Psychology - The Biology Of Mind

Front 1

biological perspective

Back 1

concerned with the links between biology and behavior, includes psychologists working in neuroscience, behavior genetics, and evolutionary psychology; these researchers may call themselves behavioral neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, behavior geneticists, physiological psychologists, or biopsychologists

Front 2

neuron

Back 2

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

Front 3

dendrite

Back 3

a neuron's bushy, branching extension that receives messages and conducts impulses towards the cell body

Front 4

axon

Back 4

the neuron extension 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

neurotransmitter

Back 9

chemical messenger that crosses the synaptic gaps between neurons; when released by the sending neurons, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impusle

Front 10

reuptake

Back 10

a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron

Front 11

endorphin

Back 11

"morphine within" - natural, opiatelike neurotransmitter 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

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 outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands

Front 17

interneurons

Back 17

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

Front 18

somatic nervous system

Back 18

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles; skeletal nervous system

Front 19

autonomic nervous system (ANS)

Back 19

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 20

sympathetic nervous system

Back 20

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

Front 21

parasympathetic nervous system

Back 21

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

Front 22

reflex

Back 22

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

Front 23

endocrine system

Back 23

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

Front 24

hormones

Back 24

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

Front 25

adrenal glands

Back 25

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

Front 26

pituitary gland

Back 26

the endocrine system's most influential gland; under the influence of the hypothalamus, it regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands

Front 27

lesion

Back 27

tissue destruction; in the brain, it is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue

Front 28

electroencephalogram (EEG)

Back 28

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 29

PET (positron emission tomography) scan

Back 29

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

Front 30

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

Back 30

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

Front 31

fMRI (functional MRI)

Back 31

a technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans; scans show brain function

Front 32

brainstem

Back 32

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

Front 33

medulla

Back 33

the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

Front 34

thalamus

Back 34

the brain's sensory switchboard, located on the top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

Front 35

reticular formation

Back 35

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

Front 36

cerebellum

Back 36

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

Front 37

limbic system

Back 37

neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the central hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives

Front 38

amygdala

Back 38

two lima-bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion

Front 39

hypothalamus

Back 39

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

Front 40

cerebral cortex

Back 40

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

Front 41

glial cells (glia)

Back 41

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons; they may also play a role in learning and thinking

Front 42

frontal lobes

Back 42

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

Front 43

parietal lobes

Back 43

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position

Front 44

occipital lobes

Back 44

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

Front 45

temporal lobes

Back 45

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

Front 46

motor cortex

Back 46

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

Front 47

sensory cotex

Back 47

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

Front 48

association areas

Back 48

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

Front 49

plasticity

Back 49

the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

Front 50

neurogenesis

Back 50

the formation of new neurons

Front 51

corpus callosum

Back 51

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

Front 52

split brain

Back 52

a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mostly those of the corpus callosum) connecting them