topic 2a- biological facotrs

Question 1

biological psychology

Answer 1

a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior

Question 2

neuron

Answer 2

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

Question 3

dendrite (think antlers- top of the body)

Answer 3

the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell bod

Question 4

axon

Answer 4

the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fivers through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands

Question 5

myelin sheath

Answer 5

a layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fivers of many neurons(literally just fat); enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the pulse hops from one node to the next

Question 6

action potential (action- wants to happen first) (neural impulse)

Answer 6

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

Question 7

threshold (gripping and then releasing)

Answer 7

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

Question 8

synapse(nap- open space)

Answer 8

open space between two neurons at which neurotransmitters cross

Question 9

neurotransmitters (transmit- carry on message)

Answer 9

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. when released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to the receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse

Question 10

acetylcholine (ACh)- (has to do with Alzheimer’s)

Answer 10

a neurotransmitter involved in learning, memory, and muscle contraction

Question 11

endorphins

Answer 11

“morphine within” - natural, opiate like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure

Question 12

nervous system

Answer 12

the body’s speedy electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems

Question 13

central nervous systems (CNS)- (central/ center of body aka the spine)

Answer 13

the brain and spinal cord

Question 14

peripheral nervous system (PNS) - (peripheral– can see around you… the body connecting to the outside world)

Answer 14

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body

Question 15

nerves

Answer 15

bundled axons that form neural cables connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense of organs

Question 16

sensory neurons- (recieve and carry incoming messgaes)

Answer 16

neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

Question 17

motor neurons- (neurons that help you move like muscles)

Answer 17

neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands

Question 18

interneurons- (neurons within the brain/spinal cord)

Answer 18

neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between sensory inputs and motor outputs

Question 19

somatic nervous system

Answer 19

the division of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) that controls the body’d skeletal muscles. also called the skeletal nervous system

Question 20

autonomic nervous system

Answer 20

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.

Question 21

sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight- blood pressure, breathing rates… controls bodys moments in increasing and decreasing when needed)

Answer 21

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations

Question 22

parasympathetic nervous system- (saves engergy.. puts a stop to the message)

Answer 22

the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

Question 23

reflex- (sensory movement like knee-jerk response)

Answer 23

a simple automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response

Question 24

neural networks (changing how neurons/ synapses work)

Answer 24

an artificial network or mathematical model for information processing based on how neurons and synapses work in the human brain

Question 25

endocrine system (slow communication)… endo- “in da” blood stream

Answer 25

the body’s “slow” chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the blood stream

Question 26

hormones (chemical messages making your mood positive or negative)

Answer 26

chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues

Question 27

adrenal glands (endocrine- sit above kidneys)

Answer 27

a pair of endocrine glads that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and nor-epinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress

Question 28

pituitary gland (most infuential gland)… regulates growth

Answer 28

the endocrine systems most influential gland. under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands

Question 29

lesion (tissue destruction)

Answer 29

tissue destruction; a brain lesion is a naturally of experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue

Question 30

electroencephalogram(EEG)- (recording of activity waves within the brains surface)… electro-electricity- recording waves

Answer 30

an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain’s surface. these waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp

Question 31

positron emission tomography scan

Answer 31

used to evaluate cerebral metabolism and blood flow as well as the binding and transport of neurotransmitter system in the brain

Question 32

magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) (magnetic fields) create computer generated images for soft tissue

Answer 32

a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue

Question 33

fMRI (functional MRI)

Answer 33

a technique for revealing blood-flow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI

Question 34

brainstem

Answer 34

the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; is responsible for automatic survival functions

Question 35

medulla

Answer 35

the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

Question 36

reticular formation

Answer 36

a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal

Question 37

thalamus

Answer 37

the brain’s sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory reviving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

Question 38

cerebellum

Answer 38

the “little brain” at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordination movement output and balance

Question 39

limbic system(donut shaped neural system)

Answer 39

donut-shaped neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives

Question 40

amygdala-

Answer 40

two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion

Question 41

hypothalamus

Answer 41

a neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward

Question 42

cerebral cortex

Answer 42

the intricate fabic of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebra hemispheres; the body’s ultimate control and information-processing center

Question 43

glial cells

Answer 43

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish and protect neurons

Question 44

frontal lobes

Answer 44

portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements

Question 45

parietal lobes

Answer 45

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position

Question 46

occipital lobes

Answer 46

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields

Question 47

temporal lobes

Answer 47

portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear

Question 48

motor cortex

Answer 48

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

Question 49

sensory cortex

Answer 49

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

Question 50

association areas

Answer 50

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in high mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

Question 51

aphasia

Answer 51

impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either Broca’s area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke’s area (impairing understanding

Question 52

brosca’s area

Answer 52

controls language expression- an area, usually in the left frontal lobs, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech

Question 53

werincke’s area

Answer 53

controls language reception- a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobes

Question 54

plasticity

Answer 54

the brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

Question 55

corpus callosum

Answer 55

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

Question 56

spilt brain

Answer 56

a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain’s two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum connecting them)