Psych 30 Midterm 1 Vocabulary

Front 1

Descartes

Back 1

The French philosopher notable for his support of mind-body dualism, in which the bodi is mechanistic whereas the mind is separate and nonphysical.

Front 2

Galvani

Back 2

Along with Emil du Bois-Reymond, established electricity as the mode of communication used by the nervous system.

Front 3

Neuron Doctrine

Back 3

Made by Santiago Ramon y Cajal, the ND states:
1. The neuron is an anatomical unit.
2. The law of dynamic polarization.
3. The neuron is an embryological unit.
4. The neuron is a metabolic unit.
5. The neuron is a basic information processing unit.

Front 4

Fritsch & Hitzig

Back 4

Discovered that electrical stimulation of different areas of the cerebrum caused involuntary muscular contractions of specific parts of the dog's body. They identified the brains' "motor strip" which is a vertical strip of brain tissue on the cerebrum in the back of the frontal lobe which controls different muscles in the body.

Front 5

Broca

Back 5

Discovers localization of speech production.

Front 6

Synapse

Back 6

The space between the axon of one neuron and the dendrites of another through which neurotransmitters travel.

Front 7

Efferent

Back 7

A nerve that carries motor commands away from the
CNS.

Front 8

Afferent

Back 8

A nerve that carries sensory information to the
CNS.

Front 9

Neural Integration

Back 9

The determination of whether to fire an action potential, based on the summation of inputs to a neuron.

Front 10

Dualism

Back 10

A philosophical perspective (Descartes) in which the body is mechanistic, whereas the mind is seperate and nonphysical.

Front 11

Monism

Back 11

A philosophical perspective characteristic of the neurosciences in which the mind is viewed as the product of activity in the brain and nervous system.

Front 12

Cytoplasm

Back 12

The substance that fills the cell.

Front 13

Membrane

Back 13

Cell membrane or plasma membrane is one of the vital parts of a cell that encloses and protects the constituents of a cell. It separates the interior of a cell from outside environment.

Front 14

Nucleus

Back 14

A specialized, usually spherical mass of protoplasm encased in a double membrane, and found in most living eukaryotic cells, directing their growth, metabolism, and reproduction, and functioning in the transmission of genic characters.

Front 15

Ionotropic

Back 15

A receptor protein in the postsynaptic membrane in which the recognition site is located in the same structure as the ion channel.

Front 16

Metabotropic

Back 16

A protein structure embedded in the postsynaptic membrane containing a recognition site and a G protein. Neurotransmitters binding to these receptors do not directly open ion channels.

Front 17

Ribosomes

Back 17

Any of the RNA- and protein-rich cytoplasmic granules that are sites of protein synthesis

Front 18

Mitochondria

Back 18

An organelle in the cytoplasm of cells that functions in energy production.

Front 19

Microtubules

Back 19

A hollow cylindrical structure in the cytoplasm of most cells, involved in intracellular shape and transport.

Front 20

Soma

Back 20

The body of an organism as contrasted with its germ cells.

Front 21

Precursors

Back 21

A cell or tissue that gives rise to a variant, specialized, or more mature form.

Front 22

Dendrites

Back 22

The branch of the neuron that generally receives info from other neurons.

Front 23

Axon

Back 23

The branch of a neuron usually responsible for carrying signals to other neurons.

Front 24

Neurotransmitters

Back 24

A chemical messenger that communicates across a synapse.

Front 25

Axon hillock

Back 25

The cone-shaped segment of axon located at the junction of the axon and cell body that is specialized for the generation of action potentials.

Front 26

Neurotransmitter deactivation

Back 26

Neurotransmitterts released into the synaptic gap must be deactivated before additional signals are sent by the presynaptic neuron by diffusion away from the synapse, through the action of special enzymes, and through reuptake.

Front 27

Myelin

Back 27

A soft, white, fatty material in the membrane of Schwann cells and certain neuroglial cells: the substance of the myelin sheath.

Front 28

Terminal button

Back 28

Terminal buttons exist at the ends of the many branches that divide out from the axon. The terminal buttons receive the message transferred down the axon, store them in their synaptic vesicles and are responsible for then secreting these transmitter substances.

