Science (copy)

Positron emission tomography

________ (PET) scan: involves injecting individuals with a mildly radioactive substance and monitoring changes in blood flow to different regions of the brain.

Gonad

________: secretes sexual hormones, which are important for successful reproduction, and mediate both sexual motivation and behavior.

Frequency

________: number of waves that pass a given point in a given time period.

Electroencephalography

________ (EEG): recording the electrical activity of the brain via electrodes on the scalp.

Thyroid

________: secretes hormones that regulate growth, metabolism, and appetite.

Nodes of Ranvier

________: open spaces that are found in the myelin sheath that encases the axon.

Pacinian corpuscle

________: touch receptor that detects transient pressure and higher frequency vibrations.

Cone

________: specialized photoreceptor that works best in bright light conditions and detects color.

Merkels disk

________: touch receptor that responds to light touch.

Lens

________: curved, transparent structure that provides additional focus for light entering the eye.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging

________ (fMRI): MRI that shows changes in metabolic activity over time.

Reticular formation

________: midbrain structure important in regulating the sleep /wake cycle, arousal, alertness, and motor activity.

Meissners corpuscle

________: touch receptor that responds to pressure and lower frequency vibrations.

Sympathetic nervous system

________: involved in stress- related activities and functions.

Proximity

________: things that are close to one another tend to be grouped together.

Basilar membrane

________: thin strip of tissue within the cochlea that contains the hair cells which serve as the sensory receptors for the auditory system.

Parasympathetic nervous system

________: associated with routine, day- to- day operations of the body.

Somatosensory cortex

________: essential for processing sensory information from across the body, such as touch, temperature, and pain.

Endocrine system

________: series of glands that produce chemical substances known as hormones.

Mutation

________: sudden, permanent change in a gene.

Antagonist

________: drug that blocks or impedes the normal activity of a given neurotransmitter.

Medulla

________: hindbrain structure that controls automated processes like breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate.

Peripheral nervous system

________ (PNS): connects the brain and spinal cord to the muscles, organs and senses in the periphery of the body.

Sensorineural hearing loss

________: failure to transmit neural signals from the cochlea to the brain.

Pancreas

________: secretes hormones that regulate blood sugar.

Deoxyribonucleic acid

________ (DNA): helix- shaped molecule made of nucleotide base pairs.

Myelin sheath

________: fatty substance that insulates axons.

Adrenal gland

________: sits atop our kidneys and secretes hormones involved in the stress response.

Prefrontal cortex

________: area in the frontal lobe responsible for higher- level cognitive functioning.

Pattern perception

________: ability to discriminate among different figures and shapes.

Deafness

________: partial or complete inability to hear.

interpretation of sensations

Top- down processing: ________ is influenced by available knowledge, experiences, and thoughts.

Hippocampus

________: structure in the temporal lobe associated with learning and memory.

Ruffini

________ corpuscle: touch receptor that detects stretch.

Biological perspective

________: view that psychological disorders like depression and schizophrenia are associated with imbalances in one or more neurotransmitter systems.

Cerebral cortex

________: surface of the brain that is associated with our highest mental capabilities.

tomography

Computerized ________ (CT) scan: imaging technique in which a computer coordinates and integrates multiple x- rays of a given area.

Cochlear implant

________: electronic device that consists of a microphone, a speech processor, and an electrode array to directly stimulate the auditory nerve to transmit information to the brain.

Amygdala

________: structure in the limbic system involved in our experience of emotion and tying emotional meaning to our memories.

Inflammatory pain

________: signal that some type of tissue damage has occurred.

Neuroplasticity

________: nervous system's ability to change.

Pinna

________: visible part of the ear that protrudes from the head.

Pons

________: hindbrain structure that connects the brain and spinal cord; involved in regulating brain activity during sleep.

