Neuroscience Flashcards
Everything psychological—every idea, every mood, every urge is –
biological
Psychologists working from a – study the links between biology and behavior.
biological perspective
Humans are – systems in which biological, psychological, and social-cultural factors interact to influence behavior.
biopsychosocial
Mind located in spherical head
Plato
Mind found in heart
Aristotle
The mind (spirit) and brain were linked in the pineal body
Descartes
Phrenology revealed mental abilities and character traits
Gall
Despite initial acceptance of Franz Gall’s speculations, bumps on the skull tell us nothing about the brain’s –.
underlying functions
Though they are not the functions Gall proposed, different parts of the brain do control different aspects of –,
behavior
Nerve cells conduct electricity and communicate through – across tiny separating gaps
chemical messages
The adaptive brain is wired by –
experience
Neurons are the elementary components of the nervous system—the body’s – electrochemical system.
speedy
Neurons receive signals through branching – and send signals through its axons.
dendrites
Some axons are encased in a – which enables faster transmission.
myelin sheath,
– provide myelin and support, nourish, and protect neurons.
Glial cells
These also play a role in thinking and learning.
Glial cells
If a combined signal received by a neuron exceeds a –, the neuron fires, transmitting an electrical impulse down its axon through a chemical- to-electricity process.
minimum threshold
The neuron’s reaction is an – process.
all-or- none
axon passes – away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, or glands
messages
neural impulse, the electrical signal traveling down the axon like a wave
action potential
– of axon form junctions with other cells
terminal branches
- Neuron stimulation causes a brief change in electrical charge. If strong enough, this produces – and an action potential.
depolarization
- This depolarization produces another – a little farther along the axon.
action potential
As the action potential continues speedily down the axon, the first section has now completely –.
recharged
The neuron receives signals from other neurons;
some are telling it to fire and some are telling it not to fire.
Neurotransmitters travel – pathways in the brain and may influence specific behaviors and emotions.
designated
– affects muscle action, learning, and memory.
Acetylcholine (ACh)
– are natural opiates released in response to pain and exercise.
Endorphins
Drugs and other chemicals affect brain chemistry at – (or via upstream mechanisms)
synapses
Molecule that increases a receptor’s action
agonist
Molecule that inhibits or blocks a receptor’s action
antagonist
something that binds to a receptor
ligand
Influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion (Oversupply linked to schizophrenia. Undersupply linked to tremors and loss of motor control in Parkinson’s disease.)
dopamine
Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal (Undersupply linked to depression. Some drugs that raise serotonin levels are used to treat depression.)
serotonin
Helps control alertness and arousal (Undersupply can depress mood)
Norepinephrine
A major inhibitory neurotransmitter (Undersupply linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia.)
GABA
A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory (Oversupply can overstimulate the brain, producing migraines or seizures, which is why some people avoid MSG, monosodium glutamate, in food).
glutamate
Body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the central and peripheral nervous systems
nervous system
Brain and spinal cord are body’s decision maker
CNS
Sensory and motor neurons connecting the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body for gathering and transmitting information
PNS
Adult brain has about – neurons
86 billion
Brain accounts for about 2 percent of body weight and uses – of energy
20 percent
brain weighs about
3 lbs
