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bio unit Flashcards

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1
Q

central nervous system (CNS)

A

made up of brain & spinal cord; command center

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2
Q

phrenology

A

study of bumps on skulls (discredited)

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3
Q

neuron

A

nerve cell; basic building block of the nervous system

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4
Q

cell body

A

part of neuron that contains the nucleus

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5
Q

dendrite

A

receives & integrates messages; conducts messages TOWARDS the cell body

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6
Q

axon

A

passes messages through its branches to other neurons, muscles, or glands

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7
Q

myelin sheath

A

fatty tissue layer that segmentally encases the axons of some neurons; enables greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one mode to the next

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8
Q

glial cells

A

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, & protect neurons; also play a role in learning, thinking, & memory; cannot survive on their own

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9
Q

action potential

A

neural impulse (message); brief electrical charge that travels down its axon

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10
Q

does a resting axon’s interior mostly have a mostly negative or a mostly positive charge?

A

mostly negative

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11
Q

positive-outside & negative-inside of an axon is called

A

resting potential

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12
Q

an axon’s surface is

A

selectively permeable

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13
Q

loss of inside/outside charge difference is called

A

depolarization

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14
Q

threshold

A

level of stimulation required to trigger a neural response; occurs when excitatory signals exceed inhibitory signals

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15
Q

refractory period

A

short resting period in neural processing that occurs after a neuron has fired

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16
Q

neuron’s reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not firing

A

all or none response

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17
Q

synapse

A

junctions between the axon tip of one neuron & the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron

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18
Q

synaptic gap/cleft

A

gap at the synapse

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19
Q

neurotransmitters

A

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gap. travel across the synapse & bind to receptor sites of the receiving neuron. influences whether that neuron generates a neural impuls

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20
Q

reuptake

A

neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron

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21
Q

acetylcholine (ACh)

A

plays a role in learning & memory; is the messenger at every junction between motor neurons & skeletal muscles

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22
Q

endorphins

A

natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control & pleasure

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23
Q

agonists

A

molecule that increases a neurotransmitter’s action

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24
Q

antagonists

A

molecule that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter’s actions

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25
Q

Nervous system -

A

the body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network that consists of all the nerve cells of the peripheral & central nervous systems

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26
Q

Central nervous system (CNS)

A

brain & spinal cord; body’s decision maker

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27
Q

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

A

sensory & motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body

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28
Q

nerves

A

bundled axons that form neural cables connects the CNS with muscles, glands & organs

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29
Q

sensory (afferent) neurons

A

carry incoming info from the body’s tissues & sensory receptors to the brain & spinal cord

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30
Q

motor (efferent) neurons

A

carry outgoing info from the brain & spinal cord to muscles & glands

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31
Q

Interneurons

A

within brain & spinal cord; communicate internally & process info between the sensory inputs & motor outputs

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32
Q

Somatic nervous system

A

part of the PNS that controls skeletal muscles

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33
Q

Autonomic nervous system (ANS)

A

part of the PNS that controls glands & internal organs

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34
Q

Sympathetic nervous system

A

part of the ANS that arouses the body & mobilizes its energy (fight or flight)

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35
Q

Parasympathetic nervous system

A

part of the ANS that calms the body & conserves its energy

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36
Q

homeostasis

A

steady internal body state achieved by sympathetic & parasympathetic nervous systems

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37
Q

neural networks

A

work groups made up of the brain’s neurons

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38
Q

spinal cord

A

connects the PNS & the brains

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39
Q

reflex

A

automatic response to a sensory stimulus (knee-jerk response)

40
Q

Endocrine system

A

the body’s “slow” chemical communication system, a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream

41
Q

Hormones

A

chemical messengers manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, & affect other tissues

42
Q

Pituitary gland

A

regulates growth & controls other endocrine glands under the influence of the hypothalamus *MASTER GLAND

43
Q

oxytocin

A

enables contractions during birth, milk flow, & orgasm

44
Q

epinephrine

A

adrenaline

45
Q

norepinephrine

A

noradrenaline

46
Q

Behavior genetics

A

study of the relative power & limits of genetic & environmental influences on behavior

47
Q

Heredity

A

genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring

48
Q

Environment

A

every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people & things around us

