Unit 1 Vocab

Heredity

Genetics or traits people inherit from their parents

Mental Traits and Process

Examples of them are memory, problem solving, mental health conditions

Heredity

Genetics or traits people inherit from their parents

Mental Traits and Process

Examples of them are memory, problem solving, mental health conditions

Personality

A character's interests, traits, temperament (normally genetic)

Adoption Studies

A study where children, specifically twins don't know their biological parents

Identical Twins Studies

A study about identical twins who were raised together or separated

Fraternal Twins

Siblings who are more unlikely than their twin whether same or not gender

Testosterone

A hormone that affects men more rather than women

Estrogen

A hormone that affects women more rather than men

Environmental Factors

"Nurture", the different ways and experiences that accrue throughout our lives, ex: if your life environment is bad, change it and get out of it!

Development

The conception to young adulthood

Evolution

The impacts of environmental, behavioral, and mental processes

Charles Darwin

A theory where it's about natural selection

Natural Selection

Traits that allow populations to survive and reproduce that's passed onto generations

Eugenics

Practices from the past, ex: Nazis, basically people who don't look like you don't matter

Electrochemical

Signals like feelings (ex: mad, sad, love, etc.)

Spinal Cord

A part that sends the signals in the body

Central Nervous System (CNS)

A latter part of the body that's a facilitation of communication between the brain and body through the spinal cord fluids

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

The sensory nerves and tissues that sends messages to the brain

Brain Lobes

An area of the brain that consists of neural circuits

Cortical Areas

Another name for it is cerebral cortex that interacts electrochemically interprets signals, sending signals, thinking, etc.

Somatic Nervous System

The nervous system that controls your movement, the way you talk, think, etc. (Soma means your physical body)

Sensory Neurons

A subgroup of the nervous system that relay signals to the brain

Sensory Receptors

Another subgroup that gets sent signals from the sensory neurons

Autonomic Nervous System

A uncontrollable operating of the beat of the heart, digest food, and move organs

Sympathetic Nervous System

Arouse and expends energy, flight or fight, (ex: your heart drops to your stomach when you see your ex/opp)

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Slowing your heartbeat, lowers blood sugar, and calms down your system (ex: you automatically go on your phone when you want to relax in bed at night)

Neurons

Nerve cells that communicates through electrical signals

Electrochemisty

Another word for electric signals

Soma

Cell body containing DNA and other parts to keep the neuron alive

Axons

The place where electrochemical signals are sent in

Dendrites

Where neurochemicals are released and received

Myelin

Sheaths that's fatty and covers Axons

Synapses

Another word for axon terminal

Gilal Cells

Supports and protects neurons by insulating nerve fibers, maintaining homeostasis, removing waste during sleep, and assistance in signal transmission

Reflex Arc of the Spinal Cord

Neurons of the central and peripheral nervous systems

Sensory Neurons

Detects stimulus and transmits sensory information from the peripheral nervous system to spinal cord in central nervous system

Interneurons

A process for incoming sensory information and form connections between sensory and motor neurons, located in spinal cord

Motor Neurons

Carries response signals from spinal cord to muscles or glands that triggers a quick response into involuntary actions

Neurotransmission

A multistep communication process between neurons that occurs nearly instantly

Resting Potential

Where the neuron maintains a stable and resting period, negative internal charge compares to external environment that creates a state of readiness for activation

Threshold

A certain critical level of stimulation that the neuron receives

All-or-Nothing Basis

A basis where once the threshold is reached, the neuron will fire completely, if not no action potential occurs

Refractory Period

A period where it temporarily cannot fire the neuron, ensuring action potentials to move in one direction and maintain a consistent firing rate

Acetylcholine

Neurotransmitters are released and reabsorbed by pre-synaptic neuron for reuse

Multiple Sclerosis

Another word for impaired neuromuscular transmission

Myasthenia Gravis

Where the multiple sclerosis can lead to severe neurological disorders

Excitatory

Making an action potential more likely

Inhibitory

Making an action potential less likely

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter that's involved in reward, motivation, memory, attention, and regulation of body movements

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter that contributes feelings of happiness and pleasure; it regulates your mood, appetite, digestion, memory, sleep, and sexual desire

Norepinephrine

A neurotransmitter and hormone that involves the body 'fight or flight' response by making your heart bump faster and blood pressure

Glutamate

The most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain and central nervous system that's essential for synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory

GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid)

A primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain that chills you out/calms you down, reduces stress and anxiety.

Endorphins

Neurotransmitters produced by the central nervous system and pituitary that act as natural painkillers.

Substance P

A neurotransmitter involved in the transmission of pain signals from the peripheral nervous system to the central nervous system; it plays a role in inflammation and stress responses.

Acetylcholine

A neurotransmitter that involves functions like muscle contraction, arousal, attention, memory, and learning.

Hormones

Slow, systemic chemical signals that travel through blood to act on tissues in the body.

Adrenaline

A hormone released by adrenal glands in response to stress, increasing heart pressure and energy supply, triggering the 'fight or flight' response.

Leptin

A hormone produced by fat cells that helps regulate energy balance by inhibiting hunger and reducing food intake.

Ghrelin

A hormone produced in the stomach that stimulates appetite and increases food intake by signaling your brain to induce the feeling of hunger.

Melatonin

It regulates sleep-wake cycles by signaling the body to prepare for sleep.

Oxytocin

A feeling associated with mothers and babies during sexual reproduction, childbirth, and breast milk release.

Agonists

Chemicals in drugs that bind and activate receptors, producing feelings of alertness and calm euphoria.

Antagonists

Chemicals that block receptors, sometimes permanently.

Addiction

A depletion of natural neurochemicals, leading to a compulsive behavior towards a substance or activity.

Withdrawals

A response that leads to extensive and painful feelings when a substance is not consumed.

Stimulants

Drugs that excite neural activity and accelerate body functions, increasing breathing rate, heartbeat, energy, and confidence.

Depressants

A class of drugs that reduces neural activity and slows body functions.

Alcohol

A dis-inhibitor that slows brain activity that controls judgment and inhibitions.

Hallucinogens

Drugs that make you hallucinate sensory images.

LSD

This presents a stream of uninterrupted fantastic pictures, shapes, colors ranging from euphoria to detachment to panic.

Opiates

The most addictive drugs that are painkillers providing euphoric feelings and uncomfortable withdrawals.

Brain

The central organ of the nervous system responsible for processing sensory information, regulating bodily functions, and enabling cognition, emotions, and behaviors.

Brain Stem

Connects the brain to the spinal cord and controls vital functions like heartbeat, breathing, and sleep cycles.

Reticular Activating System (RAS)

Functions in the brain stem to regulate wakefulness and sleep-wake transitions, filtering incoming sensory information.

Cerebellum

Located in the back of the brain, it controls movements, balance, motor skills, and contributes to cognitive functions like attention and language.

Cerebral Cortex

The outer layer of the brain responsible for complex functions such as perception, thought, language, and conscious awareness.

Occipital Lobes

Located in the back of the brain, processes visual information and involved in visual perception (ex: vision, seeing)

Temporal Lobes

Located on the sides of the brain, involves in processing auditory information, language comprehension, memory, and emotional responses (ex: connected to ears, hearing)

Parietal Lobes

Situated at the top and back of the brain, processes sensory information related to touch, temperature, pain, and helps spatial orientation and body awareness (ex: on top, sensory)

Frontal Lobes

Located in the front of the brain, involves in decision making, problem-solving, planning, voluntary movement, and controlling behavior and emotions (ex: problem solving, thinking)

Brain Lateralization

A part of the brain that's the tendency for some neural functions to be specialized to one side of the brain or the other

Corpus Callosum

Neurons that exist between each hemisphere and allows two sides to communicate seamlessly

Roger Sperry

One of the people who discovered the corpus callosum

Michael Gazzaniga

Another person who discovered the corpus callosum

Paul Broca

A researcher who discovered the left hemisphere largely controls the language expression (ex: to move your mouth or facial expression)

Broca's Area

An area in the frontal lobe that directs muscle movements involved in speech

Aphasia

The inability to produce or formulate language

Autopsy

A procedure on patients with aphasia revealed deformities

Lesions

Another word for deformities

Carl Wernicke

Another person who paved the way for future discoveries in Broca's research

Wernicke's Area

A region in the temporal lobe on the left hemisphere that's responsible for language comprehension

Plasticity

The brain's ability to change or adapt develop new or alternative neural pathways from existing neurons (ex: moldable like clay)

Neurogenesis

A process where the brain slowly creates small amounts of new neurons

Acetylcholine

A large surge of the neurotransmitter in the brain primes the brain to change, signaling its neurons that coming information must realign function

Sleep

Different states/levels of consciousness, distinct from coma, anesthesia, or wakefulness

Rapid Eye Movement (REM)

A deep sleep experience

Circadian Rhythm

Tracking 24-hour sleep cycles that induce both sleeping (melatonin) and waking signals (cortisol)

Stages of Sleep

The stages are 6-7: Walking Beta, Walking Alpha (relaxed but awake state), Non-REM 1, Non-REM 2, Non-REM 3 (delta brain waves; 'deep sleep'), REM sleep for about 10 minutes with vivid dreaming

Hypnagogic

The 'falling asleep' state