Psych 2: Biology of psychology

Left Hemisphere: language and logic side of brain, controls movement on the right side of the body

Right Hemisphere: Spacial and perceptual tasks, controls movement on the left side of the body

Cerebellum: allows smooth motor movement and balance, non-verbal learning

Medulla: base of brainstem, controls heartbeat and breathing

Pons: Coordinates movement and controls sleep

Reticular Formation: directs stimuli to relevant brain areas, controls arousal

Thalamus: Processes information from all senses except smell and sends them to correct brain areas

The Limbic System: involved in behavioral and emotional responses.

Amygdala: processes fear and threatening stimuli 

Hippocampus: learning and memory 

Hypothalamus: keeps the body in stable homeostasis by managing hormones and the automatic nervous system

Cerebrum: The 2 hemispheres which control perception, thinking, and speaking

Cerebral Cortex: controls higher levels of function like language, memory, intelligence, decision making, emotion, and personality.

Corpus Callosum: Connects the left and right brain and allows them to communicate with each other 

Motor Cortex: directs bodily movement 

Sensory Cortex: receives and processes sensory information from skin senses and movement senses

Broca’s Area: Motor speech, controls speaking and breathing

Wernicke’s Area: Speech comprehension, language, and understanding

Temporal Lobes: left and right lobes process auditory information and memory

Occipital Lobes: left and right lobes responsible for visual perception like color, form, and motion

Parietal Lobes: left and right lobes that process sensory information for touch and body position

 Frontal Lobes: left and right lobes responsible for speaking, muscle movements, planning, and judgment

Prefrontal Cortex: controls emotions, decision making, and personality

CAT Scan: sees brain structure

PET Scan: sees brain function

MRI Scan: a better resolution of brain structure

fMRI: sees brain structure and function 

Dendrites: part of neuron that recieves communication from other cells

Cell Body (Soma): contains nucleus of neuron and controls the cell

Axon: part of neuron that carries information away from cell body

Axon Terminals: Change electrical impulses within a neuron into chemical messages in the form of neurotransmitters

Resting potential: neurons negative charge at rest

Excitatory Signals: generates and promotes action potential in a neuron

Inhibitory Signals: Prevents action potential in a neuron

Threshold: Neuron reaches this energy level before going from negative to positive charge

Action Potential: Neurons “fire” when they reach a threshold and become positively charged

All-or-None Law: Neurons either fire or they don’t, there’s no in between

Synaptic Cleft: the space between a neurons and its target cell

Absolute Refractory Period: neurons need time to reset in between firing

Neurotransmitters: chemical messengers of neurons carrying information between neurons

Reuptake: neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron

Endorphins: pain-reducing neurotransmitter

Acetylcholine (ACh): learning, memory, muscle movement neurotransmitter

Dopamine: reward or pleasure neurotransmitter

Serotonin: mood neurotransmitter

Norepinephrine: alertness and arousal neurotransmitter

GABA: Calming, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, slows down brain activity

Glutamate: excitatory neurotransmitter, increases brain activity, linked to memory

Central Nervous System: brain and spinal cord, quickly transfers information

Cerebrospinal fluid: nourishes/protects the brain

Blood-Brain Barrier: cells that stop chemicals from entering the brain from the bloodstream

Peripheral Nervous System: peripheral nerves all over the rest of the body

Somatic nervous system: a conscious system for sensory input and motor output

Autonomic nervous system: unconscious system, self-regulated internal organs and glands

Sympathetic Division: arousing system, heart beating faster

Parasympathetic Division: calming system, heart slowing down

Hormones: chemical messengers for bloodstream and tissues

Pituitary Gland: regulates bodily functions and growth through hormones

Thyroid: produces hormones to regulate metabolism

Adrenal Glands: release adrenaline

Gonads: part of the reproductive system that produces eggs and sperm

Pancreas: makes enzymes to break down food