AP Psych Unit 3

Neurons

basic building blocks of the nervous system

Sensory neurons

carry messages from body’s tissues to the brain

Motor neurons

carry instructions from CNS to muscles and glands

Interneurons

communicate within brain/spinal cord; process info between sensory & motor neurons

Multiple Sclerosis

immune system attacks myelin sheath; affects brain/spinal cord/optic nerves; symptoms: vision changes, balance issues, numbness, memory issues

Myasthenia Gravis

immune system attacks neuromuscular junction; symptoms: muscle weakness, difficulty breathing, swallowing, moving

Endocrine system

secretes hormones into bloodstream; influences sex, food, aggression; slower but longer‑lasting than neural messages

Adrenal glands

release epinephrine & norepinephrine

Pituitary gland

releases growth hormone & oxytocin

Limbic System

emotions & drives; includes hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus

Hypothalamus

reward center; controls pituitary; regulates eating, drinking, sex; maintains homeostasis

Association Areas

higher mental functions: learning, remembering, thinking, speaking

Left hemisphere

verbal; rationalizes unknown actions from right hemisphere

Right hemisphere

non‑verbal processing

Wernicke’s area

language comprehension

Broca’s area

speech production

Visual cortex

processes seeing words

EEG

records electrical activity/brain waves; helps diagnose disorders or locate tumors

MRI

visualizes brain anatomy; good for small injuries/abnormalities

fMRI

shows active brain areas by tracking blood flow

Acetylcholine

memory & muscle movement; linked to Alzheimer’s and anesthesia

Dopamine

reward neurotransmitter

Serotonin

mood regulation

Epinephrine/Norepinephrine

alertness & arousal; fight‑or‑flight

GABA

major inhibitory neurotransmitter; stops messages

Glutamate

memory neurotransmitter

Substance P

pain perception

Endorphins

natural painkillers

Agonist

mimics neurotransmitters

Antagonist

blocks neurotransmitters

Amygdala

emotion; fear & aggression

Hippocampus

memory formation; damage prevents new memories

Corpus callosum

connects the two hemispheres

Thalamus

sensory switchboard; relays all senses except smell

Hypothalamus

controls maintenance functions; governs endocrine system; emotion & reward

Pituitary

master endocrine gland

Reticular formation

controls arousal & alertness

Pons

coordinates movement & sleep

Medulla

controls heartbeat & breathing

Cerebellum

coordinates voluntary movement, balance, and learning

Cerebral cortex

ultimate control & information‑processing center

Frontal lobe

executive functions: thinking, planning, organizing, problem‑solving

Motor cortex

movement

Sensory somato cortex

sensations

Parietal lobe

perception, making sense of the world, arithmetic, spelling

Occipital lobe

vision

Temporal lobe

memory, understanding, language, hearing

Autonomic Nervous System

controls self-regulated action of internal organs and glans

Somatic Nervous System

controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles

sympathetic

arousing; fight or flight; everything increases but digestion decreases

parasympathetic

calming; rest and digest; everything decreases but digestion increases