Similarity

________: things that are alike tend to be grouped together.

Fovea

________: small indentation in the retina that contains cones.

Stapes

________: middle ear ossicle; also known as the stirrup.

Receptor

________: protein on the cell surface where neurotransmitters attach.

Absolute threshold

________: minimum amount of stimulus energy that must be present for the stimulus to be detected 50 % of the time.

Autonomic nervous system

________: controls our internal organs and glands.

Perception

________: way that sensory information is interpreted and consciously experienced.

action potential

electrical signal that moves down the neurons axon

adrenal gland

sits atop our kidneys and secretes hormones involved in the stress response

agonist

drug that mimics or strengthens the effects of a neurotransmitter

all-or-none

phenomenon that incoming signal from another neuron is either sufficient or insufficient to reach the threshold of excitation

allele

specific version of a gene

amygdala

structure in the limbic system involved in our experience of emotion and tying emotional meaning to our memories

antagonist

drug that blocks or impedes the normal activity of a given neurotransmitter

auditory cortex

strip of cortex in the temporal lobe that is responsible for processing auditory information

autonomic nervous system

controls our internal organs and glands

axon

major extension of the soma

biological perspective

view that psychological disorders like depression and schizophrenia are associated with imbalances in one or more neurotransmitter systems

Brocas area

region in the left hemisphere that is essential for language production

central nervous system (CNS)

brain and spinal cord

cerebellum

hindbrain structure that controls our balance, coordination, movement, and motor skills, and it is thought to be important in processing some types of memory

cerebral cortex

surface of the brain that is associated with our highest mental capabilities

chromosome

long strand of genetic information

computerized tomography (CT) scan

imaging technique in which a computer coordinates and integrates multiple x-rays of a given area

corpus callosum

thick band of neural fibers connecting the brains two hemispheres

dendrite

branch-like extension of the soma that receives incoming signals from other neurons

deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

helix-shaped molecule made of nucleotide base pairs

diabetes

disease related to insufficient insulin production

dominant allele

allele whose phenotype will be expressed in an individual that possesses that allele

electroencephalography (EEG)

recording the electrical activity of the brain via electrodes on the scalp

endocrine system

series of glands that produce chemical substances known as hormones

epigenetics

study of gene-environment interactions, such as how the same genotype leads to different phenotypes

fight or flight response

activation of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system, allowing access to energy reserves and heightened sensory capacity so that we might fight off a given threat or run away to safety

forebrain

largest part of the brain, containing the cerebral cortex, the thalamus, and the limbic system, among other structures

fraternal twins

twins who develop from two different eggs fertilized by different sperm, so their genetic material varies the same as in non-twin siblings

frontal lobe

part of the cerebral cortex involved in reasoning, motor control, emotion, and language; contains motor cortex

functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

MRI that shows changes in metabolic activity over time

gene

sequence of DNA that controls or partially controls physical characteristics

genetic environmental correlation

view of gene-environment interaction that asserts our genes affect our environment, and our environment influences the expression of our genes

genotype

genetic makeup of an individual

glial cell

nervous system cell that provides physical and metabolic support to neurons, including neuronal insulation and communication, and nutrient and waste transport

gonad

secretes sexual hormones, which are important for successful reproduction, and mediate both sexual motivation and behavior

hemisphere

left or right half of the brain

heterozygous

consisting of two different alleles

hindbrain

division of the brain containing the medulla, pons, and cerebellum

hippocampus

structure in the temporal lobe associated with learning and memory

homeostasis

state of equilibrium-biological conditions, such as body temperature, are maintained at optimal levels

homozygous

consisting of two identical alleles

hormone

chemical messenger released by endocrine glands

hypothalamus

forebrain structure that regulates sexual motivation and behavior and a number of homeostatic processes; serves as an interface between the nervous system and the endocrine system

identical twins

twins that develop from the same sperm and egg

lateralization

concept that each hemisphere of the brain is associated with specialized functions

limbic system

collection of structures involved in processing emotion and memory

longitudinal fissure

deep groove in the brains cortex

magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

magnetic fields used to produce a picture of the tissue being imaged

medulla

hindbrain structure that controls automated processes like breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate

membrane potential

difference in charge across the neuronal membrane