AP Psych Test 2

Action Potential

A brief electrical signal that travels down a neuron

Resting Potential

The neurons normal resting electrical state

Ecstasy

A drug that increases serotonin, energy, and feelings of euphoria/closeness.

Threshold

The minimum stimulation need to trigger action potential

Melatonin

A hormone that helps regulate sleep

LSD

A hallucinogenic drug that causes altered perceptions/sensory experiences

Hormones

Chemical messengers released into the bloodstream

Multiple Sclerosis

A disease that damages the myelin around neurons

Opioids

Drugs that reduce pain and can cause euphoria

Addiction

A strong difficult to control need for a substance.

Reuptake

The neuron reabsorbs neurotransmitters after sending them

Tolerance

Needing more of a drug to get the same effect after repeated use

Agonist

A chemical that increases a neurotransmitters effect

Excitatory Neurotransmitters

A chemical that makes a neuron more likely to fire

Acetylcholine

A neurotransmitter important for muscle contraction and memory

Marijuana

A drug that can alter mood, perception, and coordination

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter involved in reward, movement, and pleasure

Ghrelin

A hormone that stimulates hunger

Depressant

Type of drug that slows down brain activity/bodily function

Withdrawal

Unpleasant symptoms when stopping an addictive drug

Stimulants

Drugs that increase ns activity, alertness, and energy

Caffeine

Stimulant in coffee, tea, soda etc

Antagonist

A chemical that blocks/reduces a neurotransmitters effect

All or Nothing Principle

Principle stating a neuron fires completely or not at all

Refractory Period

A brief time when the neuron cannot fire again

Endocrine System

The body system that releases hormones into the bloodstream

Methamphetamines

Powerful stimulant, causes energy, euphoria, aggression

Endorphins

Natural painkillers, boost euphoria

Myasthenia Gravis

A disease causing muscle weakness/fatigue

Substance P

A neurotransmitter involved in pain perception

Adrenaline

A hormone that increases energy/alertness during stress

Inhibitory Neurotransmitters

Chemicals decreasing the likelihood of a neuron firing

GABA

A neurotransmitter that slows brain activity

Depolarization

When a neuron becomes less negative when sodium rushes in

Substance Use Disorder

A pattern of harmful difficult to control substance use

Cocaine

A stimulant that produces intense euphoria

Reuptake Inhibitor

A drug that blocks neurotransmitters from being taken back up

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that send signals between neurons

Hallucinogens

Drugs that distort perception and sensory experiences

Oxytocin

Hormone linked with trust, bonding, connection

Alcohol

A depressant, slows brain activity/impairs judgement

Glutamate

Excitatory neurotransmitter that helps with learning/memory

Heroine

Narcotic drug, made from morphine, highly addictive

Leptin

A hormone that signals fullness/satiety and regulates appetite

Serotonin

Neurotransmitter involved with mood, hunger, and sleep

Psychoactive Drugs

Drugs that change mood, perception, or behavior

Norepinephrine

A neurotransmitter that increases alertness/arousal

Brain Plasticity (Neuroplasticity)

Brains ability to change and reorganize itself

Frontal Lobe

Lobe involved in reasoining, planning, movement, and problem solving

Pituitary Gland

Controls growth and hormone release from other glands

Cerebellum

Little brain, controls balance, poasture, and movement

Somatosensory Cortex

Strip of the parietal lobe, registers touch, pressure, pain and temp

Aphasia

Language disorder caused by damage to brain areas involved in speech.

Hypothalamus

Structure below the thalamus, regulates hunger, thirst, body temp. Also links nervous system to endocrine system.

Corpus Callosum

Bundle of nerve fibers that connect the brain hemispheres.

Temporal Lobe

Lobe that processes hearing, language, and memory

Cortex Specialization

Idea that different parts of the brain have specialized functions

Brocas Area

Area of frontal lobe responsible for speech production

Medulla Oblongata

Strucure at the base of the brainstem, regulates heartbeat, breathing etc.

Cerebral Cortex

Thin wrinkled layer of the brain, responsible for higher level thinking, memory, and awareness

Hippocampus

Brain structure responsible for forming/storing new memories

Prefrontal Cortex

Very front part of the frontal lobe associated with decision making, judgement, and personality

Occipital Lobe

Lobe at the back of the brain, processes visual info

Motor Cortex

Strip of frontal lobe, controls voluntary movement

Wernickes Area

Area of left temp. lobe, responsible for language comprehension

Brain Stem

Part of the brain at the base of the skull, connects to spinal cord, controls automatic survival functions

Amygdala

Almond shaped strucutre, linked with emotion (fear and aggression)

Limbic System

Set of brain structures, involved in emotion, motivation, and memory

EEG

Recording of brains electrical activity

Parietal Lobe

Lobe at the top of the brain, involved in processig sensory info (touch/spatial awareness)

Reticular Activating System (Reticular Formation)

Network of neurons running through the brainstem, controls arousal/alertness/attention

Thalamus

Brains sensory switchboard, relays info from senses to the brain

Jet Lag

Disruption of the bodys natural rhytms, caused by rapid travel across time zones

Cousciousness

Our awareness of ourselves/our environment

Contralateral Hemispheric Organization

The principle that left hemi controls right side of the body and vice versa.

Lesion

Intentional or accidental destruction of brain tissue to study the effects

Narcolepsy

A sleep disorder, involves uncontrollable sleep attacks

CT

Scan that uses x-rays to produce pictures of the brains structure

PET

Brain imaging techniques that show brain activity by detecting where radioactive glucose is used

Insomnia

A recurring problem in falling or staying alseep

Forebrain

Largest and most complex brain region, responsible for higher order thinking

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

Rare sleep disorder, person physically acts out vivid dreams during REM

fMRI

Brain imaging technique that detects change in blood flow

Midbrain

Area of the brain that integrates sensory infomation/helps relay info to higher brain centers

Sleep

Natural, reversible loss of consciousess

Consolidation Tbeory

The theory that sleep helps strengthen nerual connections and stabilize newly formed memories

EEG Patterns

The different brain wave patterns measure by an EEG

MEG

Noninvasive brain measurement technique, records magnetic fields produced by neural activity

Somnambulism

Walking or performing other activities while asleep

Hypnagogic Sensations

Brief, sensory experiences that occur during the transition to sleep (falling/floating)

Circadian Rhythm

The internal biological clock that regulates bodily rhythms on a 24 hr cycle

Sequential Processing

Processing one aspect of a stimulus or problem at a time, used for new or complex tasks

MRI

Brain imaging technique, uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce high resolution images of brain strucuture

SCN (suprachiasmatic nucleus)

A pair of cell clusters in the hypthalamus that control circadian rhythm by responding to light cues

REM

Recurring sleep stages, characterized by rapid eye movement, vivid dreams, etc

REM Rebound

The tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM deprivation

Parallel Processing

Processing many aspects of a stimulus or problem at the same time

Hindbrain

Lower part of brainstem, controls basic life sustaining fuctions

Sleep Apnea

Sleep disorder characterized by repeated stopping and starting of breathing during sleep

NREM

Stage of sleep without rapid eye movement, associated with slow breath and reduced awareness