Glossary Flashcards
What are the adrenal glands?
They regulate moods, energy levels and the ability to cope with stress, adrenaline and noradrenaline are released.
what does adrenaline do
prepares the body for an emergency by acting on smooth muscles
What does noradrenaline do
alerts the individual to emergency situation
what does brain plasticity
the changes in neural pathways and synapses caused by changes in behaviour, environment and neural processes
what is broca’s area
located in the LH, this brain part processes language by controlling the muscles of the mouth, lips and larynx that control sound
what are circadian rhythms
cycles of behaviour occurring every 24 hours
What are dendrites
neurons have dendrites and information is passed through the dendrites to other neurons
what are excitatory neurotransmitters
these activate other neurons
whats the endocrine system
a set of glands that release chemicals such as hormones into the bloodstream
what are endogenous pacemakers
internal pacemakers that regulate circadian or other rhythms
what are exogenous pacemakers
external pacemakers, such a light and dark, that regulate circadian rhythms, such as the sleep wake cycle
what is the fight or flight response
the rapidly occurring physiological reactions that mobilize the body’s resources to deal with threatening circumstances, eg. increased heart rate
Whats a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Used to examine anatomy of the brain and determine which part of the brain is active and the level of brain activity
what are inhibitory neurotransmitters
these prevent neuronal activity
what are infradian rhythms
cycles of behaviour occurring over a period of time greater than 24 hours, eg. menstrual cycle
what is lateralisation
the theory that the left and right hemispheres of the brain are specialised to do different things
What are motor neurons
neurons which send messages from the brain to the body
what is NREM sleep
stage 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the sleep cycle comprising slow wave, synchronised brain activity but no rapid eye movements
what do the pancreas do
this gland performs both digestive and endocrine functions
what are the peripheral nervous system
this is divided into two sub systems - the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system
whats the function of the somatic nervous system
to regulate the actions of the skeletal muscles
whats the function of the autonomic nervous system
regulates primarily involuntary activity such as heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, and digestion
what does the pituitary gland
the gland just beneath hypothalamus that controls growth and regulates other glands
whats a post-mortem
a way of studying the brain after a person has died
what are relay neurons
these relay information from sensory neurons to motor neurons bypassing the brain
what is REM sleep
the stage of sleep in which desynchronised brain activity and rapid eye movements occur
what do sensory neurons do
these are neurons which send messages from the body to the brain
whats a synapse
the gap between the terminal buttons of one neuron and the next
what are ultradian rhythms
a cycle of behvaiour that repeats itself over a period of less than 24 hoursw
What is the Wernicke’s area
in the left hemisphere, this part of the brain is important for understanding the meaning
