AP Psychology - Brain/Biology vocabulary.
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| 517565071 | biological psychology | a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior | |
| 517565072 | neuron | a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system | |
| 517565073 | dendrite | the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body | |
| 517565074 | axon | the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands | |
| 517565075 | myelin | a fatty substance that helps insulate neurons and speeds the transmission of nerve impulses | |
| 517565076 | action potential | a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon | |
| 517565077 | threshold | the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse | |
| 517565078 | synapses | tiny gaps between dentrites and axons of different neurons | |
| 517565079 | neurotransmitters | chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons | |
| 517565080 | acetycholine | neurotransmitter associated with voluntary movement, sleep and wakefulness. Too little is associated with Alzheimer's | |
| 517565081 | endorphins | natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure | |
| 517565082 | nervous system | the body's speedy, electrochemical communication system, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems | |
| 517565083 | central nervous system | brain and spinal cord | |
| 517565084 | peripheral nervous system | the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body | |
| 517565085 | 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 | |
| 517565086 | sensory neurons | neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system | |
| 517565087 | interneurons | Central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs | |
| 517565088 | motor neurons | neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands | |
| 517565089 | somatic nervous system | the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles | |
| 517565090 | 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. | |
| 517565091 | sympathetic nervous system | the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations | |
| 517565092 | parasympathetic nervous system | the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy | |
| 517565093 | reflex | a simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response | |
| 517565094 | 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. | |
| 517565095 | refractory period | (neurology) the time after a neuron fires or a muscle fiber contracts during which a stimulus will not evoke a response | |
| 517565096 | resting potential | electrical charge across the cell membrane of a resting neuron | |
| 517565097 | lesions | precise destruction of brain tissue | |
| 517565098 | 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. | |
| 517565099 | 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. | |
| 517565100 | PET | using a computerized radiographic technique to examine the metabolic activity in various tissues (especially in the brain) | |
| 517565101 | 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 | |
| 517565102 | 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 | |
| 517565103 | medulla | the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing | |
| 517565104 | reticular formation | a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal | |
| 517565105 | 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 | |
| 517565106 | cerebellum | the "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; it helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance | |
| 517565107 | 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. | |
| 517565108 | amygdala | two almond-shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion | |
| 517565109 | 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 | |
| 517565110 | cerebral cortex | the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center | |
| 517565111 | glial cells | cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons | |
| 517565112 | 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 | |
| 517565113 | 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 | |
| 517565114 | 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 | |
| 517565115 | 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 | |
| 517565116 | motor cortex | an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements | |
| 517565117 | sensory cortex | the area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations | |
| 517565118 | 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 | |
| 517565119 | aphasia | impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to wernicke's area (impairing understanding) | |
| 517565120 | Broca's area | controls language expression-an aread of the frontal, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech | |
| 517565121 | Wernicke's area | controls language reception-a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression;usually in the left temporal lobe | |
| 517565122 | 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 | |
| 517565123 | corpus callosum | the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them | |
| 517565124 | 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 | |
| 517565125 | endocrine system | the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream | |
| 517565126 | hormones | chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect another | |
| 517565127 | 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. | |
| 517565128 | pituitary gland | the endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands | |
| 517565129 | cerebrum | area of the brain responsible for all voluntary activities of the body | |
| 517565130 | hippocampus | a neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage | |
| 517565131 | homeostasis | process by which organisms maintain a relatively stable internal environment | |
| 517565132 | inhibitory inputs | Information entering a neuron signaling it not to fire. |
