chapter 3 vocab

Question 1

dendrites

Answer 1

parts of a neuron that are specialized to receive information

Question 2

myelin sheath

Answer 2

an insulating layer that forms around nerves, including the brain and spinal cord, made up of protein and fatty substances, allows electrical impulses to transmit quickly and efficiently along the nerve cells

Question 3

action potential

Answer 3

occurs when a neuron sends information down an axon, away from the cell body.

Question 4

refractory period

Answer 4

a resting pause when the neuron pumps the positively charged sodium ions back outside

Question 5

Agonist

Answer 5

a drug that binds to the receptor, producing similar response to the intended chemical receptor

Question 6

Reuptake

Answer 6

a process in which neurotransmitters are sponged up from the synaptic cleft by the presynaptic membrane, reabsorbs

Question 7

Axon

Answer 7

a long, thin fiber that transmits signals away from the soma and to other neurons or to muscles or glands

Question 8

all-or-none response

Answer 8

either the neuron fire or it doesn’t, and its action potentials are all the same size

Question 9

Endorphins

Answer 9

internally produced chemicals in your brain when your body feels pain or stress, produced to help relieve pain, reduce stress, and improve mood

Question 10

Acetylcholine

Answer 10

every move you make depends on this, also contributed to attention, arousal, and memory

Question 11

Interneuron

Answer 11

neurons interconnected by synapses to carry out a specific function when activated

Question 12

Neurotransmitter

Answer 12

chemicals that transmit information from one neuron to another

Question 13

Threshold

Answer 13

if excitatory signals (minus inhibitory signals) exceed a minimum intensity (threshold), combined signals trigger an action potential

Question 13

Antagonist

Answer 13

a substance that interferes with or inhibits the physiological action of another, blocks neurotransmitters’ functions

Question 14

Soma

Answer 14

cell body, contains the cell nucleus and much of the chemical machinery common to most cells

Question 15

axon terminals

Answer 15

small knobs at the end of axons that secrete chemicals called neurotransmitters

Question 16

Synapse

Answer 16

a junction where information is transmitted from one neuron to another, points where neurons interconnect

Question 17

central nervous system

Answer 17

the brain and spinal cord

Question 18

sympathetic nervous system

Answer 18

network of nerves that helps your body activate “fight or flight” response, activity increases when you stressed, in danger, or physical activity

Question 19

Hormones

Answer 19

travel through the bloodstream and affect other tissues, including the brain, influence interest in sex, food, and aggression

Question 20

pituitary gland

Answer 20

a pea-sized structure located in the core of the brain, releases hormones that influence growth

Question 21

sensory (afferent) neurons

Answer 21

axons that carry information INWARD to the central nervous system from the periphery

Question 21

autonomic nervous system

Answer 21

controls our glands and muscles of our internal organs, influencing such functions as glandular activity, heartbeat and digestion

Question 22

adrenal glands

Answer 22

on top of the kidneys, in a moment of danger, the autonomic nervous system orders it to release epinephrine and norepinephrine

Question 23

motor (efferent) neurons

Answer 23

axons that carry information OUTWARD from the central nervous system to the periphery

Question 24

EEG (Electroencephalogram)

Answer 24

by presenting a stimulus repeatedly and having a computer filter out brain activity unrelated to the stimulus

Question 24

endocrine system

Answer 24

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

Question 25

Nerves

Answer 25

where the peripheral nervous system informations travels through axons into the electrical bundles

Question 26

PET scan

Answer 26

depicts brain activity by showing each brain area’s consumption of its chemical field, the sugar glucose

Question 27

Cerebellum

Answer 27

“little brain”, sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance

Question 28

Hypothalamus

Answer 28

a neural structure lying below the thalamus, directs maintenance activity (eating, drinking), linked to emotion and reward

Question 28

Hippocampus

Answer 28

major role in learning and memory, gets affected in a variety of disorders

Question 29

limbic system

Answer 29

loosely connected network of structures roughly located along the border between cerebral and deeper subcortical areas

Question 30

Brainstem

Answer 30

oldest and central core of the brain, responsible for automatic survival functions

Question 30

Medulla

Answer 30

base of the brainstem, controls heartbeat and breathing

Question 30

Lesion
Brainstem - oldest and central core of the brain, responsible for automatic survival functions
Medulla - base of the brainstem, controls heartbeat and breathing
Amygdala - 2 lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system, linked to emotion
fMRI - head is put in a strong magnetic field, aligns the spinning atom of brain molecules
Pons - regulates sleep, arousal, consciousness and sensory processes
CAT scan - examines the brain by taking X-ray photographs that can reveal brain damage
frontal lobes - behind your forehead, way you think, move, remember, social skills, talk, behave, and interact with others
(brain) plasticity - ability to modify itself after some types of damage
occipital lobes - at the back of your brain, visual processing area of the brain
parietal lobes - at the top and to the rear of head, major sensory processing hub for your brain
cerebral cortex - intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres, body’s ultimate control and information processing center
glial cells - found throughout the nervous system that provide various types of support for neurons, nourish and protect neurons
motor cortex - an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements, excitation of the motor neurons
association areas - involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking
sensory cortex - area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations
Aphasia - impairment of language, left hemisphere damage to Broca’s area (speaking) or to Wernicke’s area (understanding)

Answer 30

destroying tiny clusters of normal or defective brain cells, leaving surrounded tissue unharmed

Question 31

Amygdala

Answer 31

2 lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system, linked to emotion

Question 32

fMRI

Answer 32

head is put in a strong magnetic field, aligns the spinning atom of brain molecules

Question 32

Pons

Answer 32

regulates sleep, arousal, consciousness and sensory processes

Question 33

CAT scan

Answer 33

examines the brain by taking X-ray photographs that can reveal brain damage

Question 34

frontal lobes

Answer 34

behind your forehead, way you think, move, remember, social skills, talk, behave, and interact with others

Question 35

(brain) plasticity

Answer 35

ability to modify itself after some types of damage

Question 36

occipital lobes

Answer 36

at the back of your brain, visual processing area of the brain

Question 36

parietal lobes

Answer 36

at the top and to the rear of head, major sensory processing hub for your brain

Question 37

glial cells

Answer 37

found throughout the nervous system that provide various types of support for neurons, nourish and protect neurons

Question 38

association areas

Answer 38

involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

Question 38

motor cortex

Answer 38

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements, excitation of the motor neurons

Question 39

sensory cortex

Answer 39

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

Question 40

cerebral cortex

Answer 40

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

Question 41

Aphasia

Answer 41

impairment of language, left hemisphere damage to Broca’s area (speaking) or to Wernicke’s area (understanding)