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Chapter 2
Neuroscience and Behavior
56
Psychology
12th Grade
03/07/2013

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Term
biological psychology
Definition
A branch of pyschology concerned with the links between biology and behavior.
Term
neuron
Definition
A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system.
Term
dendrite
Definition
The bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.
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 fibers 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. Generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axon's membrane.
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.
Term
neurotransmitters
Definition
Chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gap between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, they travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse.
Term
acetylcholine (ACh)
Definition
A neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also trigger muscle contraction.
Term
endorphins
Definition
"Morphine within" - natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.
Term
nervous system
Definition
The body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous system.
Term
central nervous system
Definition
The brain and 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
Neural "cables" containing many axons. These bundled axons, which are part of the perpheral nervous system, connect the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs.
Term
sensory neurons
Definition
Neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system.
Term
motor neurons
Definition
Neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands.
Term
interneurons
Definition
Central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.
Term
somatic nervous system
Definition
The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles. Also called the skeletal nervous system.
Term
autonomic nervous system
Definition
The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs.
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 autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy.
Term
reflex
Definition
A simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response.
Term
neural networks
Definition
Interconnected neural cells. With experience, they can learn, as feedback strengthens or inhibits connections that produce certain results.
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, mostly those manufactured by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect another.
Term
adrenal glands
Definition
A pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys. They secrete the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine which help to arouse the body in times of stress.
Term
pituitary gland
Definition
The endocrine system's most influential gland. It regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.
Term
lesion
Definition
Tissue destruction. A naturally or experimentall caused destruction of brain tissue.
Term
electroencephalogram (EEG)
Definition
An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.
Term
PET (position emission tomography) scan
Definition
A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task.
Term
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
Definition
A technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within the brain.
Term
fMRI (functional MRI)
Definition
A technique for revealing blood flow, and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. Show brain function.
Term
brainstem
Definition
The oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; responsible for automatic survival functions.
Term
medulla
Definition
The base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing.
Term
reticular formation
Definition
A nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal.
Term
thalamus
Definition
The brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of the braintem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.
Term
cerebellum
Definition
The "little brain" attatched to the rear of the brainstem; its functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance.
Term
limbic system
Definition
A doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as fear and aggression and drives such as those for food and sex. Includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus.
Term
amygdala
Definition
Two lima bean-sized neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion.
Term
hypothalamus
Definition
A neutral structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion.
Term
cerebral cortex
Definition
The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center.
Term
glial cells (glia)
Definition
Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons.
Term
frontal lobes
Definition
The portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements.
Term
parietal lobes
Definition
The portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position.
Term
occipital lobes
Definition
The portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas, which receive visual information from the opposite visual field.
Term
temportal lobes
Definition
The portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each of which receives auditory information primarily from the opposite ear.
Term
motor cortex
Definition
An area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements.
Term
sensory cortex
Definition
The area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations.
Term
association areas
Definition
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.
Term
aphasia
Definition
Impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area or to Wernicke's area.
Term
Broca's area
Definition
Controls language expression - an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.
Term
Wernicke's area
Definition
Controls language reception - a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression, usually in the left temporal lobe.
Term
plasticity
Definition
The brain's capacity for modification, as evident in brain reorganization following damage (especially in children) and in experiments on the effects of experience on brain development.
Term
corpus callosum
Definition
The large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them.
Term
split brain
Definition
A condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) between them.
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