49
Q

Chromosomes

A

threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that hold genes

50
Q

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

A

complex molecule that contains the genetic info that makes up the chromosomes

51
Q

Genes

A

biochemical units of hereditary that make up chromosomes; segments of DNA that can synthesize proteins

52
Q

Genome

A

complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism’s chromosomes

53
Q

Identical (monozygotic) twins

A

genetically identical organisms

54
Q

Fraternal (dizygotic) twins

A

genetically no closer than ordinary siblings, but they share a prenatal environment

55
Q

Heritability

A

proportion of variation among individuals in a group that we can attribute to genes. May vary due to range of populations & environments studied

56
Q

Interaction

A

interplay that occurs when the effect of one factor (ex. the environment) depends on another factor (ex. hereditary)

57
Q

Molecular genetics

A

subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure & function of genes

58
Q

Molecular behavior genetics

A

study of how the structure & function of genes interact with our environment to influence behavior

59
Q

Epigenetics

A

study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change

60
Q

lesion

A

tissue destruction

61
Q

eEEG (electroencephalogram)

A

is a readout of electrical waves in your brain; measured by electrodes on scalp

62
Q

MEG (magnetoencephalography)

A

allows researchers to understand how certain tasks influence brain activity

63
Q

CT scan

A

reveals brain damage

64
Q

PET (positron emission tomography) scan

A

tracks the gamma rays from the glucose as the task is carried out

65
Q

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan

A

shows images of soft tissue in brain

66
Q

fMRIs (functional MRI)

A

watches blood flow in the brain

67
Q

Brainstem

A

central core of the brain responsible for automatic survival functions

68
Q

Medulla

A

base of the brainstem that controls heartbeat & breathing

69
Q

Thalamus

A

directs messages to sensory receiving areas in the cortex & replies to the cerebellum & medulla

70
Q

Reticular formation

A

nerve network that travels through the brainstem into the thalamus & plays an important role in arousal

71
Q

Cerebellum

A

“little brain” at the back of the brainstem; processes sensory input, coordinates movement output & balance, enables nonverbal learning & memory

72
Q

Limbic system

A

neural system that includes the hypothalamus, amygdala, & hippocampus

73
Q

Amygdala

A

linked to emotion, processes fear & aggression

74
Q

Hypothalamus

A

directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temp.), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary, & is linked to emotion & reward

75
Q

Hippocampus

A

helps process for storing explicit (conscious) memories of facts & events

76
Q

Cerebral cortex

A

intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres’ the body’s ultimate control & information-processing center

77
Q

Frontal lobes

A

involved in speaking, muscle movements, making plans & judgements

78
Q

Parietal lobes

A

receives sensory input for touch & body position

79
Q

Occipital lobes

A

receives info from visual fields

80
Q

Temporal lobes

A

included auditory areas; mainly receives info from the opposite ear

81
Q

Temporal lobes

A

included auditory areas; mainly receives info from the opposite ear

82
Q

Motor cortex

A

area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

83
Q

Somatosensory cortex

A

registers & processes body touch & movement sensations

84
Q

Association areas

A

parts of the cerebral cortex not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; instead are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, thinking, speaking, etc

85
Q

Phineas Gage injured his…?

A

frontal lobes

86
Q

Broca’s area

A

speaking

87
Q

Wernicke’s area

A

understanding

88
Q

Plasticity

A

the brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

89
Q

Neurogenesis

A

formation of new neurons

90
Q

Corpus callosum

A

large band of neural fibers that connects the 2 brain hemispheres & carries the messages between them

91
Q

Split brain

A

condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain’s 2 hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly the corpus callosum) that connects them

92
Q

Consciousness

A

our subjective awareness of ourselves & our environment

93
Q

Cognitive neuroscience

A

interdisciplinary study of brain activity linked with cognition (perception, thinking, language, memory, etc)

94
Q

Dual processing

A

the principle that info is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious & unconscious tracks

95
Q

Blindsight

A

condition where a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it

96
Q

Parallel processing

A

(fast) processing many aspects of a problem at the same time; typically used to process well-learned info or to solve easy problems

97
Q

Sequential processing

A

(slow) processing one aspect of a problem at a time; typically used to process new info or to solve difficult problems

ap psych (2 decks)

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