Psy100: Chapter 2-Biology Of The Mind

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Biological Perspective

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concerned with the link between biology and behavior. Includes psychologists working in neuroscience, behavior, genetics,and evolutionary psychology. There researchers may call themselves behavioral neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, or biopsychologists.

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Neuron

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

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Dendrites

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

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Axon

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

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myelin

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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.

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glial cells

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

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action potential

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

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refractory period

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a period of inactivity after a neuron has fired

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threshold

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the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

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all-or-none response

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a neuron's reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not firing

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synapse

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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.

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neurotransmitters

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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.

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reuptake

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a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron.

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endorphins

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"morphine within"- natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.

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agonist

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a molecule that increases a neurotransmitter's action

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antagonist

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a mole that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter's action

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nervous system

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

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central nervous system (CNS)

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the brain and spinal cord

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peripheral nervous systen (PNS)

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

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nerves

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

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sensory (afferent) neurons

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

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motor (efferent) neurons

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

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interneurons

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neurons within the brain and spinal cord; communicate internally and process information between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

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somatic nervous system

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

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autonomic nervous system (ANS)

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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

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sympathetic nervous system

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

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parasympathetic nervous system

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

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reflex

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

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endocrine system

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

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hormones

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

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adrenal glands

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

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pituitary gland

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the endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands

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lesion

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

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electroencephalogram (EEG)

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an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp

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PET (position emission tomography)

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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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MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

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

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fMRI (functional MRI)

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

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brainstem

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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

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medulla

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the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

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thalamus

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the brain's sensory control venter, 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

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reticular formation

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

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cerebellum

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the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input, coordinating movement output, and balance, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory

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limbic system

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

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hippocampus

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a neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage

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amygdala

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

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hypothalamus

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

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frontal lobes

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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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parietal lobes

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

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occipital lobes

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

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temporal lobes

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

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motor cortex

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

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somatosensory areas

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

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association areas

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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

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plasticity

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

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neurogenesis

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the formation of new neurons

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corpus callosum

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

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split brain

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