Unit two vocab Flashcards
Brainstem
the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; it is responsible for automatic survival functions
Behavior genetics
The study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior
Peripheral NS
Sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body
Neuron
a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system
Reticular formation
A nerve network that travels through the brainstem into the thalamus and plays an important role in controlling arousal
Action potential
a neural impulse, a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
Chromosomes
Threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes.
Corpus Callosum
the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them
Mutation
A rare error in gene replication that leads to a change
Hypothalamus
A neural structure line below the thalamus; it direct several maintenance activities like eating, drinking, body temperature, and helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward
Neurotransmitters
chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, they travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse.
Threshold
The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
Myelin Sheath
A fatty tissue layer sentimentally and casing the axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next
Central NS
The brain and spinal cord
Synapse
The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron
Lesion
Tissue destruction. It is actually occurring or experimentally cause destruction of brain tissue
Interneuron
Neurons within the brain and spinal cord; they communicate internally and process information between the sensory input and motor outputs
MRI
A technique that uses magnetic field and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue. They can show brain anatomy.
Left Hemisphere
part of the brain that primarily responsible for matters of language, symbols, logic, and mathematics and responds to spatial stimuli
Dendrite
Neurons often bushy, branching extensions that receive and integrate messages, conducting impulses toward the cell body
Environment
Every non-genetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us
Association areas
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