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Unit 3A
Biological Bases of Behavior: Neural Processing and the Endocrine System
40
Psychology
11th Grade
01/14/2013

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Term
phrenology
Definition
a popular but ill-fated theory that claimed bumps on the skull could reveal our mental abilities and our character traits
Term
biological psychology
Definition
branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior
Term
neuron
Definition
a nerve cell; the basic building block of he nervous system
Term
sensory neurons
Definition
neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord
Term
motor neurons
Definition
neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands
Term
interneurons
Definition
neurons within the brain and spinal cord hat communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs
Term
dendrite
Definition
the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell
Term
axon
Definition
the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands
Term
myelin sheath
Definition
a layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fivers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next
Term
action potential
Definition
a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
Term
ions
Definition
electrically charged atoms
Term
resting potential
Definition
positive-outside/negative-inside state
Term
refractory period
Definition
resting pause
Term
threshold
Definition
the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
Term
synapse
Definition
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
Term
neurotransmitters
Definition
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
Term
reuptake
Definition
a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron
Term
endorphins
Definition
natural, opiate like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure
Term
acetylcholine
Definition
enables muscle action, learning, and memory; with Alzheimer's diseases, ACh-producing neurons deteriorated
Term
dopamine
Definition
influences movement, leaning, attention, and emotion; excess of this is linked to schizophrenia, deprivation of this causes Parkinson's disease
Term
serotonin
Definition
affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal; undersupply is linked with depression
Term
norepinephrine
Definition
helps control alertness and arousal; undersupply can depress mood; undersupply linked with seizure, tremors, and insomnia
Term
GABA
Definition
a major inhibitory neurotransmitter; undersupply linked with seizures, tremors, and insomnia
Term
glutamate
Definition
a major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory; over supply can overstimulate brain, producing migraines or seizures
Term
agonist
Definition
molecules that are similar enough to a neurotransmitter to bind to its receptor and mimic its effects
Term
nervous system
Definition
the body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all he nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems
Term
central nervous system
Definition
the brain and the spinal cord
Term
peripheral nervous system
Definition
the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body
Term
nerves
Definition
bundled axons that form neural "cables" connection the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs
Term
somatic nervous system
Definition
the division of he peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles
Term
autonomic nervous system
Definition
the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs. Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.
Term
sympathetic nervous system
Definition
the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations
Term
parasympathetic nervous system
Definition
the division of the automatic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy
Term
reflex
Definition
a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee jerk response
Term
neural network
Definition
the brain's neurons cluster into work groups
Term
spinal cord
Definition
an information highway connecting the peripheral nervous system to the brain
Term
endocrine system
Definition
the body's slow chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
Term
hormones
Definition
chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues
Term
adrenal glands
Definition
a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones that help arouse the body in times of stress
Term
pituitary gland
Definition
the endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary endocrine glands
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