Biological Bases of Psychology

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering fundamental concepts in the biological bases of psychology, including brain structures, nervous system divisions, synaptic transmission, neuroplasticity, and neuropsychological syndromes.

Mind

The set of mental processes that enable thinking, feeling, remembering, learning, imagining, and making decisions.

Brain

The central nervous system organ that processes information and participates in thought, emotions, memory, and bodily control.

Biological Bases of Psychology

The study of how the brain, nervous system, genes, and other biological processes influence behavior and mental processes.

Consciousness

The ability to be aware of oneself and the environment, as well as to experience thoughts, sensations, and emotions.

Self-Awareness

A primary component of consciousness that involves recognizing one's own thoughts, emotions, and actions.

Behavioral Genetics

The discipline that studies how genetic and environmental differences contribute to differences in behavior and psychological characteristics among individuals.

Gene

A segment of DNA that contributes to a biological function or to the production of a functional product.

Heritability

A statistical measure estimating the proportion of observed differences in a trait, within a specific population and environment, that is attributable to genetic differences.

Natural Selection

An evolutionary process whereby heritable traits that favor survival and reproduction become more frequent across successive generations.

Adaptation

A characteristic that contributes to responding effectively to specific environmental conditions.

Cerebral Cortex

The outer layer of the brain, composed primarily of gray matter and organized into specialized areas that process sensory information, control voluntary movement, and mediate higher cognitive functions.

Neocortex

The type of cerebral cortex typically organized into six cellular layers, involved in sensory, motor, and complex cognitive functions.

Allocortex

The type of cerebral cortex characterized by fewer than six layers, including regions such as parts of the hippocampal formation.

Occipital Lobe

The posterior lobe of the brain whose primary function is visual processing, including the recognition of shapes, colors, and visual motion.

Parietal Lobe

The lobe located superiorly and posteriorly, behind the frontal lobe, responsible for processing bodily sensations (touch, temperature, pain, proprioception) and spatial orientation.

Temporal Lobe

The lobe located on the sides of the brain near the ears, involved in auditory processing, memory, language comprehension, and object and facial recognition.

Frontal Lobe

The anterior lobe of the brain responsible for planning, reasoning, decision-making, impulse control, and voluntary motor execution.

Prefrontal Cortex

A frontal lobe structure that participates in behavioral regulation, executive functions, planning, and impulse control.

Neural Plate

The initial structure in nervous system development that forms from the embryonic ectoderm.

Neural Tube

The embryonic structure formed through the folding and closure of the neural plate, which gives rise to the central nervous system.

Synaptogenesis

The developmental stage characterized by the formation of functional synaptic connections between neurons.

Myelination

The formation of a myelin sheath around specific axons, which increases the velocity of nerve impulse transmission.

Central Nervous System (CNS)

The division of the nervous system consisting of the brain (encephalon) and the spinal cord, protected by the cranium, vertebral column, meninges, and cerebrospinal fluid.

Somatic Nervous System

The subdivision of the peripheral nervous system that transmits sensory information and controls skeletal muscles.

Autonomic Nervous System

The subdivision of the peripheral nervous system that regulates involuntary bodily functions, including internal organs and glands.

Sympathetic Nervous System

The branch of the autonomic nervous system that prepares the body to respond to alert or high-demand situations.

Parasympathetic Nervous System

The branch of the autonomic nervous system that promotes rest, digestion, and bodily recovery.

Enteric Nervous System

The branch of the autonomic nervous system that regulates a significant portion of gastrointestinal tract functions.

Axon Hillock

The specialized conical region of a neuron connecting the soma to the axon where action potentials are typically initiated.

Nodes of Ranvier

Periodic unmyelinated gaps along an axon that allow saltatory conduction of the action potential.

Interneurons

Neurons that connect other neurons and participate in the local processing and integration of information.

Astrocytes

Glial cells that maintain the local chemical environment and provide metabolic and structural support to neurons.

Oligodendrocytes

Glial cells responsible for forming and maintaining myelin around axons within the central nervous system.

Schwann Cells

Glial cells that produce myelin in the peripheral nervous system and support the repair of specific damaged axons.

Microglia

Glial cells that provide immune defense within the nervous system and remove cellular debris through phagocytosis.

Ependymal Cells

Glial cells that line the ventricles and cavities of the central nervous system and participate in cerebrospinal fluid dynamics.

Action Potential

A rapid, transient reversal of membrane potential that propagates along an axon to transmit an electrical signal.

Mirror Neurons

Neurons that fire both when performing a motor action and when observing another individual executing a similar action, implicated in observational learning and imitation.

Chemical Synapse

A functional junction where communication occurs via neurotransmitters released across the synaptic cleft to bind to postsynaptic receptors.

Electrical Synapse

A direct junction between cells mediated by gap junctions, permitting ionic current flow for rapid, synchronous signal transmission without chemical messengers.

Synaptic Excitation

A postsynaptic change that increases the probability that the receiving cell will fire an action potential.

Synaptic Inhibition

A postsynaptic change that decreases the probability that the receiving cell will fire an action potential.

Brain Plasticity

The capacity of the nervous system to modify its structure, connections, and function in response to learning, experience, environment, or injury.

Synaptic Plasticity

The specific ability of synaptic connections to strengthen or weaken their transmission efficacy in response to patterns of neural activity.

Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)

A persistent strengthening of synaptic efficacy following high-frequency activity, serving as a primary cellular mechanism for learning and memory.

Long-Term Depression (LTD)

A long-lasting reduction in the efficacy of synaptic transmission following specific patterns of low-frequency activation.

Structural Plasticity

A category of neuroplasticity involving physical anatomical alterations of circuits, such as the formation or pruning of synapses.

Functional Plasticity

A form of plasticity wherein the distribution or performance of specific functions shifts across neural circuits, such as after brain damage.

Compensatory Plasticity

A plasticity process aimed at compensating for an impaired capacity by training and utilizing intact neural circuits.

Aphasia

An impairment in the production or comprehension of spoken or written language caused by brain damage.

Amnesia

A significant neuropsychological deficit characterized by difficulty in forming new memories or retrieving previously consolidated ones.

Agnosia

An inability to recognize or identify sensory stimuli through a specific modality, despite intact primary sensory reception.

Apraxia

An inability to execute learned, purposeful movements that is not due to primary motor weakness, sensory loss, or comprehension deficits.

Spatial Neglect

A condition causing a failure to attend to or respond to stimuli in a portion of space, most commonly on the side opposite (contralateral) to the brain lesion.

Dysexecutive Syndrome

A collection of cognitive and behavioral deficits involving impairments in planning, organizing, impulse control, and cognitive flexibility.

Neural Degeneration

The progressive deterioration or breakdown of a neuron, its axon, or its synaptic connections following pathological damage or trauma.

Neural Regeneration

The regrowth or functional repair of damaged nerve cells or axons, highly restricted in the CNS but feasible in favorable PNS environments.

Neural Reorganization

The adaptive adjustment or remodeling of connections and functions within neural networks following injury.