Psychology: Neuroscience
Nervous system
Body's information system.
motor neurons
CNS sending messages to the body's tissues.
Somatic Nervous System
Controls the movements of the skeletal muscles.
Cerebellum
Enables noverbal learning and memory
Endorphins
Happy chemicals
Limbic system
Processes memory
Dendrites
The bushy part of the cell that recieves information.
Cerebral Cortex
Ultimate control and information processing center.
Synapse
a junction
Reticular formation
a metwork of neurons that extend to the thalamus.
Neural networks
a neuron cluster.
Electroencphalogram (EEG)
amplified tracing of electrical impulses in the brain
CT (computed tomography) scan
an x-ray for the brain.
Sympathetic nervous system
arouses us for defensive action
Reflexes
automatic responses to stimuli.
Corpus Callosum
band of axon fibers that connect the two hemispheres
Split brains
brain after the corpus callosum has been severed.
Central Nervous System (CNS)
brain and spinal cord.
Neuron
brain cells
Nerves
bundles of electrical cables
Parasympathetic nervous system
calms us down
hormones
chemical messengers
Acetylcholine (ACh)
chemical messengers that are vital to learning and memory.
Neurotransmitters
chemical messengers.
Motor Cortex
contols the opposite side of the body
automatic nervous system
controls glands and muscles.
Glial Cells
create myelin and provides nutrients.
PET (positron emmission tomography) scan
depicts brain activity by showing wach area's consumption of glucose.
Lesion
destroying small portions of brain cells
sensory cortex
handles incoming messages.
Aphasia
impared use of language.
Amygdala
influences agression and fear
Myelin Sheath
insulates the axons and the neurons.
Broca's area
left frontal lobe
Wernike's area
left temporal lobe
interneurons
neurons in the CNS only.
Sensory neurons
neurons that information from sensory organs to the brain
association areas
put imputs with stored memories.
Thalamus
recieves all sensory information except smell..
Hypothalamus
regulates hunger, thirst, body temperature, and sexual behavior.
Endocrine system
secreting chemical messengers.
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
shows a detailed picture of the brain's soft tissues.
adrenal glands
stimulates the "fight or flight" response
plasticity
the ability of the brain to regenerate new neurons.
Action Potential
the electrical charge that travels down the axon.
pituitary gland
the master gland.
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
the nerves that link muscles and glands to the CNS.
Axons
the ups of the brain
Brainstem
top of the spinal cord.
