Ch 3 - Vocab Flashcards
Physiological explanation
Describes the mechanisms that produce a behavior.
Developmental explanation
deals with changes over age
Neurons
enormous number of separate cells
Glia
which support the neurons in many ways such as insulating them, synchronizing activity among neighboring neurons, and removing waste products.
cell body
contains the nucleus of the cell
dendrites
widely branching structures that receive input from other neurons
axon
a single, long, thin, straight fiber with branches near its tip
myelin
an insulating sheath that speeds up the transmission of impulses along an axon.
action potential
an excitation that travels along an axon at a constant strength, no matter how far it must travel
What a rule of an axon transmitting?
An axon transmits information to other cells, and the dendrites or cell body receives that information. That information can either be excitatory or inhibitory.
resting potential
an electrical polarization across the membrane (or covering) of an axon.
Synapse
The specialized junction between one neuron and another, a neuron releases a chemical that either excites or inhibits the next neuron.
terminal bourton
a little bulge at the end of a typical axon.
neurotransmitter
a chemical that activates receptors on other neurons
postsynaptic neuron
the neuron on the receiving end of the synapse.
Parkinson’s disease
a condition that affects about 1% of people over the age of 50. The main symptoms are difficulty in initiating voluntary movement, slow movement, tremors, rigidity, and depressed mood.
dopamine
a neurotransmitter
psychoactive drugs
have analogous effects on behavior. They enhance certain experiences, weaken others, and garble thinking and speech by their effects on synapses.
Stimulants
Drugs that increase energy, alertness, and activity.
Depressants
drugs that decrease arousal, such as alcohol and anxiolytics (anxiety-reducing drugs).
alcohol
a class of molecules that includes methanol, ethanol, propyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), and others.
anxiolytic drugs, tranquilizers
help people relax
narcotics
drugs that produce drowsiness, insensitive to pain, and decreased responsiveness.
Opiates
natural drugs derived from the opium poppy or synthetic drugs with a chemical structure resembling natural opiates.
Endorphins
bind to the opiate receptors
Hallucinogens
drugs that induce sensory distortions
MDMA, Ecstasy
produces stimulant effects similar to amphetamine at low doses and hallucinogenic effects similar to LSD at higher doses
Central nervous system
the brain and the spinal cord
peripheral nervous system
bundles of nerves between the spinal cord and the rest of the body
somatic nervous system
connects to the skin and muscles
autonomic nervous system
connects to the heart, stomach, and other organs
hemispheres
left and right
cerebral cortex
outer covering of the fore-brain
occipital lobe
rear of the head, is specialized for vision
temporal lobe
of each hemisphere, located toward the left and right sides of the head, is the main area for hearing and some of the complex aspects of vision.
amygdala
a sub-cortical structure deep within the temporal lobe, responds strongly to emotional situations
parietal lobe
just anterior (forward) from the occipital lobe, is specialized for the body senses, including touch, pain, temperature, and awareness of the location of body parts in space
the somatosensory cortex
a strip in the anterior portion of the parietal lobe, has cells sensitive to touch in different body areas
frontal lobe
at the anterior (forward) pole of the brain
primary motor cortex
important for the planned control of fine movements
prefrontal cortex
anterior sections of the frontal lobe
mirror neurons
are active when you make a movement and also when you watch someone else make a similar movement
hypothalamus
located just below the thalamus, is important for hunger, thirst, temperature regulation, sex, and other motivated behaviors
pons and medulla
which control the muscles of the head (e.g., for chewing, swallowing, breathing, and talking).
spinal cord
which controls the muscles from the neck down
reflex
a rapid, automatic response to a stimulus
cerebellum
part of the hind-brain
electroencephalograph (EEG)
uses electrodes on the scalp to record rapid changes in brain electrical activity
Positron-emission tomography (PET)
records radioactivity of various brain areas emitted from injected chemicals
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
uses magnetic detectors outside the head to compare the amounts of hemoglobin with and without oxygen in different brain areas
autonomic nervous system
closely associated with the spinal cord, controls the internal organs such as the heart
sympathetic nervous system
increase heart rate, breathing rate, sweating, and other processes that are important for vigorous fight-or-flight activities
parasympathetic nervous system
decrease heart rate, increases digestive activities, and in general, promotes activeness of the body that take place during rest and relation.
endocrine system
a set of glands that produce hormones and release them into the blood
Hormones
chemicals released by glands and conveyed via the blood to alter activeness in various organs.
plasticity
change as a result of experience
stem cells
differential cells
corpus callosum
a set of axons that connect the left and right hemispheres of the cerebral cortex
epilepsy
a condition in which cells somewhere in the brain emit abnormal rhythmic, spontaneous impulses
binding problem
the question of how separate brain areas combine forces to produce a unified perception of a single object
