Exam 2 Flashcards
Neurons
Nerve cells specialized for communication (transmitting nerve impulses)
Axon
Portion of a neuron that carries nerve impulses away from the cell body
Synapse
A junction (meeting) between two neurons (nerve cells) consisting of a gap across which impulses pass by diffusion of a neurotransmitter
Neurotransmitters
A chemical substance that is released at the end of a nerve fiber by the arrival of a nerve impulse. Moves across the synapse and causes the impulse to move to another nerve fibre.
Post-Synaptic Neurons
Within a neuron that receives the neurotransmitter after it has crossed the synapse and may experience an action potential if the neurotransmitter is strong enough
Post-Synaptic Potential (Graded Potential)
A change in the electrical potential on the membrane of an excitable cell in response to a stimulus
Excitatory Post-Synaptic Potentials
The change in the membrane voltage of a postsynaptic cell following the influx of positively charged ions into a cell
Inhibitory Post-Synaptic Potentials
A kind of synaptic potential that makes a postsynaptic neuron less likely to generate an action potential
Psychopharmacology
Scientific study of the effects of drugs on the mind and behavior
Psychoactive Drugs
A substance that affects how the brain works and causes changes in mood, awareness, thoughts etc.
Cerebral Cortex
Outermost part of the forebrain - responsible for analyzing sensory processing, programming motor movements, and higher brain functions
Frontal Lobe
Contains motor and prefrontal cortex - responsible for motor function, language, memory, abstract thinking etc.
Motor Cortex
Within the cerebral cortex of the brain that is involved in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary movements
Prefrontal Cortex
Within the cerebral cortex of the brain that is implicated in complex behaviors including planning, and largely contributes to personality development
Broca’s Area
Located in the left hemisphere and is specialized for speech and language production
Parietal Lobe
Specialized for touch and perception
Somatosensory Cortex
Registers information from the skin senses, muscles, and joints
Broca’s Aphasia
A type of aphasia characterized by a lack of fluency of speech
Action Potential
The change in electric potential that propagates along the axon of a neuron during the transmission of a nerve impulse
Brain-Mapping
The creation of a visual representation of the brain in which different functions are assigned to different brain regions
Neuropsychology
The study of the relationship between behavior, emotion, cognition and then brain function
Ablation Lesion
Represents the tissue region that has undergone irreversible injury’s
Electroencephalography (EEG)
A test that detects abnormalities in your brain waves, or in the electrical activity of your brain
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
A method used for studiying yhr functions of the brain - uses a powerful magnetic field, radio waves, and a computer to produce detailed pictures of the inside of the body
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
Non-invasive method of brain stimulation that relies on electromagnetic induction using an insulated coil placed over the scalp
Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
A non-invasive medical test that measures the magnetic fields produced by your brain’s electrical currents
Sensation
The detection of physical energy by sense organs which then send information to the brain
Perception
The brains interpretation of raw sensory inputs
Sensation: bottom-up processing
The input/information of sensory information from the external environment is received by the sensory receptors (ex. light waves - touch the corneas - brain processes information)
Perception: top-down processing
Perceptions begin with the most general and move toward the more specific - generally heavily influenced by our expectations and prior knowledge
Perceptual Sets
The relations between a stimulus and its context
Sense Receptors
Specialized cells responsible for converting external stimuli into neural activity
Transduction
The process of converting external energy or a substance into neural activity
Absolute Threshold
This is the smallest level of stimulus that can be detected
Difference Threshold
This is the minimum level of stimulation that a person can detect 50 percent of the time
Semantic Priming
Refers to the observation that a response to a target (dog) is faster when it is preceded by a semantically related prime (cat) then compared to an unrelated prime (car)
