front 1 biological psychology | back 1 a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology & behavior |
front 2 neuron | back 2 a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system |
front 3 sensory neuron | back 3 a neuron that carries incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord |
front 4 motor neurons | back 4 neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands |
front 5 interneurons | back 5 neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and the motor outputs |
front 6 dendrite | back 6 bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body |
front 7 axon | back 7 the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands |
front 8 myelin sheath | back 8 a layer of fatty tissue encasing the fibers of many neurons |
front 9 action potential | back 9 a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon |
front 10 phrenology | back 10 ill-fated theory that claimed bumps on the skull could reveal our mental abilities and character traits |
front 11 threshold | back 11 level of stimulation needed to trigger a neiral impulse |
front 12 synapse | back 12 junction between axon tip of sending neuron and dendrite or cell body of receiving neuron |
front 13 neurotransmitters | back 13 chemical messengers that cross synaptic gaps between neurons |
front 14 reuptake | back 14 neurotransmitters reabsorption by the sending neuron |
front 15 endorphins | back 15 "morphine within"; natural, opiatlike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure |
front 16 nervous system | back 16 body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems |
front 17 central nervous system | back 17 brain and spinal cord |
front 18 peripheral nervous system | back 18 sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body |
front 19 nerves | back 19 bundled axons that form neural cables connecting the CNS with muscles, glands , and sensory organs |
front 20 somatic nervous system | back 20 division of PNS that controls the body's skeletal muscles |
front 21 autonomic nervous system | back 21 part of PNS that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs |
front 22 sympathetic nervous system | back 22 division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations |
front 23 parasympathetic nervous system | back 23 division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy |
front 24 reflex | back 24 a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus |
front 25 lesion | back 25 tissue destruction |
front 26 EEG | back 26 amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brains surface |
front 27 PET scan | back 27 visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task |
front 28 MRI | back 28 a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue |
front 29 fMRI | back 29 technique for revealing blood flow and brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans |
front 30 brainstem | back 30 oldest and central core of the brine, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skulls' life-preserving functions |
front 31 medulla | back 31 base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing rate |
front 32 reticular formation | back 32 nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal |
front 33 thalamus | back 33 brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of brainstem |
front 34 cerebellum | back 34 the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; controls balance |
front 35 limbic system | back 35 neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres |
front 36 amygdala | back 36 lima bean sized neural clusters in limbic system that control emotions |
front 37 hypothalamus | back 37 lies below thalamus; linked with maintenance activities, endocrine system, emotion, and reward |
front 38 cerebral cortex | back 38 intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; body's ultimate control and information-processing center |
front 39 glial cells | back 39 cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons |
front 40 frontal lobes | back 40 lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking, muscle movements, decisions, and judgement |
front 41 parietal lobes | back 41 lying at the top of the head; receives sensory input for touch and body position |
front 42 occipital lobes | back 42 back of the head; receives information from the visual fields |
front 43 temporal lobes | back 43 located just above the ears; controls auditory areas |
front 44 motor cortex | back 44 area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements |
front 45 sensory cortex | back 45 area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations |
front 46 association areas | back 46 areas of the cerebral cortex not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking |
front 47 plasticity | back 47 brain's ability to change, especially during childhood |
front 48 endocrine system | back 48 body's slow chemical communication system; set of glands that secretes hormones into the bloodstream |
front 49 hormones | back 49 chemical messengers that are manufactured by endocrine glands, travel through bloodstream, and affect other tissues |
front 50 adrenal glands | back 50 a pair of glands found above kidneys and secrete hormones that arouse body in times of stress |
front 51 pituitary gland | back 51 endocrine system's most influential gland, regulates growth and other endocrine glands |
front 52 corpus callosum | back 52 large band of neural fibers connecting two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them |
front 53 split brain | back 53 a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fivers connecting them |
front 54 neurogenesis | back 54 the formation of new neurons |