Studied by 50 peoplebiological psychologists
the scientific study of the links between biological and psychological processes.
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. “antenna”
axon
the neuron extension that passes and electrical messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands.
myelin sheath
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-nothing response
a neuron's reaction of either firing or not firing.
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.
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
nerves
bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs.
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
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)
Reflexes
simple, automatic responses to sensory stimuli, such as the knee-jerk response
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
Adrenal glands
a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress
Pituitary gland
"THE MASTER GLAND" the endocrine system's most influential gland under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands
Lesion
tissue destruction. It can occur naturally or experimentally by the caused distruction/remove of brain tissues
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.
MEG (magnetoencephalography)
a brain imaging technique that measures magnetic fields from the brain’s natural electrical activity.
CT (computed tomography) scan
a series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representaion of a slice through the body. Aslo called a CAT scan
(PET) Positron emission tomography scan
A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task.
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
a TECHNIQUE THAT USES MAGNETIC FIELDS AND RADIO WAVES TO PRODUCE COMPUTER generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissues.
fMRI (functional MRI)
A technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. fMRI scans show brain function.
Brainstem
the oldest part and central core of brain. AKA reticular formation, or reticular activating system. In charge of automatic survival functions
Medulla
The base of the brainstem. Controls heartbeat and breathing.
Pons
regulates several functions including hearing, equilibrium, taste and facial sensations and movement
Thalamus
the brains 'sensory switch board' Located at top of brainstem; directs messages to the sensory areas and transmits them to cerebellum and medulla.
Reticular Formation
nerve network in the brainstem that acts like a messenger & plays an important role in controlling arousal (help focus)
Cerebellum
"little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions including processing sensory input, coordinating movement output and balance, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory.
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.
Amygdala
2Lima bean sized neural clusters in the limbic system, linked to emotion. Includes rage and fear.
Hippocampus
Limbic system. Learning and memory matcher.
hypothalamous
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.
Cerebral cortex
Fabric of interconnected neuron cells. Higher order thinking. Takes meaning and puts it to focus. The body's ultimate control and information-processing center.
Glial Cells
Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons.
Frontal Lobes
the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements.
Parietal lobes
The portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; includes the sensory cortex. Receives sensory input for touch and body position.
Occipital lobes
the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas, which receive visual info from the opposite visual feild.
Temporal lobes
The portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughyl above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each of which revieves aditory info primarily from the opposite end.
motor cortex
an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements.
somatosensory cortex
the area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations.
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
Plasticity
The brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience.
functional plasticity
move function of one damaged area to another undamaged area
structural plasticity
change physical structure as a result of learning
Neurogenesis
Formation of new neurons
Corpus Callosum
Large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them.
Split Brain
A conditioning resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers connecting them.
Consciousness
our awareness of ourselves and our environment.
Cognitive Neuroscience
The interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition. (including perception, thinking, memory and language.)
Dual Processing
a phenomenon can occur in two different ways, or as a result of two different processes, The principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks
blindsight
a condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it
parallel processing
processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously; generally used to process well-learned information or to solve easy problems
sequential processing
processing one aspect of a problem at a time; generally used to process new information or to solve difficult problems
behavior genetics
the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior
heredity
the genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring.
environment
every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us, Every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us.
chromosomes
threadlike structure made of DNA molecules that contain the genes
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
(deoxyribonucleic acid) a complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes
genes
the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; segments of DNA capable of synthesizing a protein
genome
the complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism's chromosomes
identical twins (monozygotic)
twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms
fraternal twins (dizygotic)
twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs; no genetically closer than brothers and sisters, but they share a fetal environment
heritability
the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes; this may vary depending on population range and the environment being studied
interaction
the interplay that occurs when the effect of one factor (such as environment) depends on another factor (such as heredity)
molecular genetics
the subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes.
molecular behavior genetics
the study of how the structure and function of genes interact with our environment to influence behavior.
epigenetics
The study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change.
evolutionary psychologists
The study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection.
natural selection
the principle that, among range of inherited trait variations, those that lead to increased reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations
mutations
A random error in gene replication that leads to a change
soma (cell body)
the part of a neuron that contains the nucleus; the cell’s life-support center.
social script
a culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations
prefrontal cortex
the cerebral cortex covering the front part of the frontal lobe, implicated in planning complex cognitive behavior, personality expression, decision-making, and moderating social behaviour
broca’s area
speech production and language comprehension
visual association cortex
responsible for recognizing lines, angles, shapes, shadows, and movements
wernicke's area
the language area that is responsible for comprehending spoken word as well as formulating written and spoken language
Case study
A research design involving an in-depth and detailed examination of a single subject, or case, usually an individual or a small groupau
Prefrontal Lobotomy
surgical procedure that severs fibers connecting the frontal lobes of the brain from the underlying thalamus
hemispherectomy
brain surgery used to treat behavioral disorders/illnesses by removing half of the brain
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / TMS.
a new technique that permits scientists to temporarily enhance or depress activity in a specific area of the brain
Acetylcholine
"movement & memory" a very widely distributed excitatory neurotransmitter that triggers muscle contraction and excretion of certain hormones
Serotonin
"mood" / “happiness” a neurotransmitter that regulates sleep, mood, appetite, and body temperature
Dopamine
"reward" A neurotransmitter involved in mood, movement, attention, and learning
Norepinephrine
"fight, flight, or freeze" A neurotransmitter important in controlling alertness, wakefulness, mood, and attention
GABA
"calming" the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the nervous system
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