25

two almond-shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion

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amygdala

Front 26

a neural structure lying below the thalamus; directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion

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hypothalamus

Front 27

the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center

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cerebral cortex

Front 28

cells in the nervous system that are not neurons but that support, nourish, and protect neurons

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glial cells

Front 29

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments

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frontal lobes

Front 30

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; includes the sensory cortex

Back 30

parietal lobes

Front 31

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas, which receive visual information from the opposite visual field

Back 31

occipital lobes

Front 32

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each of which receives auditory information primarily from the opposite ear

Back 32

temporal lobes

Front 33

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

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motor cortex

Front 34

an area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body sensations

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sensory cortex

Front 35

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, remembering, thinking, and speaking

Back 35

association areas

Front 36

impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke's area (impairing understanding)

Back 36

aphasia

Front 37

an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech

Back 37

Broca's area

Front 38

a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe

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Wernicke's area

Front 39

the brain's capacity for modification, as evident in brain reorganization following damage (especially in children) and in experiments on the effects of experience on brain development

Back 39

plasticity

Front 40

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

Back 40

corpus callosum

Front 41

a condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) between them

Back 41

split brain