Thẻ ghi nhớ: Unit 1: Biological Bases of Behavior (The Brain) | Quizlet

neuron

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

dendrites

the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.

axon

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

myelin

a layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next.

action potential

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

refractory period

a period of inactivity after a neuron has fired.

threshold

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse.

all-or-none response

the principle that a neuron either fires completely or does not fire at all.

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, they travel across the synapse and bind to 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

"morphine within"—natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.

agonist

a chemical that mimics the action of a neurotransmitter.

antagonists

chemical substances that block or reduce a cell's response to the action of other chemicals or neurotransmitters.

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 (CNS)

the brain and the spinal cord.

peripheral nervous system (PNS)

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

sensory (afferent) neurons

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

motor (efferant) 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 that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.

somatic nervous system

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles (skeletal nervous system).

autonomic nervous system (ANS)

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs. It's sympathetic system arouses and parasympathetic calms.

sympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations. (If you get scared).

parasympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy (Your PARents come home and calm you down)

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 affect other tissues.

limbic system

a system of neural structures at the border of brainstem. Associated with emotions like fear, agression, and drives such as those for food and sex. Includes the Hippocampus, Amygdala and hypothalamus.

plasticity

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

neurogenesis

the formation of new neurons

cognitive neuroscience

The interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition. (including perception, thinking, memory and language).

acetylcholine

A neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also triggers muscle contraction

adaptation

the process by which a species becomes fitted to its environment through natural selection.

amygdala

A limbic system structure involved in memory and emotion, particularly fear and aggression.

aphasia

impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage.

auditory cortex

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

behavior genetics

the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior.

brainstem

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

Broca's area

Controls language expression - an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.

cerebellum

the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance

cerebral cortex

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

corpus callosum

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

depolarization

the process by which a neuron's membrane potential becomes less negative, leading to the firing of an action potential.

dopamine

A neurotransmitter associated with movement, attention and learning and the brain's pleasure and reward system.

electroencephalogram (EEG)

an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.

epigenetics

the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change

fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)

a technique for revealing blood flow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. MRI scans show brain anatomy; fMRI scans show brain function.

frontal lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex that has specialized areas for movement, abstract thinking, planning, memory, and judgement

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)

A major inhibitory neurotransmitter. Undersupply linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia.

glutamate

A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory

hippocampus

A neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage.

hypothalamus

A neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward.

lesion

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

medulla

the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

occipital lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex that processes visual information

norepinephrine

A neurotransmitter involved in arousal, as well as in learning and mood regulation

myasthenia gravis

autoimmune neuromuscular disorder characterized by weakness of voluntary muscles

multiple sclerosis

A chronic disease of the central nervous system marked by damage to the myelin sheath. Plaques occur in the brain and spinal cord causing tremor, weakness, incoordination, paresthesia, and disturbances in vision and speech

motor cortex

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

parietal lobes

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

pituitary gland

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

Prosopagnosia

inability to recognize faces

reticular formation

a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal

serotonin

Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal

substance P

A neurotransmitter that is involved in the transmission of pain messages to the brain.

Wernicke's area

controls language reception - a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe

thalamus

the brain's sensory switchboard, 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

temporal lobes

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

eugenics

the discredited, unethical, and scientifically flawed idea based on improving human populations based on the ideas of "superior" and "inferior" people.