Unit 2 Vocab Quiz Flashcards
acetylcholine
neurotransmitter both in the central nervous system-plays a role in memory formation and learning and is implicated in Alzheimer’s disease, and in the peripheral nervous system- where it mediates skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle contraction
adrenal glands
a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress
broca’s area
helps control language formation and movement–an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech
cerebellum
the “little brain” at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input, coordinating movement output and balance, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory
circadian rhythm
our biological clock, regular bodily rhythms that occur on a 24-hour cycle
evolutionary psychology
the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection
long term potentiation
an increase in a cell’s firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation; a neural basis for learning and memory
motor cortex
an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements
motor neuron
neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands
myelin sheath
a fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next
occipital lobe
the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head includes areas that receive information from the visual fields
prefrontal cortex
the most anterior (forward) part of the cerebral cortex of each frontal lobe in the brain; functions in attention, planning, working memory, and the expression of emotions and appropriate social behaviors
rem sleep
rapid eye movement sleep; a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur
also known as paradoxical sleep because the muscles are relaxed but the other body systems are active
serotonin
a common monoamine neurotransmitter in the brain; has roles in emotional processing, mood, appetite, sexual desire and performance, sleep, pain processing, hallucinations, and reflex regulation
somatosensory cortex
an area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations
