chapter 3 vocab Flashcards

1
Q

dendrites

A

parts of a neuron that are specialized to receive information

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2
Q

myelin sheath

A

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

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3
Q

action potential

A

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

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4
Q

refractory period

A

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

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5
Q

Agonist

A

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

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6
Q

Reuptake

A

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

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7
Q

Axon

A

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

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8
Q

all-or-none response

A

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

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9
Q

Endorphins

A

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

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10
Q

Acetylcholine

A

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

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11
Q

Interneuron

A

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

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12
Q

Neurotransmitter

A

chemicals that transmit information from one neuron to another

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13
Q

Threshold

A

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

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13
Q

Antagonist

A

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

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14
Q

Soma

A

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

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15
Q

axon terminals

A

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

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16
Q

Synapse

A

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

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17
Q

central nervous system

A

the brain and spinal cord

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18
Q

sympathetic nervous system

A

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

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19
Q

Hormones

A

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

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20
Q

pituitary gland

A

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

21
Q

sensory (afferent) neurons

A

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

21
Q

autonomic nervous system

A

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

22
Q

adrenal glands

A

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

23
motor (efferent) neurons
axons that carry information OUTWARD from the central nervous system to the periphery
24
EEG (Electroencephalogram)
by presenting a stimulus repeatedly and having a computer filter out brain activity unrelated to the stimulus
24
endocrine system
the body’s “slow” chemical communication system, a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
25
Nerves
where the peripheral nervous system informations travels through axons into the electrical bundles
26
PET scan
depicts brain activity by showing each brain area’s consumption of its chemical field, the sugar glucose
27
Cerebellum
“little brain”, sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance
28
Hypothalamus
a neural structure lying below the thalamus, directs maintenance activity (eating, drinking), linked to emotion and reward
28
Hippocampus
major role in learning and memory, gets affected in a variety of disorders
29
limbic system
loosely connected network of structures roughly located along the border between cerebral and deeper subcortical areas
30
Brainstem
oldest and central core of the brain, responsible for automatic survival functions
30
Medulla
base of the brainstem, controls heartbeat and breathing
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)
destroying tiny clusters of normal or defective brain cells, leaving surrounded tissue unharmed
31
Amygdala
2 lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system, linked to emotion
32
fMRI
head is put in a strong magnetic field, aligns the spinning atom of brain molecules
32
Pons
regulates sleep, arousal, consciousness and sensory processes
33
CAT scan
examines the brain by taking X-ray photographs that can reveal brain damage
34
frontal lobes
behind your forehead, way you think, move, remember, social skills, talk, behave, and interact with others
35
(brain) plasticity
ability to modify itself after some types of damage
36
occipital lobes
at the back of your brain, visual processing area of the brain
36
parietal lobes
at the top and to the rear of head, major sensory processing hub for your brain
37
glial cells
found throughout the nervous system that provide various types of support for neurons, nourish and protect neurons
38
association areas
involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking
38
motor cortex
an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements, excitation of the motor neurons
39
sensory cortex
area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations
40
cerebral cortex
intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres, body’s ultimate control and information processing center
41
Aphasia
impairment of language, left hemisphere damage to Broca’s area (speaking) or to Wernicke’s area (understanding)