Ap Psychology unit 2

Forebrain

The largest and most complicated region of the brain, including the thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system, and cerebrum

Medulla

Controls heartbeat and breathing

Cerebellum

Balance and control

Hypothalamus

A neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities(eating drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward.

Hippocampus

A neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage.

sympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations

Dopamine

a neurotransmitter that regulates motor behavior, motivation, pleasure, and emotional arousal

parietal lobe

receives sensory input for touch and body position

occipital lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex that processes visual information

frontal lobe

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

motor cortex

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

Neuroplasticity

the ability within the brain to constantly change both the structure and function of many cells in response to experience or trauma

temporal lobe

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

lesion

tissue destruction. A brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue

neurogenesis

the formation of new neurons

Tolerance

the diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a drug, requiring the user to take larger and larger doses before experiencing the drug's effect

phsyical dependence

a physiological need for a drug, marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued

stimulant

A drug that increases the action of the central nervous system, the heart, and other organs

Caffeine

stimulant, most widely consumed

glail cells

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

Dendrites

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

action potential

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

Synapse

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron

Reuptake

a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron

ACh neurotransmitter

enables muscle action, learning, and memory

Antagonist

blocks neurotransmitter

Agonist

a molecule that, by binding to a receptor site, stimulates a response

Hormones

chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine system, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues

pituitary gland

The endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.

Interneurons

neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

motor neurons (efferent)

neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands

sensory neurons

neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

parasympathetic nervous system

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

relfex

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

natural selection

A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.

A human sperm cell contains

23 chromosomes