Biopsychology and Neuroscience Lecture Notes

This set of flashcards covers key concepts and terminology in biopsychology and neuroscience, based on the lecture notes provided.

Biopsychology

The specialty in psychology that studies the interaction of biology, behavior, and mental processes.

Neuroscience

Focuses on how the brain produces mental processes and behavior; involves psychology, biology, computer science, chemists, neurologists, and linguists.

Genotype

An organism’s genetic makeup, which determines its unique traits.

Phenotype

An organism’s observable physical characteristics, including visible traits and biological traits.

Natural Selection

The process where individuals best adapted to their environment are more likely to flourish and reproduce.

Chromosomes

Tightly coiled threadlike structures organized along which genes are located.

Genetic Variation

Differences in DNA sequences among individuals that contribute to variations in traits.

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that relay neural messages across the synapse.

Resting Potential

The electrical charge of a neuron when it is not actively sending a signal.

Action Potential

A neural impulse that results from the movement of ions across the axon membrane, generating an electrical signal.

Synapse

The junction between two neurons where neurotransmitters are released.

Glial Cells

Cells that provide structural support and insulation to neurons, helping in the formation of new synapses.

Plasticity

The ability of the nervous system to adapt or change as a result of experience.

Limbic System

A set of structures in the brain that deals with emotions and memory.

Hippocampus

A part of the limbic system involved in establishing long-term memories.

Amygdala

A part of the limbic system involved in memory and emotion, particularly fear and aggression.

Cerebral Cortex

The outer layer of the cerebrum involved in complex mental processes such as thinking and perceiving.

Motor Cortex

A region of the frontal lobe responsible for the generation of voluntary movements.

Mirror Neurons

Neurons that fire both when an individual acts and when the individual observes the same action performed by another.

Cerebral Dominance

The tendency of one hemisphere of the brain to control certain functions more than the other hemisphere.

Split-Brain Patients

Individuals who have had their corpus callosum severed, leading to a duality of consciousness in each hemisphere.