psychology unit 2

hypothalamus

controls pituitary (master) gland; monitors blood chemistry, controls motivated behaviors; LIMBIC SYSTEM

pituitary gland

controls all other glands; releases hormones

pineal gland

controls sleep and wake patterns

thyroid gland

located near the base of the neck; controls metabolism

adrenal gland

either pair of complex endocrine glands situated near the kidney; releases adrenaline

pancreas

a large elongated exocrine gland located behind the stomach; secretes pancreatic juice and insulin; regulates sugar in the blood

ovary

female sex hormones

testes

male sex hormones

dendrite

short fiber that conducts toward the cell body of the neuron; stimulated into activity

axon

long nerve fiber that conducts away from the cell body of the neuron; the path of electrical impulse

myelin sheath

fatty tissue that insulates the axon; speeds electrical impulse

axon terminal

end of neuron; releases NT into synapse

synapse

the junction between two neurons or between a neuron and a muscle; tiny gaps between dendrites and axon terminals

vesicle

tiny, spherical packets with an axon terminal that contain high levels of NT; located in the axon terminal

cell body/soma

contains the nucleus

endorphin

blocks pain

dopamine

releases pleasure and rewarding sensations

norepinepherine

regulates stress and blood pressure; promotes alertness; depression

epinephrine

high stress situations; fight or flight; epi-pen

acetylcholine (ACH)

contracts muscles, memory, and learning; alzheimers

serotonin

regulates mood, hunger, and sleep

GABA

helps you relax

glutamate

thinking, learning, and memory; need just the right amount

medulla oblongata

lower or hindmost part of the brain; continuous with spinal cord; life sustaining functions

pons

facial movements; left to right side of the brain

reticular formation

within medulla and pons; controls arousal, alertness, and wakefulness

cerebellum

rear of the brain stem; coordinates voluntary movement, balance, non verbal learning and memory

thalamus

top of brainstem; receives info from all senses except smell; the info goes to cerebellum and medulla

amygdala

top of brainstem; influences aggression and fear; activated by emotions

hippocampus

top pf brainstem; keeps track of memories

occipital lobe

very back of the skull towards the bottom; vision center

parietal lobe

top rear area of the skull; sensory cortex (sense of touch)

temporal lobe

side area, by the temples; earing

frontal lobe

front area, speaking and motor activities, planning, judging, problem solving

corpus callosum

connects the hemispheres

left hemisphere

controls the right side of the body; math and logic

right hemisphere

controls the left side of the body; creativity, music, art

aphasia

loss of impairment to understand language or express oneself through language due to injury or illness

types of neurons

sensory (afferent)
motor (efferent)

interneurons

communicate and intervene between sensory inputs and motor outputs; billions of these

reflex

an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus; occurs at spinal cord; message doesn't travel to the brain for it to happen

glial cell

not considered neuron but they do a lot to support the neuron; ex) myelin sheath

neural communication

neurons are either excited or inhibited (all or nothing)

"excited neuron"

action potential traveled down the axon and is propagated by the opening and closing of sodium, and potassium "gates"

CT

head traumas and fractures; x-ray photos

PET

emission; active/inactive parts of the brain

MRI

magnetic; soft tissue in your brain and blood flow

EEG

electrical waves; detects seizures

agonist

molecule that mimics the effects of a NT or blocks the reuptake of a NT so the effects are prolonged

antagonist

molecule that inhibits a NT release; stops the action of the NT

central nervous system

the portion of the vertebrate nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord

peripheral nervous system

the section of the nervous system lying outside the brain and spinal cord

somatic

controls sense organs and voluntary muscles

autonomic

automatic bodily responses

sympathetic nervous system

network of nerves that initiate the fight or flight; heightened

parasympathetic nervous system

regulates rest and digest functions; relaxed