Biological Psychology: The Nervous System and Brain Structures

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering neuron structure, action potentials, neurotransmitters, nervous system divisions, brain imaging techniques, and brain structures based on the lecture transcript.

Dendrite

Branchlike extensions of a neuron that detect and receive incoming messages.

Axon

The extension of a neuron that carries and announces outgoing messages to other neurons or muscles.

Soma

The cell body of a neuron.

Myelin Sheath

A fatty covering surrounding the axon that speeds up neural impulses.

Terminal Buttons

Structures located at the end of an axon that contain neurotransmitters.

Synapse

The microscopic space between adjacent neurons.

Resting Potential

The polarized state of a neuron when it has a slightly negative charge, with potassium ions inside and sodium ions outside.

Action Potential

The neural impulse triggered when enough neurotransmitters reach dendrites and pass the threshold, causing the neuron to fire.

All-or-None Response

The principle stating that a neuron either fires completely or does not fire at all.

Refractory Period

The recovery period following the firing of an action potential, during which a neuron re-establishes its resting charge.

Neurotransmitter

Chemical substances that transmit signals across a synapse from one neuron to another.

Excitatory Neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitters that excite the next cell and increase the likelihood that it will fire.

Inhibitory Neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitters that prevent or stop the next cell from firing.

Acetylcholine (ACH)

A neurotransmitter that deals with motor movement and memory; an excess causes spasms, a deficit causes paralysis, and a lack of ACH is linked to Alzheimer's disease.

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter involved in motor movement, alertness, and pleasure; a lack is linked to Parkinson's disease, whereas an excess is linked to schizophrenia.

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter involved in mood control, appetite, and sleep; a lack of serotonin is linked to clinical depression.

Endorphins

Neurotransmitters involved in pain control; associated with addictive drugs.

Norepinephrine

An adrenaline-related neurotransmitter linked to depression.

GABA

An inhibitory, calming neurotransmitter associated with seizures and sleep problems.

Glutamate

An excitatory neurotransmitter involved in cognitive tasks; linked to migraines and seizures.

Agonist

A substance or drug that mimics a neurotransmitter to make a neuron fire, resulting in full activation.

Antagonist

A substance or drug that blocks a neurotransmitter to stop neural firing, resulting in no activation.

Efferent (Motor) Neurons

Neurons that exit the brain to send instructions to muscles and organs.

Afferent (Sensory) Neurons

Neurons that carry incoming sensory signals toward and at the brain.

Interneurons

Neurons that transmit information internally between sensory inputs and motor outputs, or directly to the brain.

Multiple Sclerosis

A disease caused by the degeneration of the myelin sheath, leading to impaired speed of neural impulses.

Central Nervous System

The core division of the nervous system made up of the brain and spinal cord.

Peripheral Nervous System

The portion of the nervous system consisting of all nerves that are not encased in bone.

Somatic Nervous System

A division of the peripheral nervous system that controls voluntary skeletal muscle movements using motor (efferent) neurons.

Autonomic Nervous System

A division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the self-regulated, automatic functions of internal organs and glands.

Sympathetic Nervous System

A branch of the autonomic nervous system responsible for the fight-or-flight response; it accelerates heart rate and breathing, dilates pupils, and slows down digestion.

Parasympathetic Nervous System

A branch of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body down after a stressful event by slowing heart rate and breathing, constricting pupils, and speeding up digestion.

Reflex

An automatic movement reaction occurring when sensory (afferent) signals reach only the spinal cord rather than traveling up to the brain.

Lesion

The removal or destruction of a specific part of the brain.

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

A tool that detects brain waves via their electrical output, used primarily in sleep research and epilepsy.

Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT Scan)

A 3D X-ray scan useful for locating brain tumors, bleeding, skull fractures, and stroke details, but provides no information about brain function.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

A imaging method using magnetic fields to knock electrons off axis and form detailed pictures of brain tissue damage, disease, inflammation, or tumors.

Functional MRI (fMRI)

A specialized brain scan that displays active blood flow in real-time as the brain functions.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET Scan)

A visual depiction of brain activity that tracks where a radioactive form of glucose travels during tasks.

Hindbrain

Brain structures situated on top of the spinal cord responsible for autonomic functions and sleep.

Midbrain

Brain area responsible for motor movement, audio and visual processing, and housing the limbic system.

Forebrain

Brain region responsible for complex sensory processing and higher-level cognition, incorporating the cerebral cortex.

Limbic System

A doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres linked to emotions (fear, aggression) and drives (food, sex); includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus.

Cerebral Cortex

A dense layer of gray matter covering the cerebral hemispheres that functions as the ultimate control and processing center of the body.

Fissures

The outer wrinkles and folds of the cerebral cortex.

Broca's Area

Brain structure responsible for speech production by controlling speech muscles via the motor cortex.

Broca's Aphasia

A condition characterized by the inability to perform the physical movements required to speak.

Wernicke's Area

Brain region responsible for interpreting auditory codes and understanding spoken language.

Wernicke's Aphasia

A condition in which an individual is unable to comprehend spoken language.

Angular Gyrus

A brain region that transforms visual representations of written words into an auditory code.

Dual Processing

The simultaneous processing of information on separate conscious and subconscious levels.

Brain Plasticity

The capacity of the brain to adapt and reroute neural messages when damaged.

Glial Cells

Cells in the brain that provide support, nourishment, and protection for neurons.

Lateralization

The specialization of function in the left hemisphere (logic, language, sequential tasks) and right hemisphere (spatial, creative, facial recognition).

Corpus Callosum

The central band of nerve fibers that divides and connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres.