AP psych unit 2 - 5 steps to a 5 glossary

Neuropsychologist

A psychologist who studies how brain dysfunction affects cognition, emotion, and behavior

Lesions

precise destruction of brain tissue

CAT aka CT

a method of examining body organs by scanning them with X rays and using a computer to construct a series of cross-sectional scans along a single axis-

MRI

a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within the brain

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

Evoked Potentials

EEGs resulting from a response to a specific stimulus presented to the subject

PET

a computerized radio-graphic technique to examine the metabolic activity in the brain

fMRI

a form of magnetic resonance imaging of the brain that registers blood flow to functioning areas of the brain

Central nervous system

brain and spinal cord

Peripheral nervous system

the section of the nervous system lying outside the brain and spinal cord

Autonomic nervous system

the part of the nervous system of vertebrates that controls involuntary actions of the smooth muscles and heart and glands

Sympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations

Parasympathetic nervous system

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

Somatic nervous system

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

Spinal cord

portion of the central nervous system below the level of the medulla

Brain

portion of the central nervous system above the spinal cord

Evolutionary model

According to this model, the brain consists of three sections; reptilian brain (medulla, pons, cerebellum), old mammalian brain (limbic system, hypothalamus, thalamus) and the new mammalian brain (cerebral cortex)

Developmental model

According to this model, the brain consists of three sections: the hindbrain (medulla, pons, cerebellum), the midbrain (small region with parts involved in eye reflexes and movements) and the forebrain (including the limbic system, hypothalamus, thalamus, cerebral cortex)

Convolutions

the folds in the cerebral cortex that increase the surface area of the brain

Contralaterality

control of one side of your body by the other side of your brain

Medulla oblongata

contains centers that control several visceral functions, including breathing, heart and blood vessel activity, swallowing, vomiting, and digestion

Pons

a brain structure located at the top of the brain stem that is involved in respiration, movement, and sleep; sends information to and from medulla, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex

Cerebellum

the "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; it helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance

Basal Ganglia

Large clusters of neurons, located above the thalamus and under the cerebral cortex, that work with the cerebellum and the cerebral cortex to control and coordinate voluntary movements.

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

Hypothalamus

Controls feeding behavior, drinking behavior, body temperature, sexual behavior, threshold for rage behavior, activation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, and secretion of hormones of the pituitary

Amygdala

two almond-shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion

Hippocampus

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

Cerebral cortex

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

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

occipital lobes

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas, which receive visual information from the opposite visual field

Parietal lobes

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

Frontal lobes

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

Temporal Lobes

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

Broca's Area

controls language expression-an aread of the frontal, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech

Wernicke's Area

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

Aphasia

inability to use or understand language (spoken or written)

Glial Cells

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons

Neuron

a cell that is specialized to conduct nerve impulses

Cell body

largest part of a typical neuron; contains the nucleus and much of the cytoplasm

Dendrites

branching extensions of neuron that receives messages from neighboring neurons

Axon

long nerve fiber that conducts away from the cell body of the neuron

Myelin Sheath

a layer of encasing (and insulating) the axons of medullated nerve fibers

Terminal buttons

Small knobs at the end of axons that secrete chemicals called neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons

ACh

neurotransmitter involved in memory and movement - too little is associated with Alzheimer's (the abbreviation)

Dopamine

neurotransmitter that influences voluntary movement, attention, alertness; lack of this is linked with Parkinson's disease; too much is linked with schizophrenia

Glutamate

A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory.

Serotonin

a neurotransmitter that affects hunger,sleep,arousal,and mood. appears in lower than normal levels in depressed persons

Endorphin

Any of several hormones produced in the brain and anterior pituitary that inhibits pain perception

GABA

major inhibitory neurotransmitter (the abbreviation)

Action Potential

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

All-or-none principle

the law that the neuron either fires at 100% or not at all

Nodes of Ranvier

small gaps in the myelin sheath of medullated axons

Saltatory conduction

Rapid transmission of a nerve impulse along an axon, resulting from the action potential jumping from one node of Ranvier to another, skipping the myelin-sheathed regions of membrane.

Synapse

the junction between two neurons (axon-to-dendrite) or between a neuron and a muscle

Excitatory neurotransmitter

chemical secreted at terminal button that causes the neuron on the other side of the synapse to fire

Inhibitory neurotransmitter

chemical secreted at terminal button that prevents (or reduces ability of) the neuron on the other side of the synapse from firing

Reflex

the simplest form of behavior

Reflex arc

the path over which the reflex travels

Sensory Receptor

an organ having nerve endings (in the skin or viscera or eye or ear or nose or mouth) that respond to stimulation

Afferent neuron

a neuron that carries information from the senses to the central nervous system

Interneuron

nerve cell located entirely in the central nervous system that integrates sensory information and sends motor commands

Efferent neuron

nerve cell that send messages from brain and spinal cord to other parts of body; also called motor neurons

Effector

an organ (a gland or muscle) that becomes active in response to nerve impulses

Endocrine system

the system of glands that produce endocrine secretions that help to control bodily metabolic activity

Hormone

the secretion of an endocrine gland that is transmitted by the blood to the tissue on which it has a specific effect

Pineal gland

a small endocrine gland in the brain- produces melatonin that helps regulate circadian rhythms and is associated with seasonal affective disorder

Pituitary Gland

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

Thyroid gland

produces hormones that regulate metabolism, body heat, and bone growth

Adrenal gland

tissue located on top of the kidneys that releases adrenaline and cortisol during states of emotional arousal

Pancreas

located partially behind the stomach in the abdomen, and it functions as both an endocrine and exocrine gland. It produces digestive enzymes as well as insulin and glucagon

Ovaries

the female sex glands that store the ova and produce female sex hormones

Testes

male reproductive glands, which produce sperm and testosterone

Zygote

fertilized egg

Identical twins

twins who come from one fertilized egg; twins having the same heredity

Fraternal twins

twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs. They are genetically no closer than brothers and sisters, but they share a fetal environment

Heritability

the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes

Gene

sequence of DNA that codes for a protein and thus determines a trait

Chromosome

a threadlike body in the cell nucleus that carries the genes in a linear order

Turner syndrome

females with only one X sex chromosome who are short, often sterile, and have difficulty calculating

Klinefelter's syndrome

a chromosomal trisomy in which males have an extra X chromosome resulting in an XXy condition; affected individuals typically have reduced fertility

Down Syndrome

a condition of retardation and associated physical disorders caused by an extra chromosome in one's genetic makeup

Genotype

an organism's genetic makeup, or allele combinations

Phenotype

The physical traits that appear in an individual as a result of its genetic make up

Homozygous

having two identical alleles for a trait

Heterozygous

having dissimilar alleles for a trait

Dominant gene

gene that produces the same phenotype in the organism whether or not its allele identical

Recessive gene

gene that produces its characteristic phenotype only when its allele is identical

Tay-Sachs syndrome

recessive trait that produces progressive loss of nervous function and death in a baby

Albinism

the congenital absence of pigmentation in the eyes and skin and hair

PKU

A human metabolic disease caused by a mutation in a gene coding for a phenylalanine processing enzyme which leads to mental retardation if not treated

Huntington's disease

a human genetic disease caused by a dominant allele; characterized by uncontrollable body movements and degeneration of the nervous system; usually fatal 10 to 20 years after the onset of symptoms

Sex-linked traits

traits that are inherited with sex chromosomes

Color blindness

a variety of disorders marked by inability to distinguish some or all colors

normally conscious

what you pay attention to is what you process into perceptions, thoughts, and experiences

attention

state of focused awareness

preconscious

level of consciousness that is outside of awareness but contains feelings and memories that can easily be brought to conscious awareness.

unconscious/subconscious

level of consciousness that includes often unacceptable feelings, wishes, and thoughts not directly available to conscious awareness

nonconscious

the level of consciousness devoted to processes completely inaccessible to conscious awareness