Ch. 5 Foundations of Brain and Behavior (Psy. 202)

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts related to the sensorimotor system, sensory processing, pain perception, and motor control as outlined in the lecture notes.

Receptor potential

Local change in membrane potential in response to stimuli.

Sensory transduction

The conversion of energy from a stimulus into a change in membrane potential in a receptor cell.

Labeled lines

The concept that the brain recognizes the senses as distinct because their action potentials travel along separate nerve tracts.

Pacinian corpuscle

A skin receptor that responds to vibration and pressure.

Meissner’s corpuscles

Receptors that respond to changes in light touch stimuli.

Merkel’s discs

Receptors that respond to edges and isolated points.

Ruffini corpuscles

Receptors that detect stretching of the skin.

Free nerve endings

Receptors in the skin that respond to pain, heat, and cold.

Receptive field

The area within which the presence of a stimulus will alter a sensory neuron’s firing rate.

Sensory adaptation

Progressive decrease in a receptor’s response to sustained stimulation.

Phasic receptors

Receptors that show adaptation to stimuli.

Tonic receptors

Receptors that show little or no adaptation.

Dorsal column system

Delivers touch information from the periphery to the central nervous system.

Thalamus

Part of the brain where information about each sensory modality is sent.

Primary somatosensory cortex (S1)

Receives touch information from the opposite side of the body.

Sensory homunculus

A mapped representation of the body within the primary somatosensory cortex.

Polymodal neurons

Neurons that process input from different sensory systems.

Synesthesia

A condition where stimulation in one modality causes a sensation in another.

Nociceptors

Peripheral receptors that respond to painful stimuli.

Transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1)

A receptor that detects painful heat and binds capsaicin.

Anterolateral or spinothalamic system

Transmits sensations of pain and temperature to the brain.

Gate control theory

Theory that spinal modulation sites control pain signals sent to the brain.

Analgesia

The absence of or reduction in pain.

Opiate drugs

Bind to specific receptors in the brain to reduce pain.

Neuromuscular junction

The synapse where motor neurons release acetylcholine to trigger muscle contraction.

Proprioception

Information about body movements and position.

Muscle spindle

A proprioceptor that responds to stretch in muscles.

Golgi tendon organs

Proprioceptors sensitive to muscle tension.

Pyramidal system

Pathway through which the brain sends commands to muscles via the spinal cord.

Extrapyramidal system

Pathways that lie outside the pyramids in the medulla, regulating motor control.

Basal ganglia

Interconnected nuclei modulating movement amplitude and direction.

Cerebellum

Brain structure that helps fine-tune skilled movements.

Ataxia

Loss of coordination often associated with cerebellar damage.

Parkinson’s disease

A disorder caused by loss of dopaminergic cells, leading to slowed movement and tremors.

Huntington’s disease

A disorder caused by damage to the basal ganglia, resulting in excessive movement.

Motor cortex

Region of the brain responsible for planning and executing movements.

Mirror neurons

Neurons that fire both when making a movement and when observing another perform the same.

Electromyography (EMG)

Technique used to record the electrical activity of muscles.

Reciprocal inhibition

A process where the contraction of one muscle group inhibits the antagonist muscle group.

Synergists

Muscles that work together to achieve movement.

Fast-twitch fibers

Muscle fibers that contract rapidly but fatigue quickly.

Slow-twitch fibers

Muscle fibers that contract slowly but are more resistant to fatigue.

Stretch reflex

An automatic response where sensory information from muscle spindles stimulates muscle contraction.

Corticospinal tract

Axons originating in the primary motor cortex that control voluntary movements.

Acetylcholine (ACh)

The neurotransmitter released at the neuromuscular junction to initiate muscle contraction.

Sensory cortex

Highly organized part of the brain responsible for processing sensory information.

Somatosensory pathway

Pathway that processes touch information from the skin to the brain.

Neuronal receptor cells

Cells that detect and respond to various stimuli.

Stimulus location

Determined by an orderly map-like representation of activated receptors.

Adaptation

The reduction in response to a stimulus after prolonged exposure.

Firing threshold

The critical level of depolarization that must be reached for an action potential to occur.

Substantia nigra

Brain structure involved in movement regulation and affected in Parkinson’s disease.

Cerebral cortex

The outer layer of the brain involved in complex functions such as perception and motor control.

Peripheral nervous system

The part of the nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord.

CNS

Central nervous system, comprising the brain and spinal cord.

Dorsal root ganglia

Clusters of nerve cell bodies in the peripheral nervous system.

Skin receptor

Sensory endings located in the skin that detect various stimuli.

Action potentials

Electrical impulses that travel along neurons.

Sensory modalities

Different types of sensory information that can be detected by the nervous system.