Unit 3 31 Words Flashcards
A complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up chromosomes
DNA
Neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives
Limbic system
Every external influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us
Environment
Areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking
Association areas
Chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues.
Hormones
Neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands.
Motor neurons
An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain’s surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.
EEG
An area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements.
Motor cortex
The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body.
PNS
A molecule that, by binding to a receptor site, inhibits or blocks a response.
Antagonist
A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task.
Pet scan
The interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition
Cognitive neuroscience
A condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain’s two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) connecting them.
Split brain
The subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes.
Molecular genetics
The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy.
Parasympathetic nervous system
Portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields.
Occipital lobes
The brain’s sensory control center, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.
Thalamus
The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles.
Somatic nervous system
The body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems.
Nervous system
The proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes. The heritability of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied
Heritability
Our awareness of ourselves and our environment.
Consciousness
Twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs. They are genetically no closer than brothers and sisters, but they share a fetal environment.
Fraternal twins
The principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks
Dual processing
Tissue destruction. A brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue.
Lesion
A technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. fMRI scans show brain function as well as its structure.
FMRI
The complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism’s chromosomes.
Genome
A random error in gene repelection that leads to a change
Mutation
The biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; segments of DNA capable of synthesizing proteins.
Genes
The study of the evolution of behavior and mind, using principles of natural selection.
Evolutionary psychology
A simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response.
Reflex
The study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change.
Epigenetics
