AP Psychology Chapter 3 - Biopsychology
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jennystirling on May 6, 2012
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82 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Biopsychology | the specialty in psychology that studies the interaction of biology, behavior, and mental processes. |
| Neuroanatomy | the study of the parts and the functions of neurons. |
| Neuron | a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system. |
| Dendrites | rootlike parts of the cell that stretch out from the cell body. |
| Cell body | contains the nucleus and other parts of the cell needed to sustain its life. |
| Axon | the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibres. |
| Myelin sheath | a fatty covering around the axon of some neurons that speeds neural impulses. |
| Terminal buttons | the branched end of the axon that contains neurotransmitters. |
| Neurotransmitters | chemicals contained in terminal buttons that allow neurons to communicate. |
| Synapse | the space between the terminal buttons of one neuron and the dendrites of the next neuron. |
| Action Potential | a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. |
| Sensory neurons | neurons that relay info from the sense organs to the brain. |
| Motor neurons | neurons that carry messages from the brain to the muscles, organs, and glands. |
| Interneurons | neurons that relay messages from sensory neurons to motor neurons in complex pathways. |
| Threshold | the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse. |
| All-or-none response | a neuron's reaction of either firing or not firing. |
| Excitatory | neurotransmitters which excite the next cell into firing. |
| Inhibitory | neurotransmitters which inhibit the next cell from firing. |
| Acetylcholine | a neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also triggers muscle contraction. Linked to Alzheimer's disease. |
| Dopamine | a neurotransmitter that influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion. Linked to schizophrenia and Parkinson's. |
| Endorphins | neurotransmitters that influence pain control. Involved in addictions. |
| Serotonin | a neurotransmitter that affects mood, hunger, sleep and arousal. Linked to depression. |
| Norepinephrine | a neurotransmitter that helps control alertness and arousal. Can lead to depressed moods. |
| GABA | a major inhibitory neurotransmitter. Linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia. |
| Glutamate | a major excitatory neurotransmitter, involved in memory. Linked to migraines and seizures. |
| Central Nervous system | consists of the brain and spinal cord. |
| Peripheral Nervous system | consists of all other nerves inside the body outside of the CNS. |
| Somatic Nervous System | division of the PNS that controls our voluntary muscle movements. |
| Autonomic Nervous System | division of the PNS that controls the automatic functions of our body. |
| Sympathetic Nervous System | divison of the ANS that mobilizes our body to respond to stress. |
| Parasympathetic Nervous System | division of the ANS that's responsible for slowing down our body after a stress response. |
| Reflex | a simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus. |
| Lesioning | the removal or destruction of part of the brain. |
| EEG | an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface. |
| CAT scan | a sophisticated X-ray which uses several cameras that rotate around the brain and combine all the pictures into a detailed three-dimensional picture of the brain's structure. |
| MRI | a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue, allowing us to see structures within the brain. |
| PET scan | a visual display of brain activity that detects what parts of the brain are most active during certain tasks. |
| fMRI | a technique for revealing bloodflow and brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. |
| Hindbrain | consists of structures in the top part of the spinal cord. |
| Brainstem | the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull. |
| Medulla | the base of the brainstem, controls heartbeat and breathing. |
| Pons | connect the hindbrain with the midbrain and forebrain. Are also involved in facial expressions. |
| Cerebellum | attached to the rear of the brainstem, it's functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance. |
| Reticular formation | a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal, and keeping the brain awake and alert. |
| Midbrain | this area of the brain controls simple movements with sensory information. |
| Forebrain | this area of the brain is responsible for what we think of as thought and reasoning. |
| Thalamus | the brain's sensory switchboard. Responsible for receiving the sensory signals coming up into the spinal cord and sending them to the appropriate areas in the rest of the forebrain. |
| Hypothalamus | controls several metabolic functions, including body temperature, sexual arousal, hunger, thirst, and the endocrine system. |
| Limbic system | a doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres, associated with emotions such as fear and aggression. |
| Hippocampus | part of the brain vital to our memory system. |
| Amygdala | two lima bean-sized neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion. |
| Cerebral Cortex | the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center. |
| Glial cells | cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons. |
| Left hemisphere | hemisphere of the brain that gets sensory messages and controls the motor function of the right half of the body. |
| Right hemisphere | hemisphere of the brain that gets sensory messages and controls the motor functions of the left half of the body. |
| Corpus callosum | the nerve bundle that connects the two hemispheres of the brain. |
| Association area | any area of the cerebral cortex that is not associated with receiving sensory information or controlling muscle movements. |
| Frontal lobes | the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead, involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements. |
| Broca's area | area in the frontal lobe responsible for controlling the muscles involved in producing speech. |
| Motor cortex | Thin vertical strip at the back of the frontal lobe that sends signals to our muscles, controlling our voluntary movements. |
| Parietal lobes | the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear, receives sensory input for touch and body position. |
| Sensory cortex | thin vertical strip in the parietal lobe that receives incoming touch sensations from the rest of our body. |
| Occipital lobes | the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head, includes the visual areas. |
| Temporal lobes | the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears, includes the auditory areas. |
| Wernicke's area | area in the temporal lobes that interprets both written and spoken speech. |
| Aphasia | impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to wernicke's area (impairing understanding). |
| The Endocrine system | a system of glands that secrete hormones that affect many different biological processes in our bodies. |
| Pituitary gland | The "master gland" of the endocrine system; it releases a great variety of hormones that fan out through the body, stimulating actions in the other endocrine glands. |
| Thyroid | gland that affects metabolism. |
| Parathyroid | gland that helps regulate levels of calcium in the blood. |
| Adrenal glands | the glands which produce adrenaline, preparing the body for fight or flight. |
| Pancreas | gland which regulates the level of sugar within the blood. |
| Ovaries | glands which secrete female sex hormones (estrogen). |
| Testes | glands which secrete male sex hormones (testosterone). |
| DNA | the genetic material that makes up chromosomes. |
| Genotype | an organism's genetic makeup. |
| Phenotype | an organism's physical characteristics. |
| Genes | a segment of a chromosome that encodes the directions from the inherited physical and mental characteristics of an organism. |
| Chromosomes | threadlike structures consisting mostly of DNA, upon which the genes are organized. |
| Turner's syndrome | caused when a baby is born with only one X chromosome in the spot usually occupied by the 23rd pair. |
| Klinefelter's syndrome | caused when a baby is born with an extra X chromosome, resulting in an XXY pattern. |
| Down Syndrome | caused when a baby is born with an extra chromosome on the 21st pair. |
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