Ap psych - biology

all about that bio

neurons

nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

cell body

the part of a neuron that contains the nucleus; the cell’s life support center and interprets info from dendrites

dendrite

a neuron’s often bushy, branching extensions that receive and integrate messages from the synaptic gap, conducting impulses towards the cell body

axon

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

myelin sheath

a fatty tissue layer encasing the axons of some neurons: enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one mode to the next

glial cells

cell in the neurons system that support, nourish, and protect neuron; they also play a rote in learning, thinking, and memory

action potential

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

threshold

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

refractory period

brief period of rest that occurs after a neuron has fired; subsequent, action potentials cannot occur until the axon returns to its resting state

all-or-none response

neurons reaction of either firing or not firing

synapse

junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron, the tiny gap at the junction is called the synaptic hap or synaptic cleft

neurotransmitters

chemical messages that cross the synapse gaps between neurons. When released by the spending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse

reputake

a neurotransmitter’s re-absorption by the sending neuron

endorphins function

relieve pain and elevate mood

endorphins malfunction

OCD, depression, insomnia

antagonist

molecule that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter’s action

agonist

a molecule that increases a neurotransmitter's action

Glutamate function

excitatory and memory 

glutamate malfunction

oversupply- migraine and seizures

GABA function 

inhibitory

GABA malfunction

insomnia, seizures, tremors

dopamine function

motor movement and reward motivated behavior, arousal 

dopamine malfunction

oversupply -schizophrenia, undersupply - parkinson

norepinephrine and epinephrine function

function fight, flight, or freeze, arousal and alertness

norepinephrine and epinephrine malfunction

undersupply depression (not major)

serotonin function

mood control, hunger, arousal, sleep 

serotonin malfunctions

major depression (undersupply)

Acetylcholine function

movement and memories

Acetylcholine malfunctions

lack of this link to alzheimer's disease

terminal buttons

neurotransmitters are released from these into the synaptic gap

neuron system

the bod’s speedy, elector chemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central neurons system

sensory

take info from the senses to the brain

interneurons

take messages from sensory neurons to other parts of the brain or to motor neurons

motor neurons

take information from brain to the rest of the body

central nervous system

brain and spinal cord

peripheral nervous system

sensory and motor neurons that connect central nervous system to rest

automatic function

self-regulated action of internal organs and glands

somatic function

controls voluntary movement of skeletal muscles

somatic function

controls voluntary movement of skeletal muscles

sympathetic function

arousing

parasympathetic function

calming

peripheral two branches

automatic and somatic

automatic two branches

sympathetic and parasympathetic

reflexes

a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus such as the knee-jerk response

endocrine system

the body’s “slow” chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream

Hormones

messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, affect other tissues

pituitary gland

the endocrine system's most influential gland. under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary release growth and controls other endocrine glands

thyroid gland

affect metabolism among other things

parathyroid gland

help regulate the level of calcium in the blood

adrenal

pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress

pancreas

regulates the level of sugar in the blood

testes

secretes male sex hormone

ovaries

secretes female sex hormone

Pet scan

a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task

MRI

uses magnetic field and radio waves to produce computer - generated images of soft tissue MRI scans show brain anatomy

FMRI

revealing blood flow and therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. FMRI scans show brain function as well as structure

CT

x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combines by computer into a composed representation of a slice of the brain’s structure

EEG

recording of waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain's surface. these waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp

MEG

a brain imaging technique that measures magnetic fields from the brain’s natural electrical activity

brain stem

oldest part and central core of the brain, responsible for automatic survival function

medulla

base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

thalamus

brain's sensory control center located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortez and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

cerebellum

“little brian” processing sensory input, coordinating movement output and balance and enabling nonverbal learning and memory

hypothalamus

body temp., hunger, thirst, sexual arousal, endocrine system

limbic system

neural system located below the cerebellum hemispheres: associated w/ emotion and drives (amygdala, hypothalamus and hippocampus + pituitary gland)

amygdala

two lima-bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system: linked to emotion

hypothalamus

directs several maintenance activity helps govern endocrine system + linked to emotion and reward

hippocampus

helps process for storage explicit (conscious) memory of facts and events

reticular formation

nerve network that travels through the brainstem into the thalamus and plays an important role in controlling arousal

cerebral cortex

intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres: the body’s ultimate control and information - processing center

association areas

involved in higher mental functioning such as learning, remembering, thinking and speaking

frontal lobes

just behind forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements

parietal lobes

top of head and towards rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position

occipital lobes

back of head, includes areas that receive info from visual fields

temporal lobes

above ears: auditory areas, each receiving info. Primarily from the opposite ear

mortar cortex

area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

somatosensory cortex

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

plasticity

brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

neurogenesis

the formation of new neurons

corpus callosum

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

split brain

condition resulting in surgery that isolates the brain’s two hemispheres by cutting the fibers connecting them

conscousness

our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment

cognitive neuroscience

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked w/ cognition (perception, thinking, memory and language)

dual processing

principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks

blindsight

condition in which a person can respond to a neural stimulus without consciously experiencing it

parallel processing

processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain’s natural mode of info. processing for many functions

sequential processing

processing one aspect of a problem at a time; generally used to process new information or to solve difficult problems

behavior genetics

study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior

heredity

genetic transfer of character from parents to offspring

environment

no-genetics influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us

chromosomes

threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain genes

DNA

complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes

genes

biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes: segments of DNA capable of synthesizing proteins

genome

complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism’s chromosomes

identical twins

develop from a single fertilized egg that split in two, creating two genetically identical organisms

fraternal twins

develop from a separate fertilized egg. they are genetically no closer than ordinary brothers and sisters, but they share a prenatal environment

heritability

proportion of variation among individuals in a group that we can attribute to genes. The heritability of a trait may vary, developing on the range of populations and environments studies

interact

interplay that occurs when the effects of one factor, such as environment, depends on another factor, such as heredity

molecular genetics

studies the molecular structure and function of genes

epigenetics

study of environmental influence on gene expression that occur without a DNA Change