Terms : Hide Images
| a branch of psych concerned with the links between biology and behavior | ||
| a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system | ||
| neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord | ||
| neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands | ||
| neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs | ||
| the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body | ||
| the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands | ||
| 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 | ||
| a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon | ||
| the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse | ||
| 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 | ||
| chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, _______ travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse | ||
| a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron | ||
| "morphine within"- natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure | ||
| the body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems | ||
| the brain and spinal cord | ||
| the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body | ||
| bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs | ||
| the division of the PNS that controls the body's skeletal muscles. AKA skeletal nervous system | ||
| the part of the PNS that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms. | ||
| the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations | ||
| the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy | ||
| a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus | ||
| the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream | ||
| chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues | ||
| a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress | ||
| the endocrine system's most influential gland under the influence of the hypothalamus, the ______ regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands. | ||
| tissue destruction; a brain ____ is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue. | ||
| 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 | ||
| a series of x- ray photographs taken drom different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body; aka CAT scan | ||
| a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task | ||
| a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer generated images of soft tissue. _____scans show brain anatomy. | ||
| a technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. ______scans show brain function | ||
| the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the ________ is responsible for automatic survival functions | ||
| the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing | ||
| a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important tole in controlling arousal | ||
| 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 | ||
| the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance | ||
| doughnut- shaped neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives | ||
| two lima bean- sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion | ||
| a neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temp), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward | ||
| the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information- processing center | ||
| cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons | ||
| portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements | ||
| portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position | ||
| portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields | ||
| portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear | ||
| an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements | ||
| area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations | ||
| 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 | ||
| impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke's area (impairing understanding) | ||
| controls language expression; an area, usually in the left frontal lobe, that directs the muscle movement involved in speech | ||
| controls language reception; a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe | ||
| the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience | ||
| the formation of new neurons | ||
| the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them | ||
| a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly those of the corpus collosum) connecting them | ||
| our awareness of ourselves and our environment | ||
| the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language). | ||
| the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks | ||
| a popular, but ill- fated, theory that claimed bumps on the skull could reveal our mental abilities and our character traits | ||
| part of biological, psychological, and social- cultural systems | ||
| hormones that increase heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar | ||
| cell's life support system | ||
| the messenger at every junction between a motor neuron and skeletal muscle in addition to its role in memory and learning; one of the best understood neurotransmitters | ||
| an opiate drug that elevates mood and eases pain | ||
| may be similar enough to a neurotransmitter to bind to its receptor and mimic its effects | ||
| some are agonists and produce a temporary "high" by amplifying normal sensations of arousal or pleasure | ||
| bind to receptors; their effect is to block a neurotransmitter's functioning | ||
| occupies and blocks ACh receptor sites, leaving the neurotransmitter unable to affect the muscles | ||
| clustered work groups of the brain's neurons | ||
| an information highway connecting the peripheral nervous system to the brain |
