MRs. Maynard's AP Psychology Class- Chapter 2 Neuroscience and Behavior Flashcards

8040670	Biological Psychology	A branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior	0
8040671	Neuron	A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system	1
8040672	Dendrite	The bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body	2
8040673	Axon	The extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages are sent to other neurons or to muscles or glands	3
8040674	Myelin Sheath	A layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables a greater speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next	4
8040675	Action Potential	A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon, and is generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axon's membrane	5
8040676	Threshold	The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse	6
8040677	Synapse	The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron	7
8042323	Synaptic Gap	The tiny gap at the junction between the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron	8
8042324	Neurotransmitters	Chemical messengers that transverse the synaptic gaps betwen neurons, after being released they travel across the synapse and bind receptor sites on the receiving neuron	9
8042325	Acetylcholine	A neurotransmitter that among its fuctions, triggers muscle contraction	10
8042326	Endorphins	natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure	11
8042327	Nervous System	The body's speedy electrochemical communication system, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems	12
8042328	Central Nervous System	The brain and spinal cord	13
8042329	Peripheral Nervous System	The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body	14
8042330	Nerves	neural "cables" containing many axons, that connect the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs	15
8042331	Sensory Neurons	Neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system	16
8042332	Interneurons	Central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory imputs and motor outputs	17
8042333	Motor Neurons	The neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands	18
8042334	Somatic Nervous System	The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles	19
8042335	Autonomic Nervous System	The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs	20
8042336	Sympathetic Nervous System	The divison of the autonomic nervous system that aroused the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations	21
8042337	Parasympathetic Nervous System	The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy	22
8042338	Reflex	A simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response	23
8042339	Neural Networks	Interconnected neural cells that, with experience can learn as feedback strengthens or inhibits connections that produce certain results	24
8042340	Lesion	Tissue destruction	25
8042341	Electroencephalogram (EEG)	An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweeps across the brain's surface, which are measured by electrodes placers on the scalp	26
8042342	CT(computed tomography) 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 (CAT Scan)	27
8042343	PET(positron emission tomography) Scan	A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task	28
8042344	MRI(magnetic resonance imaging)	A technigue that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue	29
8042345	Brainstem	The oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells and enters the skull, and it is responsible for automatic survival functions	30
8042346	Medulla	The base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing	31
8042347	Reticular Formation	A nerve network in the brainstem that plays and important role in controlling arousal	32
8042348	Thalamus	The brain's sensory switchboard, located on the top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla	33
8042349	Cerebellum	The "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; it helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance	34
8042350	Limbic System	A doughnut-shapes system of neural structures at the bored of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions like fear and aggress	35
8042351	Cerebral Cortex	The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center	36
8042352	Glial Cells	Cells in the nervous system that are not neurons but that support, nourish, and protect neurons	37
8042353	Frontal Lobes	The portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements	38
8042354	Parietal Lobes	The portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; includes the sensory cortex	39
8042355	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	40
8042356	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	41
8042357	Motor Cortex	An area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements	42
8042358	Sensory Cortex	The area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body sensations	43
8042359	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 learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking	44
8042360	Aphasia	Impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area or to Wernicke's area	45
8042361	Broca's Area	An area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech	46
8042362	Wernicke's Area	A brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe	47
8042363	Plasticity	The brain's capacity for modification, as evident in brain reorganization following damage and in experiments on the effects of brain development	48
8042364	Corpus Callosum	The large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them	49
8042365	Split Brain	A condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connected fibers between them	50
8042366	Endocrine System	The body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream	51
8042367	Hormones	Chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect another	52
8042368	Adrenal Glands	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	53
8042369	Pituitary Gland	The endocrine system's most influential gland; under the influence of the hypothalamus, it regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands	54
8042370	Amygdala	Two almond-shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion	55
8042371	Hypothalamus	A neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities, helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion	56