AP Psych Unit 1 Vocab

Somatic nervous system

voluntary control of skeletal muscles

autonomic nervous system

The part of the PNS that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs.

sympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body during stress

parasympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

Neurons

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

Dendrite

Branchlike parts of a neuron that are specialized to receive information.

Axon

the neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands

myelin sheath

a fatty tissue layer that encases an axon, insulating them

glial cells

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons

Action impulse

brief electrical charge that travels down axon

refractory period

a period of inactivity after a neuron has fired

terminal buttons

Small knobs at the end of axons that secrete chemicals called neurotransmitters

Acetylcholine (ACh)

A neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also triggers muscle action

Dopamine

influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion

Norepinephrine

helps control alertness and arousal

GABA

An inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain.

Glutamate

A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory

Endorphins

influence the perception of pain or pleasure

Serotonin

Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal

Substance P

A neurotransmitter that is involved in the transmission of pain messages to the brain.

resting potential

Charge is slightly negative, polarized

Action potential

Charge is positive and depolarized

Refractory period

Go back to resting state, positive to negative

Depressants

drugs (such as alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions

Stimulants

Drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine, methamphetamines, cocaine, and Ecstasy) that excite neural activity and speed up body functions.

Ecstacy

Stimulant and hallucinogen that triggers dopamine release and releases stored serotonin and block reuptake

Hallucinogens

psychedelic drugs, such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input

Hindbrain

Contains brainstem structures that direct survival functions

Forebrain

manages complex cognitive activities, sensory and associative functions, and voluntary motor activities

Midbrain

connects hindbrain and forebrain

Thalamus

the brain's sensory control center, receives info from all sense except smell and routes them to brain regions

reticular formation

a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling sleep and arousal

Cerebellum

Enables motor, balance and coordination

limbic system

neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives

Amygdala

Lima bean sized, controls emotions and enables aggression and fear

Hypothalamus

a neural structure lying below the thalamus; directs eating, drinking, body temperature; helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion

pituitary gland

regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands and hormones

Hippocampus

A neural center located in the limbic system that helps process memories. Without it, lose ability to form new memories

frontal lobe

associated with reasoning, planning, parts of speech, movement, emotions, and problem solving

parietal lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex whose functions include processing information about touch.

occipital lobe

visual processing

temporal lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex responsible for hearing and language.

corpus callosum

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

somatosensory cortex

area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

Medulla

controls heartbeat and breathing

Broca's area

Controls speech- an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.

Werenicke's area

controls language reception - a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe