Studied by 16 people
behavioral neuroscientists (or biopsychologists)
Psychologists who specialize in considering the ways in which the biological structures and functions of the body affect behavior.
neurons
Nerve cells, the basic elements of the nervous system.
dendrite
A cluster of fibers at one end
of a neuron that receives messages from other neurons.
terminal buttons
Small bulges at the
end of axons that send messages to other neurons.
myelin sheath
A protective coat of
fat and protein that wraps around the axon.
all-or-none law
The rule that neurons are either on or off.
resting state
The state in which there is a negative electrical charge of about −70 millivolts within a neuron.
action potential
An electric nerve impulse that travels through a neuron’s axon when it is set off by a “trigger,” changing the neuron’s charge from negative to positive.
mirror neurons
Specialized neurons that fire not only when a person enacts a particular behavior, but also when a person simply observes another individual carrying out the same behavior.
synapse
The space between two neurons where the axon of a sending neuron communicates with the dendrites of a receiving neuron by using chemical messages.
electrical, chemical
Although messages travel in () form within a neuron, they move between neurons through a () transmission system.
neurotransmitters
Chemicals that carry messages across the synapse to the dendrite (and sometimes the cell body) of a receiver neuron.
receptor site
It delivers an excitatory or inhibitory message. If enough excitatory messages are delivered, the neuron will fire.
excitatory message
A chemical message that makes it more likely that a receiving neuron will fire and an action potential will travel down its axon.
inhibitory message
A chemical message that prevents or decreases the likelihood that a receiving neuron will fire.
reuptake
The reabsorption of neurotransmitters by a terminal button.
acetylcholine (ACh)
Most common neurotransmitter involved in our every move, it transmits messages relating to our skeletal muscles, also involved in memory capabilities.
A muscle movement, cognitive functioning, Excitatory in brain and autonomic nervous system; inhibitory elsewhere
glutamate
Most common excitatory neurotransmitter, plays a role in memory. Located in brain, spinal cord.
Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA)
Found in both the brain and the spinal cord, appears to be the nervous system’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter.
It moderates a variety of behaviors, Eating, aggression, sleeping. Located in brain, spinal cord
dopamine (DA)
A major neurotransmitter, involved in movement, learning, pleasure and reward, attention.
Located only in brain, inhibitory or excitatory
serotonin
Functions of sleeping, eating, mood, pain, depression. Inhibitory, located in brain and spinal cord.
Endorphins
Another class of neurotransmitters, a family of chemicals produced by the brain similar in structure to painkilling drugs such as morphine. Primarily inhibitory, except in hippocampus.
Pain suppression, pleasurable feelings, appetites, placebos. Located in the Brain and spinal cord
central nervous system (CNS)
The part of the nervous system that includes the brain and spinal cord.
spinal cord
A bundle of neurons that leaves the brain and runs down the length of the back and is the main means for transmitting messages between the brain and the body.
reflex
An automatic, involuntary response to an incoming stimulus.
sensory (afferent) neurons
Neurons that transmit information from the perimeter of the body to the nervous system and brain.
motor (efferent) neurons
Neurons that communicate information from the brain and nervous system to muscles and glands.
The Nervous System
Consists of the brain and the neurons
extending throughout the body
Brain
An organ roughly half the size of a loaf of bread that constantly controls behavior
peripheral nervous system
The part of the nervous system that includes the autonomic and somatic subdivisions; made up of neurons with long axons and dendrites, it branches out from the spinal cord and brain and reaches the extremities of the body.
somatic division
The part of the peripheral nervous system that specializes in the control of voluntary movements and the communication of information to and from the sense organs.
autonomic division
The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary movement of the heart, glands, lungs, and other organs.
sympathetic division
The part of the autonomic division of the nervous system that acts to prepare the body for action in stressful situations, engaging all the organism’s resources to respond to a threat.
parasympathetic division
The part of the autonomic division of the nervous system that acts to calm the body after an emergency has ended.
quadriplegia
A condition in which people lose voluntary muscle movement below the neck.
paraplegia
In a less severe but still debilitating condition, people are unable to voluntarily move any muscles in the lower half of the body.
evolutionary psychology
The branch of psychology that seeks to identify behavior patterns that are a result of our genetic inheritance from our ancestors.
behavioral genetics
The study of the effects of heredity on behavior.
endocrine system
A chemical communication network that sends messages throughout the body via the bloodstream.
hormones
Chemicals that circulate through the blood and regulate the functioning or growth of the body.
pituitary gland
The major component of the endocrine system, or “master gland,” which secretes hormones that control growth and other parts of the endocrine system.
Servant of the brain.
oxytocin
Example of this hormones; the root of many of life’s satisfactions and pleasures. In new mothers, this produces an urge to nurse newborn offspring.
electroencephalogram (EEG)
Records electrical activity in the brain through electrodes placed on the outside of the skull.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Scans provide a detailed, three-dimensional computer-generated image of brain structures and activity by aiming a powerful magnetic field at the body.
Positron emission tomography (PET)
Scans show biochemical activity within the brain at a given moment.
It begin with the injection of a radioactive (but safe) liquid into the bloodstream, which makes its way to the brain.
By locating radiation within the brain, a computer can determine which are the more active regions, providing a striking picture of the brain at work.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
Exposes a tiny region of the brain to a strong magnetic field, thereby causing a momentary interruption of electrical activity.
Researchers then are able to note the effects of this interruption on normal brain functioning.
Also called “virtual lesion”
central core
The “old brain,” which controls basic functions such as eating and sleeping and is common to all vertebrates.
cerebellum
The part of the brain that controls bodily balance.
reticular formation
The part of the brain extending from the medulla through the pons; it is related to changes in the level of arousal of the body.
thalamus
The part of the brain located in the middle of the central core that acts primarily to relay information about the senses.
Corpus Callosum
Bridge of fibers passing information between the two cerebral hemispheres
hypothalamus
A tiny part of the brain, located below the thalamus, that maintains homeostasis and produces and regulates vital behavior, such as eating, drinking, and sexual behavior.
pons
Involved in sleep and arousal
limbic system
Consisting of a series of doughnut-shaped structures that include the amygdala and hippocampus.
The part of the brain that controls eating, aggression, and reproduction.
medulla
Responsible for regulating largely unconscious functions such as breathing and circulation
cerebral cortex
The “new brain,”
responsible for the most sophisticated information processing in the brain; contains four lobes.
lobes
The four major sections of the cerebral cortex: frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital.
sensory area
The site in the brain of the tissue that corresponds to each of the senses, with the degree of sensitivity related to the amount of tissue.
motor area
The part of the cortex that is largely responsible for the body’s voluntary movement.
sulci
These four sets of lobes are physically separated by deep grooves called (_).
association areas
One of the major regions of the cerebral cortex; the site of the higher mental processes, such as thought, language, memory, and speech.
aphasia
Injuries to the association areas of the brain can produce (_), problems with
language.
neuroplasticity
Changes in the brain that occur throughout the life span relating to the addition of new neurons, new
interconnections between neurons, and the reorganization of information-processing areas.
neurogenesis
New neurons are also created in certain areas of the brain during adulthood—a process called
hemispheres
Symmetrical left and right halves of the brain that control the side of the body opposite to their location.
lateralization
The dominance of one hemisphere of the brain in specific functions, such as language.
biofeedback
A procedure in which a person learns to control through conscious thought internal physiological processes such as blood pressure, heart and respiration rate, skin temperature, sweating, and the constriction of particular muscles.
nodes of ranvier
The gaps between the myelin insulation of Schwann cells which insulate the axon of neuron.
Microscopic gaps found within myelinated axons. Their function is to speed up propagation of action potentials along the axon via saltatory conduction.
axon
The part of the neuron that carries
messages to other neurons.
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