Psych Ch 2 Vocab

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Biological Psychology

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a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior

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Neuron

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a never cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

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dendrite

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the bushy, branching estensions of a neruon that receive messages ad conduct impulses toward the cell body

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axon

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the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands

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myelin sheath

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a layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of may neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops fom one node to the next

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action potential

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a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. the action potential is generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in aand out of channels in the axon's membrane

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threshold

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the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

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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 cleft

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neurotransmitters

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chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons

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acetylcholine

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a neurotransmitter that , among its functions, triggers muscle contraction

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endorphins

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morph9ine within, natural opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure

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nervous system

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the body's speedy, electrochemical communication system

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central nervous system

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the brain and spinal cord

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peripheral nervous system

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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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neural cables containing many axons. these bundled axons which are part of the per

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sensory neurons

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neurons that ca5rry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system

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interneurons

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central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and interven between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

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motor neurons

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neurons that carry outgoing information fromt he central nervous system to the muscles and glands

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somatic nervous system

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the divison of hte perpheral nervous system that conrols the body's skeletal muscles

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autonomic nervous system

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the prat of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs

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sympathetic nervous system

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the divison of the autonomic nervous sytem that arouses the body, mobilizing tits enregy in stressful situations

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parasympathetic nervous system

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the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms teh body, conserving it's energy

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reflex

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

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neural networks

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interconnected neural cells

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lesion

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tissue destruction.

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electroencephalogram

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an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface.

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CT scan

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a series of xray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body

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PET scan

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a visual display of brain activity glucose

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MRI

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a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue;

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brainstem

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the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord sweels

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medulla

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the base of the brainstem

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reticular formation

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

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thalamus

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the brain's sensory switchboard

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cerebellum

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the little brain attached to the rear oft he brainstem

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limbic system

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a doughnut shaped system of neural structurs at the border of the brainstem

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amygdala

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

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hypothalamus

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a neural structure lying below the thalamus

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cerebral cortex

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

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glial cells

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cells in the nervous sytem that support, nourish, and protect neurons

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frontal lobes

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the portion of the cerbral cortex lying just behind the forehead involving speaking

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parietal lobes

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

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occipital lobes

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the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas

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temporal lobes

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the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears, auditory

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motor cortex

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

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sensory cortex

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the area at the front of the parietal lobes that register sand precesses body 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; learning, remembering, thinking, speaking

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aphasia

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impairment of language

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broca's area

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controls language expression

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Wernicke's area

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controls language reception

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plasticity

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the brain's cpacity for modification

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corpus callosum

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the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres

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split brain

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a condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers