AP psych unit 3

ACh (acetylcholine)

Enables muscle action, learning, and memory; if blocked can become paralyzed

Action Potential

Electrical charge that travels down the axon

Adrenal Gland

Secretes hormones that help arouse the body in times of stress

Agonist

A chemical that mimics the action of a neurotransmitter; can block reuptake of neurotransmitters; "eggs them on"

All-or-none Response

A neuron's reaction of either firing or not firing

Amygdala

Controls aggression and fear

Antagonist

Blocks neurotransmitter function from bonding with the receptor sites; "bad guy that bullies things down"

Aphasia

Impairment of language; damage to left side of brain can cause this; can be caused by stroke (interruption of blood supply to the brain)

Association Areas

In all the main lobes; 75% of the cerebral cortex; integrates and interprets speaking, thinking, planning, and remembering

Autonomic System

Involuntary Muscles (heart beat, breathing, etc.)

Axon

Sends info away to the next neuron

Blindsight

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

Brain Stem

Where the brain meets the spinal cord; oldest part of the brain

Broca's Area

Controls language expression; in the left frontal lobe

Cell Body

Life support system of the neuron

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Brain and spinal cord; Information Superhighway of the body

Cerebellum

Balance coordination, voluntary movement, and implicit memory; unconscious memory, automatic

Cerebral Cortex

The body's ultimate control and information processing center; 80% of our brains weight; made up of Glial cells

Cognitive Neuroscience

Scientific study of how brain activity is connected to our mental processes; consciousness (our awareness of ourselves and our environment)

computed tomography (CT)

X-rays of the head to locate physical issues

Corpus Callosum

Nerve fibers that connect the two hemispheres in the brain; in charge of sending messages between the two sides

Dendrite

Receiver of messages; bushy, tree-like part of the neuron

Dopamine

Influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion; too much can cause schizophrenia; too little can cause Parkinson's

Dual Processing

Processing of info consciously and unconsciously; implicit memory tends to be unconscious

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Measures electrical activity in neurons via electrodes

Endorphins

Linked to pain control and pleasure

Frontal Lobe

Speaking, personality, judgment, and inhibitions; motor cortex at back of this lobe

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI)

Measures blood flow in brain via continuous MRI scans

Glands

Send out hormones (chemical messages that enter the bloodstream and affects the tissue of the body)

Hippocampus

Explicit memories formed here and transferred elsewhere; conscious memory

Hormones

Affects our tissue; affects interest in food, aggression, and sex; not as fast as neurotransmitters, but affects can last longer (puberty)

Hypothalamus

Under the thalamus; controls hunger, thirst, and sexual behavior; regulates body temp; linked to the endocrine and nervous system; pleasure center of the brain

Interneurons

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

Left Side of the Brain

Language; logic; reasoning; sequence; right handed individuals

Lesions

Removal or destruction of part of the brain; can see how damage affects other parts of the brain

Limbic System

Associated with emotions and drives

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Magnetic fields and radio waves generate a map of the brain

Magnetoencephalography (MEG)

Measures magnetic fields via a coil

Medulla

Controls heart rate and breathing

Motor Neurons

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

Myelin Sheath

Covers the axon, helps to speed the messages along; if damaged can develop MS

Neurogenesis

The formation of new neurons

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons

Occipital Lobe

Visual cortex; helps us see

Parallel Processing

Processing many actions of a problem simultaneously; generally used to process of solve easy problems

Parasympathetic System

Calms the body after stress; "parachute that brings you down safely"

Parietal Lobe

Math info and spacial reasoning; sensory cortex at front of this lobe

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Connects our sensory and motor neurons to the body's superhighway (the Central Nervous System)

Phantom Limb Phenomenon

The ability to feel sensation in a missing limb after amputation; sensory fibers from adjacent parts of the body have filled the void left by missing limb

Pituitary Gland

Master gland; helps with growth; controlled by the Hypothalamus; influences the release of other hormones from other glands

Plasticity

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

Pons

Controls movement coordination

Position Emission Tomography (PET)

Tracks the travel of a radioactive glucose in the brain whilst tasks are performed

Reflex

Automatic response to a stimulus; simplest neural pathway (only three neurons)

Refractory Period

Brief pause after a neuron has fired

Reticular Formation

Controls arousal; directs info to other areas in the brain

Reuptake

A neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron

Right Side of the Brain

Inferences; facial recognition; spacial relationships; emotionally intuitive; emotionally expressive; left handed individuals

Sensory Neuron

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

Sequential Processing

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

Serotonin

Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal (alertness); too little is linked to depression

Somatic System

Skeletal muscles (voluntary)

Split Brain

Caused by the severing of the corpus callosum; done to stop severe seizures

Sympathetic System

Arouses the body in stressful situations

Synapse

Tiny space between axon tip and dendrite

Temporal Lobe

Helps us recognize faces; auditory cortex helps us hear

Thalamus

Receives messages from all senses (except smell) and sends them elsewhere

Threshold of neuron

The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

Wernicke's Area

Controls language reception; in the left temporal lobe