AP Psych. Unit 2- Biological Influences- Chapter 2

90088998	Biological Psychology	A branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior.
90088999	Neuron	A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system.
90089000	Dendrite	The bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.
90089001	Axon	The extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands.
90089002	Myelin Sheath	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.
90089003	Action Potential	A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. It is generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axon's membrane.
90089004	Threshold	The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse.
90089005	Synapse	The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron.
90089006	Neurotransmitters	Chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons. Travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on receiving neurons.
90089007	Acetylcholine (ACh)	A neurotransmitter that, among its functions, triggers muscle contraction.
90089008	Dopamine	Influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion.
90089009	Serotonin	Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal.
90089010	Norepinephrine	Helps control alertness and arousal.
90089011	GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid)	A major inhibitory neurotransmitter.
90089012	Glutamate	A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory.
90089013	Endorphins	"Morphine within"; natural, opiate like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure.
90089014	Nervous System	The body's speedy, electrochemical communication system, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems.
90089015	Central Nervous System (CNS)	The brain and spinal cord.
90089016	Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)	The sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body.
90089017	Nerves	Neural "cables" containing many axons. These bundled axons, which are part of the PNS, connect the CNS with muscles, glands, and sensory organs.
90089018	Sensory Neurons	Neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the CNS.
90089019	Interneurons	CNS neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.
90089020	Motor Neurons	Neurons that carry outgoing information from the CNS to the muscles and glands.
90089021	Somatic Nervous System	The division of the PNS that controls the body's skeletal muscles.
90089022	Autonomic Nervous System	The part of the PNS that controls the glands and muscles of the body's internal organs.
90089023	Sympathetic Nervous System	The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations.
90089024	Parasympathetic Nervous System	The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving it's energy.
90089025	Reflexes	A simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response.
90089026	Neural Networks	Interconnected neural cells. With experience, they can learn, as feedback strengthens or inhibits connections that produce certain results.
90089027	Lesion	Tissue destruction. A naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue.
90089028	Electroencephalogram (EEG)	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.
90089029	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. Also called a CAT Scan.
90089030	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.
90089031	MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)	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.
90089032	Brainstem	The oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; it's responsible for automatic survival functions.
90089033	Medulla	The base of the brainstem; controlls heartbeat and breathing.
90089034	Reticular Formation	A nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal.
90089035	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.
90089036	Cerebellum	The "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; it helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance.
90089037	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.
90089038	Amygdala	Two almond shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion.
90089039	Hypothalamus	A neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, temperature), helps govern the endocrine system and is linked to emotion.
90089040	Cerebral Cortex	The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center.
90089041	Glial Cells	Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons.
90089042	Frontal Lobe	The portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; it's involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments.
90089043	Parietal Lobe	The portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and towards the rear; includes the sensory cortex.
90089044	Occipital Lobe	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.
90089045	Temporal Lobe	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.
90089046	Motor Cortex	An area at the rear of the frontal lobe that controls voluntary movements.
90089047	Sensory Cortex	The area at the front of the parietal lobe that registers and processes body sensations.
90089048	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.
90089049	Aphasia	Impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's Area or Wernicke's Area.
90089050	Broca's Area	Controls language expression- an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.
90160013	Wernicke's Area	Controls language reception- A brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe.
90160014	Plasticity	The brain's capacity for modification, as is evident in brain reorganization following damage and in experiments on the effects of experience on brain development.
90160015	Corpus Collosum	The large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them.
90160016	Split Brain	A condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the corpus collosum.
90160017	Endocrine System	The body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the blood stream.
90160018	Hormones	Chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect another.
90160019	Adrenal Glands	A pair of endocrine glands just above the kidney's. They secrete the hormones epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline), which help to arouse the body in times of stress.
90160020	Pituitary Gland	The endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, it regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.