AP Psychology - Brain/Biology vocabulary.
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| 8255833956 | neuron | a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system |  | 0 |
| 8255833957 | dendrite | the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body |  | 1 |
| 8255833958 | axon | the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands |  | 2 |
| 8255833959 | myelin | a fatty substance that helps insulate neurons and speeds the transmission of nerve impulses |  | 3 |
| 8255833960 | action potential | a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon | 4 | |
| 8255833961 | threshold | the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse | 5 | |
| 8255833962 | synapses | tiny gaps between dentrites and axons of different neurons |  | 6 |
| 8255833963 | neurotransmitters | chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons | 7 | |
| 8255833964 | acetycholine | neurotransmitter associated with voluntary movement, sleep and wakefulness. Too little is associated with Alzheimer's | 8 | |
| 8255833965 | endorphins | natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure |  | 9 |
| 8255833966 | nervous system | the body's speedy, electrochemical communication system, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems | 10 | |
| 8255833967 | central nervous system | brain and spinal cord |  | 11 |
| 8255833968 | peripheral nervous system | the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body |  | 12 |
| 8255833969 | nerves | neural "cables" containing many axons. These bundled axons, which are part of the peripheral nervous system, connect the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs | 13 | |
| 8255833970 | sensory neurons | neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system | 14 | |
| 8255833971 | interneurons | Central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs | 15 | |
| 8255833972 | motor neurons | neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands | 16 | |
| 8255833973 | somatic nervous system | the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles | 17 | |
| 8255833974 | autonomic nervous system | The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms. | 18 | |
| 8255833975 | sympathetic nervous system | the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations | 19 | |
| 8255833976 | parasympathetic nervous system | the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy | 20 | |
| 8255833977 | reflex | a simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response | 21 | |
| 8255833978 | neural networks | interconnected neural cells. With experience, networks can learn, as feedback strengthens or inhibits connections that produce certain results. Computer simulations of neural networks show analogous learning. | 22 | |
| 8255833979 | refractory period | (neurology) the time after a neuron fires or a muscle fiber contracts during which a stimulus will not evoke a response | 23 | |
| 8255833980 | resting potential | electrical charge across the cell membrane of a resting neuron | 24 | |
| 8255833981 | lesions | precise destruction of brain tissue | 25 | |
| 8255833982 | electroencephalogram | 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. |  | 26 |
| 8255833983 | CT scan | a series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body. |  | 27 |
| 8255833984 | PET | using a computerized radiographic technique to examine the metabolic activity in various tissues (especially in the brain) |  | 28 |
| 8255833985 | MRI | 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 |  | 29 |
| 8255833986 | brainstem | The oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions |  | 30 |
| 8255833987 | medulla | the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing |  | 31 |
| 8255833988 | reticular formation | a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal | 32 | |
| 8255833989 | thalamus | 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 |  | 33 |
| 8255833990 | cerebellum | the "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; it helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance |  | 34 |
| 8255833991 | limbic system | 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. | 35 | |
| 8255833992 | amygdala | two almond-shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion | 36 | |
| 8255833993 | hypothalamus | a neural structure lying below the thalamus; directs eating, drinking, body temperature; helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion |  | 37 |
| 8255833994 | cerebral cortex | the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center |  | 38 |
| 8255833995 | glial cells | cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons | 39 | |
| 8255833996 | frontal lobes | the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments |  | 40 |
| 8255833997 | parietal lobes | 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 |  | 41 |
| 8255833998 | occipital lobes | 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 |  | 42 |
| 8255833999 | temporal lobes | 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 |  | 43 |
| 8255834000 | motor cortex | an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements | 44 | |
| 8255834001 | sensory cortex | the area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations | 45 | |
| 8255834002 | association areas | 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 | 46 | |
| 8255834003 | aphasia | impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to wernicke's area (impairing understanding) | 47 | |
| 8255834004 | Broca's area | controls language expression-an area of the frontal, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech |  | 48 |
| 8255834005 | Wernicke's area | controls language reception-a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression;usually in the left temporal lobe |  | 49 |
| 8255834006 | plasticity | 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 | 50 | |
| 8255834007 | corpus callosum | the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them | 51 | |
| 8255834008 | split brain | 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 |  | 52 |
| 8255834009 | endocrine system | the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream |  | 53 |
| 8255834010 | hormones | chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect another | 54 | |
| 8255834011 | adrenal glands | a pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys. the adrenals secrete the hormones epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline), which help to arouse the body in times of stress. | 55 | |
| 8255834012 | pituitary gland | the endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands | 56 | |
| 8255834013 | cerebrum | area of the brain responsible for all voluntary activities of the body | 57 | |
| 8255834014 | hippocampus | a neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage | 58 | |
| 8255834015 | homeostasis | process by which organisms maintain a relatively stable internal environment | 59 | |
| 8255834016 | inhibitory inputs | Information entering a neuron signaling it not to fire. | 60 | |
| 8255834017 | Serotonin | Neurotransmitter controlling mood, hunger, arousal, low levels associated with depression | 61 | |
| 8255834018 | Dopamine | Neurotransmitter regulating the reward center in the brain; regulates movement, alertness, emotional response..too little could lead to Parkinson's disease. | 62 |
