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| The scientific study of the links between biology (genetic, neural,hormonal) and behavior--that psychological processes. |
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| the neuron's bushy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body |
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| the neuron's extension that passes messages through its branching terminal fibers that form junctions with other neurons, muscles, or glands. |
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| a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system. |
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| a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon |
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| the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse. |
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| the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap between them is called the synaptic gap or cleft. |
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| chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by sending neuron, they cross the gap and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse. they allow electrically charged atoms to enter the receiving neurons. |
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| ranges from 2 mph to 200mph |
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| neurons receive signals from other neurons that either exceed or inhibit stimulation, influencing whether the impulse is continued. |
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| the sending neuron reabsorbs the excess neurotransmitters |
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| natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure |
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| brain chemistry at synapses, often by either exiting or inhibiting neurons' firing. Agonists: amplify normal events, by binding to receptors and mimicing neurotransmitters. Antagonists: bind to receptors and block neurotransmitters. |
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| the body's speedy, electricochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems. |
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| Central Nervous System: the brain and spinal cord. |
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| Peripheral Nervous System: the sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body. |
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| bundled axons that form neural cables connecting the CNS with muscles, glands, and sense organs. |
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| neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the CNS |
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| Neurons that cary outgoing information from the CNS to the muscles and glands |
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| neurons within the CNS that communicate internally and intervene between sensory inputs and motor outputs. |
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| a division of the PNS that controls the body;s skeletal muscles. also called the skeletal nervous system. |
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| a division of the PNS that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart.) is further divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. |
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| sympathetic nervous system |
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| the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations |
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| parasympathetic nervous system |
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| the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy. |
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| a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such and the knee-jerk response. |
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| an information highway connecting the PNS to the brain |
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| 2nd and slower communication system--chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream |
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| chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues. Chemically identical to neurotransmitters. though slower than neurotransmitters because they travel through the blood, they last longer than neural messages. |
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| 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. |
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| the endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands. |
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| tissue destruction. A brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue |
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| the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brain stem is responsible for automatic survival functions. crossover point where nerves connect to opposite side of brain. |
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| electroencephalogram: 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 |
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| 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 taks. |
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| Magnetic resonance imagin: a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue. MRI scans show brian anatomy. |
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| Functional MRI: a technique for revealing bloodflow and therefore brain activity bey comparing successive MRI scans. fMRI shows brain function |
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| the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing |
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| sits at the top of the brainstem. is the brain's sensory switchboard. directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla. |
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| a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal. |
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| the "little brain" at teh rear of the brainstem; functions include some nonverbal learning, processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance. |
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| neural system which includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus, and is located below the cerebral hemispheres. assosciated with emotions and drives. |
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| 2 lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion. i.e. aggression and fear. |
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| a neural structure lying below the thalamus. it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature, sexual behavior), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland and is linked to emotion and reward. |
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| the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information processing center. The thinking crown. |
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| portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments |
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| portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the tope of the head and toward the rear; recieves sensory input for touch and body position |
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| portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields. |
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| portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly about the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear. |
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| an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements. output |
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| area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations. input. |
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| areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, thy are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, speaking, and integrating information. the rest of the cortex we having talked about yet--3/4 of the cortex. found all over the different lobes. |
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| can alter personality, temperament, morals, etc.--example of phineas gage. |
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| impairment of language, usually caused by left-hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (inhibiting speaking) or to Wernicke's area (impairing understanding). |
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| controls language expression; an area in the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involving speech. |
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| controls language reception; a brain area, usually in the left temporal lobe, that is involved in language comprehension and expression |
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| In processing language... |
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| ...the brain operates by dividing its mental functions--speaking, perceiving, thinking, remember--into subfunctions |
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| the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience. |
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| the formation of new neurons |
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| the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them. |
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| a condition resulting from surgery that isolates teh brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) connecting them. helps eliminate seizures. |
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| right vs. left hemispheres |
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| right--perceptual (hand movement, etc.); left--speak, calculate, etc. |
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