Front 29

Sodium/ potassium pump

Back 29

An ion pump that uses energy to transfer 3 sodium ions to the extracellular fluid for every 2 potassium ions retrieved from the extracellular fluid.

Front 30

Membrane potential

Back 30

The potential inside a cell membrane measured relative to the fluid just outside; it is negative under resting conditions and becomes positive during an action potential.

Front 31

Electrical/ concentration gradients

Back 31

An electrochemical gradient is a spatial variation of both electrical potential and chemical concentration across a membrane.

A concentration gradient is where the concentration of something changes over distance.

Front 32

Membrane permeability

Back 32

A quality of a cell’s plasma membrane that allows substances to pass in and out of the cell, so that the cell can expel waste products and ship out the chemicals it assembles for the body. At the same time, the nutrients that the cell needs can pass through the membrane to the inside.

Front 33

Depolarization/ Hyperpolarization

Back 33

A change in a cell's membrane potential, making it more positive, or less negative.

Hyperpolarization is when the strength of the electric field across the width of a cell membrane increases.

Front 34

Threshold

Back 34

The level of depolarization at which an action potential is initiated.

Front 35

Action potential

Back 35

The change in electrical potential that occurs between the inside and outside of a nerve or muscle fiber when it is stimulated, serving to transmit nerve signals.

Front 36

Saltatory conduction

Back 36

The propagation of action potentials along myelinated axons from one node of Ranvier to the next node, increasing the conduction velocity of action potentials without needing to increase the diameter of an axon.

Front 37

Passive cable properties

Back 37

Describes how voltage changes at a particular location on a dendrite transmit this electrical signal through a system of converging dendrite segments of different diameters, lengths, and electrical properties.

Front 38

Graded potential

Back 38

An electrical signal that can vary in shape and size.

Front 39

All or none

Back 39

The principle that the strength by which a nerve or muscle fiber responds to a stimulus is not dependent on the strength of the stimulus. If the stimulus is any strength above threshold, the nerve or muscle fiber will give a complete response or otherwise no response at all.

Front 40

Rate law

Back 40

An equation which links the reaction rate with concentrations or pressures of reactants and constant parameters (normally rate coefficients and partial reaction orders).

Front 41

Refractory

Back 41

A material having the ability to retain its physical shape and chemical identity when subjected to high temperatures.

Front 42

Neuromodulator

Back 42

Any of various substances, as certain hormones and amino acids, that influence the function of neurons but do not act as neurotransmitters.

Front 43

Propagation of AP

Back 43

The transmission of a wave through a medium; in neurons, it is the replication of the action potential down the length of the axon.

Front 44

Glia

Back 44

A class of cells in the brain and spinal cord that form a supporting structure for the neurons and provide them with insulation.

Front 45

Ligand

Back 45

A molecule, as an antibody, hormone, or drug, that binds to a receptor

Front 46

Blood brain barrier

Back 46

A layer of tightly packed cells that make up the walls of brain capillaries and prevent substances in the blood from diffusing freely into the brain: passage across the cell membranes is determined by solubility in the lipid bilayer or recognition by a transport molecule.

Front 47

Neuraxis

Back 47

The axial unpaired part of the central nervous system, composed of the spinal cord, rhombencephalon, mesencephalon, and diencephalon.

Front 48

PNS

Back 48

The part of the vertebrate nervous system constituting the nerves outside the central nervous system and including the cranial nerves, the spinal nerves, and the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

Front 49

CNS

Back 49

The part of the nervous system which in vertebrates consists of the brain and spinal cord, to which sensory impulses are transmitted and from which motor impulses pass out, and which supervises and coordinates the activity of the entire nervous system

Front 50

Planes of dissection

Back 50

Frontal/Coronal
Transverse/Horizontal
Sagittal

Front 51

Meninges

Back 51

The three membranes that envelop the brain and spinal cord

Front 52

Ventricles

Back 52

One of a series of connecting cavities of the brain

Front 53

CSF

Back 53

The fluid in the ventricles of the brain, between the arachnoid and pia mater, and surrounding the spinal cord

Front 54

Hindbrain

Back 54

The posterior division of the three primary divisions of the developing vertebrate brain or the corresponding part of the adult brain that includes the cerebellum, pons, and medulla oblongata and that controls the autonomic functions and equilibrium called also rhombencephalon

Front 55

Midbrain

Back 55

The middle division of the three primary divisions of the developing vertebrate brain or the corresponding part of the adult brain that includes a ventral part containing the cerebral peduncles and a dorsal tectum containing the corpora quadrigemina and that surrounds the aqueduct of Sylvius connecting the third and fourth ventricles called also mesencephalon

Front 56

Telencephalon

Back 56

The anterior portion of the prosencephalon, constituting the cerebral hemispheres and composing with the diencephalon the prosencephalon.

