AP Psychology Chapter 2 Notecards

Dendrite

the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body

Medulla

Base of brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

Brainstem

Connects the brain to the spinal cord and controls things like your breathing and heartbeat

Neurogenesis

Formation of new neurons

Angular gyrus

Helps with the ability to read and write, located towards the back of the brain

Aphasia

impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area( impairing speaking) or to Wenicke's area(impairing understanding)

Central nervous system

the brain and spinal cord

Amygdala

two lima beansized neaural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion

Endorphins

"morphine within"- natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure

Midbrain

A small part of the brain above the pons that integrates sensory information and relays it upward.

Agonist

Agonist refers to a drug that effectively mimics the action of a natural chemical messenger within the body. An agonist is a substance that binds to a receptor and triggers a response in the cell. An agonist is the opposite of an antagonist in the sense that while an antagonist also binds to the receptor, it fails to activate the receptor and actually blocks it from activation by agonists.

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

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.

Hindbrain

An area of the brain that coordinates information coming into and out of the spinal cord

Antagonist

Antagonist is a term in Neuroscience which is a chemical substance that decreases or blocks the effects of a neurotransmitter.

Hormones- know what they are and which structures secretes which hormones

Chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect anothe

Forebrain

Collection of upper-level brain structures, including the thalamus, hypothalamus, and limbic system.

Neural network

interconnected neural cells. with experience, networks can learn, as feedback strengthens or inhibits connections that produce certain results. computer simulations of neural networks show analogous learning

Autonomic nervous system

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs

Association areas

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking and speaking

Endocrine system: pituitary gland, thyroid, adrenal glands, pancreas, ovaries, and testis.

Glands are located throughout various parts of the human body. These glands take on the critical task of releasing hormones, and as a whole, they are most commonly referred to as the endocrine system. *Note: Use diagrams for individual

Glutamate

Glutamate is an amino acid that acts as a neurotransmitter. Glutamate sends chemical messages in the brain by "exciting" neurons that are sensitive to it. Although it plays a vital role in learning, memory, and brain development, too much glutamate can be toxic. When a person experiences a head injury or stroke, glutamate floods the injured area and kills the neurons by overexciting them, causing brain damage

All or nothing law of neural firing

The all-or-none law is a principle that states that the strength of a response of a nerve cell or muscle fiber is not dependent upon the strength of the stimulus. If a stimulus is above a certain threshold, a nerve or muscle fiber will fire. Essentially, there will either be a full response or there will be no response at all.

Reflex

a simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response

Imaging techniques: PET, MRI, CAT, fMRI

a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task.

Motor cortex

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls coluntary movements

Serotonin

a compound present in blood platelets and serum that constricts the blood vessels and acts as a neurotransmitter.

Split brain procedure

a condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers between them

Limbic system

a doughbut-shaped system of structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as fear and aggression and drives such as those for food and sex.

Blood brain barrier

a filtering mechanism of the capillaries that carry blood to the brain and spinal cord tissue, blocking the passage of certain substances.

Dopamine

a hormone and neurotransmitter of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families that plays a number of important roles in the human brain and body. a compound present in the body as a neurotransmitter and a precursor of other substances including epinephrine.

Norepinephrine

a hormone that is released by the adrenal medulla and by the sympathetic nerves and functions as a neurotransmitter. It is also used as a drug to raise blood pressure.

Myelin sheath

a later of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next

Neuron

a nerve cell; the basic building of the nervous system

Reticular Formation Thalamus

a nerve network that plays a role in controlling arousal

Action potential vs. resting potential

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. the action potential is generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axon;s membrane

Hypothalamus

a neural structure lying below(hypo) the thalamus; it directs several maintainance activities(eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)

a neurotransmitter of the central nervous system that inhibits excitatory responses.

Acetylcholine

a neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also triggers muscle contraction

Glial cells

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons

Interneuron

central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

Neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons. when released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse

Broca's area

controls language expression-an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech

Wernicke's area

controls language reception- a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe

Nerves

neural "cables" containing many axons. these bundled axons, which are part of the peripheral nervous system, connect the central nervous system with muscles, glands and sense organs

Sensory neurons

neurons that carry incoming information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands

Motor neurons

neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands

Hemispheric specialization (aka lateralization)

term used to describe the fact the two hemisheres of the brain are designed to handle specific tasks (Left - logic, language; Right - creativity, spatial reasoning, art, emotion)

Cerebellum

the "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; its functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance

Somatosensory cortex

the area at the front of the parietal lobe that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

Nervous system

the body's speedy, eletrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous system

Plasticity

the brain's capacity for modification, as evident in brain reorganization following damage(especially in children) and in experiments on the effects of experience on brain development

Sympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations

Parasympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

Somatic nervous system

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles. also called the skeletal nervous system

Axon

the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands

Cerebral Cortex

the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information processing center

Synapse

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. the tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or cleft

Corpus Callosum

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

Threshold

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

Occipital/Temporal lobes

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas, which receive visual information primarily from the opposite ear/the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each of which receives auditory information primarily from the opposite ear.

Parietal lobes

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position

Frontal lobes

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements

Peripheral nervous system

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body