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| a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior |
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| a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system |
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| the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body. |
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| the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages are sent to other neurons or to muscles or glands |
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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 and out of channels in the axon's membrane. |
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| the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse |
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| influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion. excess activity at dopamine receptors has been linked with schizophrenia. |
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| affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal. Prozac and similar antidepressant drugs raise serotonin levels. |
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| helps control alertness and arousal |
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| Gamma-amniobutyric acid (GABA) |
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| serves inhibitory functions and is sometimes implicated in eating and sleep disorders. |
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| works on neurons involved in muscle action, learning, and memory. The neurons that produce this vital chemical messenger deteriorate when a person has Alzheimer's disease. |
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| "morphine within"-- natural, opiatelike transmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure |
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| the body's speedy, electrochemical communication system, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous system. |
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| Central Nervous System (CNS) |
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| the brain and spinal cord |
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| Peripheral nervous system (PNS) |
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| the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body |
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| the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles. |
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| the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the msucles of the internal organs. 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 in stressful situations. |
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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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| brain region controlling the pituitary gland |
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| secretes many different hormones, some of which affect other glands |
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| help regulate the level of calcium in the blood |
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| inner part, called the medulla, helps trigger the "fight or flight" response |
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| regulates the level of sugar in the blood |
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| electroencephalogram (EEG) |
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| 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. |
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| CT (computed tomography) scan |
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| a series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body. |
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| PET (positron emission tomography) scan |
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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 that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within the brain. |
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| the base of the brainstem; controls hearbeat and breathing |
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| the brain's sensory switchboard, 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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| the "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; it helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance. |
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| associated with emotions such as fear and aggression and drives such as those for food and sex. Includes hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus |
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| linked to emotion, are within the limbic system |
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| directs several maintenance activites (eating, drinkng, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion. |
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| essential to memory processing |
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| cells in the nervous system that are not neurons but that support, nourish, and protect neurons. |
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| involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments. |
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| the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and towardd the rear; includes the sensory cortex |
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| visual areas, receive visual information from the opposite visual field. |
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| auditory areas, opposite ears |
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| controls voluntary movements |
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| areas involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking. |
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| an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movmements involved in speech. |
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| involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe. |
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