Front 57

Diencephalon

Back 57

The posterior part of the prosencephalon, composed of the epithalamus, the dorsal thalamus, the subthalamus, and the hypothalamus. Also called betweenbrain , interbrain .

Front 58

Metencephalon

Back 58

The anterior part of the embryonic hindbrain, which gives rise to the cerebellum and pons.

Front 59

Mesencephalon

Back 59

Aka the midbrain; the part of the brain that develops from the middle portion of the embryonic neural tube

Front 60

Myencephalon

Back 60

The most caudal part of the hindbrain.

Front 61

Medulla

Back 61

The lowest or hindmost part of the brain, continuous with the spinal cord.

Front 62

Cerebellum

Back 62

A large portion of the brain, serving to coordinate voluntary movements, posture, and balance in humans, being in back of and below the cerebrum and consisting of two lateral lobes and a central lobe.

Front 63

Substantia nigra

Back 63

A deeply pigmented area of the midbrain containing dopamine-producing nerve cells.

Front 64

Periaquaductal gray

Back 64

The gray matter located around the cerebral aqueduct within the tegmentum of the midbrain

Front 65

Reticular formation

Back 65

A network of neurons in the brainstem involved in consciousness, regulation of breathing, the transmission of sensory stimuli to higher brain centers, and the constantly shifting muscular activity that supports the body against gravity.

Front 66

Tectum

Back 66

The dorsal part of the midbrain including the corpora quadrigemina called also tectum mesencephali

Front 67

Tegmentum

Back 67

The part of the ventral midbrain above the substantia nigra formed of longitudinal white fibers with arched transverse fibers and gray matter

Front 68

Cerebellum

Back 68

A large portion of the brain, serving to coordinate voluntary movements, posture, and balance in humans, being in back of and below the cerebrum and consisting of two lateral lobes and a central lobe.

Front 69

Thalamus

Back 69

The middle part of the diencephalon through which sensory impulses pass to reach the cerebral cortex.

Front 70

Hypothalamus

Back 70

A region of the brain, between the thalamus and the midbrain, that functions as the main control center for the autonomic nervous system by regulating sleep cycles, body temperature, appetite, etc., and that acts as an endocrine gland by producing hormones, including the releasing factors that control the hormonal secretions of the pituitary gland.

Front 71

Cerebral cortex

Back 71

The furrowed outer layer of gray matter in the cerebrum of the brain, associated with the higher brain functions, as voluntary movement, coordination of sensory information, learning and memory, and the expression of individuality.

Front 72

Hippocampus

Back 72

The enfolding of cerebral cortex into the lateral fissure of a cerebral hemisphere, having the shape in cross section of a sea horse.

Front 73

Basal ganglia

Back 73

Any of several masses of gray matter in each cerebral hemisphere.

Front 74

Limbic system

Back 74

A ring of interconnected structures in the midline of the brain around the hypothalamus, involved with emotion and memory and with homeostatic regulatory systems.

Front 75

Sensory/ motor cortex

Back 75

The region of the cerebral cortex concerned with receiving and interpreting sensory information from various parts of the body.

The region of the cerebral cortex concerned with transmitting impulses to the voluntary muscles.

Front 76

Lobes

Back 76

An anatomical division of an organ of the body. The liver, lungs, and brain are all characterized by lobes that are held in place by connective tissue.

Front 77

Unilateral neglect

Back 77

A symptom of brain damage in which a person is unaware of one side of his body and of anything in the external world on the same side.

Front 78

Split brain

Back 78

A brain in which the tracts connecting the two halves of the cerebral cortex have been surgically split or are missing from birth