Unit 1.2-1.3 - AP Psychology

biological psychology

The scientific study of the links between biological and psychological processes. (genetic, neural, hormonal)

plasticity

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

neuron

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

cell body

the part of a neuron that contains the nucleus; the cell’s life-support center.

dendrites

a neuron’s often bushy, branching extensions that receive and integrate messages, conducting impulses toward the cell body.

axon

the neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands.

myelin sheath

a fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next.

glial cells

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons; they also play a role in learning, thinking, and memory.

action potential

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

threshold

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse.refactory pe

refractory period

in a neural processing, a brief resting pause that occurs after a neuron has fired; subsequent action potentials cannot occur until the axon returns to its resting state.

all-or-none response

a neurons’s reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not firing.

synapse

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or synaptic cleft.

neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to the receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse.

reuptake

a neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron.

endorphins

natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure -“morphine within”

agonist

a molecule that increases a neurotransmitter’s action.

antagonist

a molecule that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter’s action.

nervous system

the body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems.

central nervous system

the brain and spinal cord

peripheral nervous system

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body.

nerves

bundles axons that form neural cables connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs.

sensory (afferent) neurons

neurons that carry incoming information from the body’s tissues and sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord.

motor (efferent) neurons

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

interneurons

neurons within the brain and spinal cord; the communicate internally and process information between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

somatic nervous system

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles. Also called the skeletal nervous system.

autonomic nervous system

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs. Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.

sympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy.

parasympathetic nervous system

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

reflex

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

endocrine system

the body’s “slow” chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.

hormones

chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and effect other tissues.

adrenal glands

a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones that help arouse the body in times of stress. (epinephrine and norepinephri ne)

pituitary gland

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

lesion

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

brainstem

the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; responsible for the automatic survival functions

medulla

the base of the brain stem; controls heartbeat and breathing

thalamus

the brain’s sensory control center, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.

reticular formation

a nerve network that travels through the brainstem into the thalamus and plays and important role in controlling arousal.

cerebellum

the “little brain” at the rear of the brain stem; functions include processing sensory input, coordinating movement output and balance, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory.

limbic system

neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives (including the amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus)

amygdala

two Lima-bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion

hypothalamus

a neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus; directs several 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; helps process explicit (conscious) memories - of facts and events - for storage.

cerebral cortex

the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body’s ultimate control and information-processing center.

frontal lobes

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making and judgments.

parietal lobes

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the tip of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position.

occipital loves

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields.

temporal lobes

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear.

motor cortex

an area at the rear of the frontal loves that controls voluntary movements.

somatosensory cortex

an area at the front of the parietal loves that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations.

association areas

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking.

neurogenesis

the formation of new neurons

corpus callosum

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them.

split brain

a condition resulting from a surgery that isolates the brain’s two hemispheres by cutting the fibers connecting them

depressants

drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body functions.

barbiturates

drugs that depress central nervous system activity, reducing anxie