IDIS125 - Stress, Sleep, Memory, and Neuroscience Vocabulary

Vocabulary terms covering stress response systems, mental health disorders, sleep physiology, memory subtypes, neuroplasticity, attention, emotion theories, and brain lateralization based on the IDIS125 study guide.

HPA Axis

A major system involved in the physiological response to stress consisting of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands, resulting in the release of cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine.

Stress Immunization

The concept that early stressful experiences can lead to a reduced stress response later in life, often influenced by epigenetic regulation.

SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors)

A class of antidepressants used to treat depression by increasing serotonin levels, though the delay in efficacy suggesting reduced serotonin may not be the sole basis of the disorder.

Anxiolytics

Medications such as benzodiazepines used to treat anxiety disorders by acting on specific neural mechanisms.

Alpha Rhythm

A specific electrophysiological brain frequency associated with relaxation and the early stages of sleep (Stage $1$).

Slow Wave Sleep (SWS)

Deep sleep periods, primarily Stage $3$, characterized by large-amplitude delta waves.

REM Sleep

A stage of sleep characterized by rapid eye movements, high brain activity, vivid dreaming, and a lack of muscle tone.

Narcolepsy

A sleep disorder often linked to a lack of orexin, characterized by frequent, intense episodes of sleep during the day.

Cataplexy

A sudden loss of muscle tone while awake, often associated with narcolepsy and triggered by strong emotions.

Anterograde Amnesia

The inability to form new memories after the onset of an injury or disease, as seen in Patient H.M.

Declarative Memory

A subtype of long-term memory that can be stated or described, which is heavily dependent on the hippocampus.

Episodic Memory

A type of declarative memory that involves the storage of personal experiences and specific life events.

Semantic Memory

A type of declarative memory that involves generalized knowledge about the world, such as facts or word meanings.

Consolidation

The second process in the memory system where information from short-term memory is transferred and stabilized into long-term memory.

Neuroplasticity

The brain's ability to change in response to experience or environmental enrichment, including conditions categorized as isolated, standard, or enriched.

Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)

A stable and enduring increase in the effectiveness of synapses following high-frequency stimulation (tetanus), involving AMPA and NMDA glutamate receptors.

Hebbian Synapses

Synapses that strengthen when the presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons are active simultaneously, summarized by the phrase 'fire together wire together'.

Inattentional Blindness

The failure to perceive non-attended stimuli that are clearly visible when attention is focused elsewhere.

Conjunction Search

A visual search task that requires focusing on two or more features (e.g., color and shape) to find a target, addressing the binding problem.

James-Lange Theory

An emotion model suggesting that emotional experiences are caused by the perception of bodily changes/autonomic nervous system activity.

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

The theory that our facial expressions can influence our emotional experience.

Cerebral Lateralization

The specialization of the left and right hemispheres of the brain for different functions, such as language typically being in the left hemisphere.

Prosopagnosia

Face blindness; an impairment typically associated with right-hemisphere damage.

Aphasia

An impairment in language ability, such as speaking or understanding, often caused by left-hemisphere damage to Broca's or Wernicke's areas.

Broca's Area

A region in the left frontal lobe associated with the production of speech.

Wernicke's Area

A region in the left temporal lobe associated with the comprehension of language.

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)

A clinical neuroscience treatment involving implanted electrodes that deliver electrical impulses to specific brain regions to treat disorders like depression or Parkinson's.

Brain-Computer Interface (BCI)

A technology that allows for direct communication between the brain and an external device to restore or enhance function.