Chapter 5 Psychology
Myelination
The depositing of a fatty sheath around neural axons that insulates them and thereby speeds the transmission of neural impulses.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy
Degenerative brain diseases with symptoms of memory loss, poor impulse control, depression, and eventually dementia
Estrogen
Female hormone responsible for the development of the breasts, female sex organs, and secondary sex characteristics
Maximum life span
Ceiling on the number of years that any member of a species lives; 120 years for humans
Free radical
Chemically unstable byproduct of metabolism that reacts with other molecules to produce toxic substances that damage cells
metabolic syndrome
Combination of risk factors that can lead to heart disease
Orthogentic
Concept that development proceeds from global and undifferentiated states toward differentiated and integrated patterns of response
Proximodistal principle
Concept that growth proceeds from the center of the body to the extremities
Ceophalocaudal principle
Concept that growth proceeds from the head to the tail
Congenital malformation
Defect present at birth that is caused by genetic factors, prenatal events, or both
Menopause
Ending of a woman's menstrual periods and reproductive capacity around age 51
Synaptogenesis
Growth of connections between neurons
Growth hormone
Hormone that stimulates childhood physical growth and the adolescent growth spurt
Centenarian
Individual who lives to be 100 years of age
Celiac
Inherited digestive problem in which gluten triggers an immune response that damages a persons small intestine
Androgens
Male hormone that helps trigger the adolescent growth spurt and development of male sex organs
Pituitary gland
Master gland at the base of the brain that regulates other glands and produces growth hormone
Nerve cell
Neuron
Puberty
Period of biological change that results in an individuals attaining sexual maturity
Catch-up growth
Phenomenon whereby children who have experienced growth deficits grow rapidly and resume their genetically-programmed growth trajectory
synapase
Point at which the axon or dendrite of one neuron makes a connection with another neuron
neurogenesis
Process of generating new neurons across the life span
error theories of aging
Proposal that haphazard processes cause destruction in cells to accumulate and organ systems to deteriorate
Synaptic prunning
Removal of unnecessary connections between neurons in response to experience
Programmed theories of aging
Set of concepts that emphasize the systematic genetic control of aging processes
Lateralization
Specialization of the two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex of the brain
Telomere
Stretch of DNA forming the tip of a chromosome that shortens after each cell division
Reserve capacity
The ability of many organ systems to respond to demands for extraordinary output
Hayflick limit
The estimate that human cells can double only 50 times, plus or minus 10, and then will die.
Endocrine gland
Type of gland that secretes chemicals called hormones directly into the bloodstream
Reflex
Unlearned and automatic response to a stimulus
Hormone replacement therapy
Use of estrogen and progestin to compensate for loss of natural regulatory substances due to menopause
Menarche
a female's first menstrual period
Semenarche
boys' first ejaculation