Ch. 3 Neuroscience And Behavior

Front 1

Sensory neurons

Back 1

carrying information to your brain
afferent

Front 2

Motor neurons

Back 2

carry info through muscles from our brain
efferent

Front 3

Interneurons

Back 3

neurons connected to other neurons

Front 4

neurons

Back 4

cells in the nervous system that communicate with one another to perform info-processing tasks

Front 5

cell body

Back 5

the part of a neuron that coordinates info-processing tasks and keeps the cell alive

Front 6

dendrites

Back 6

the part of a neuron that receives info from other neurons and relays it to the cell body

Front 7

axon

Back 7

part of the neuron that transmits info to other neurons, muscles, or glands

Front 8

myelin sheath

Back 8

an insulating layer of fatty material

Front 9

gilal cells

Back 9

support cells found in the nervous system

Front 10

synapse

Back 10

the junction or region between the axon of one neuron and the dendrites or cell body of another

Front 11

Action Potential

Back 11

An electric signal that is conducted along an axon to a synapse

Front 12

Threshold

Back 12

minimum stimulus energy needed to trigger an impulse

Front 13

neurotransmitters

Back 13

chemicals that transmit information across the synapse to a receiving neuron's dendrites

Front 14

Postsynaptic Potentials

Back 14

-aka graded potentials
-voltage charge at a receptor site on a postsynaptic cell membrane
-higher or lower the probability of an action potential in the receiving cell

Front 15

Excitatory PSP

Back 15

Depolarizes receiving cell, higher action potential

Front 16

Inhibitory PSP

Back 16

Hyperpolarizes receiving cell, lower action potential

Front 17

Agonists

Back 17

positive affect on increasing between nerve cells

Front 18

Antagonists

Back 18

negative affect/block post-synaptic receptors

Front 19

Acetylcholine(Ach)

Back 19

-muscle movements,and control
-memory and cognition
-regulation of attention, learning, sleeping, dreaming, and memory
-Alzheimer's disease occurs with deterioration of these neurons

Front 20

Dopamine

Back 20

-regulates motivation, pleasure, and emotional arousal
-things that feel good
-anything that's addictive
-motor control in the brain
-plays role in drug addiction
-High levels linked to schizophrenia
-Low levels linked to Parkinson's disease

Front 21

Glutamate

Back 21

-main and major excitatory neurotransmitter involved in info transmission throughout the brain
-Too much can cause seizures

Front 22

GABA

Back 22

-primary inhibitory neurotransmitter
-stops firing of neurons
-alcohol affects GABA, making people more "social" when drinking

Front 23

Norepinephrine

Back 23

-influences mood and arousal
-involved in states of vigilance or a heightened awareness of dangers in the environment
-arousal, stimulating alertness
-excitatory affect on body
-low levels = mood disorders

Front 24

Serotonin

Back 24

-involved in regulation of sleep and wakefulness, eating and agressive behavior
-low levels = mood disorders
-hallucinations
-anti-depressant

Front 25

Endorphins

Back 25

-chemicals that act within the pain pathways and emotion centers of the brain
-decreases pain, increases calmness/good feeling

Front 26

Schizophrenia

Back 26

-hallucinations, delusions, irrational beliefs
-disordered and tangential speech
-social withdrawal

Front 27

Nervous System

Back 27

Interacting network of neurons that conveys electrochemical info throughtout the body

Front 28

Central Nervous System

Back 28

brain and spinal cord

Front 29

Peripheral nervous system

Back 29

connects the central nervous system to the body's organs and muscles

Front 30

Somatic Nervous system

Back 30

-set of nerves that conveys info into and out of the central nervous system
-part of peripheral system

Front 31

Autonomic nervous system

Back 31

-set of nerves that carries involuntary and automatic commands that control blood vessels, body organs, and glands

Front 32

Sympathetic nervous system

Back 32

-set of nerves that prepares the body for action in threatening situations
-activates
-flight or fight, arousal

Front 33

Parasympathetic nervous system

Back 33

-helps the body return to a normal resting state
-calms
-digestion, relaxtion

Front 34

spinal reflexes

Back 34

simple pathways in the nervous system that rapidly generate muscle contractions

Front 35

CT scan

Back 35

Computerized axial tomography, picture of brain structure

Front 36

MRI

Back 36

clear picture of individual structures of the brain

Front 37

Electroencephalogram(EEG)

Back 37

a device used to record electrical activity in the brain

Front 38

PET scan

Back 38

-injection of radioactive isotope
-scanned by radiation detectors as person performs perceptual or cognitive tasks

Front 39

fMRI

Back 39

-shows changes of oxygen levels
-can see images light up during different situations

Front 40

hindbrain

Back 40

area of brain that coordinates info coming into and out of the spinal cord
-referred to as the brain stem
-controls repiration, alertness, and motor skills

Front 41

medulla

Back 41

-extension of the spinal cord into the skull that coordinates heart rate, circulation, and respiration

Front 42

reticular formation

Back 42

regulates sleep, wakefulness, and levels of arousal

Front 43

cerebellum

Back 43

a large structure of the hindbrain that controls fine motor skills
smooths out actions
ex. riding bike, playing piano, balancing while walking

Front 44

Pons

Back 44

-relays info from the cerebellum to the rest of the brain
-found in hindbrain

Front 45

Midbrain

Back 45

-sits on top of hindbrain
-contains tectum and tegmentum

Front 46

Tectum

Back 46

-orients an organism in the environment
-receives stimulus input from the eyes, ears, and skin and moves the organism in a coordinated way toward the stimulus

Front 47

Tegmentum

Back 47

-involved in movement and arousal
-also helps orient an organism toward sensory stimuli

Front 48

Forebrain

Back 48

-highest level of the brain literally and figuratively
-controls complex cognitive, emotional, sensory, and motor functions

Front 49

Cerebral cortex

Back 49

outermost layer of the brain

Front 50

subcortical structures

Back 50

areas of the forebrain housed under the cerebral cortex near the very center of the brain

Front 51

Thalamus

Back 51

relays and filters info from the senses and transmits the info to the cerebral cortex

Front 52

Hypothalamus

Back 52

-regulates body temp, hunger, thirst, and sexual behavior
-fighting, fleeing, feeding and mating

Front 53

Pituitary gland

Back 53

-releases hormones that direct the functions of many other glands
-"Master Gland"

Front 54

hippocampus

Back 54

critical for the creation and storage of new memories

Front 55

amygdala

Back 55

emotional arousal

Front 56

Broca's area

Back 56

-expressive aphasia
-production of speech

Front 57

Wernicke's area

Back 57

-receptive aphasia
-don't understand language

Front 58

Superior colliculus

Back 58

visual relay

Front 59

Lateral colliculus

Back 59

auditory relay

Front 60

Reticular Activating System

Back 60

Arousal system detector

Front 61

Corpus Callosum

Back 61

connects large areas of the cerebral cortex on each side of the brain and supports communication of information across the hemispheres

Front 62

Occipital lobe

Back 62

vision

Front 63

Parietal lobe

Back 63

-skin senses
-somatosensory cortex

Front 64

Prospagnosia

Back 64

inability to recognize spaces

Front 65

Temporal Lobe

Back 65

-Hearing and language
-auditory cortex

Front 66

Frontal Lobe

Back 66

-Executive
-movement, abstract thinking, planning, memory, and judgement

Front 67

Association Areas

Back 67

help provide sense and meaning to info registered in the cortex