| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Biological Psychology | A branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior |
| Neuron | A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system |
| Dendrite | The bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body |
| Axon | The extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages are sent to other neurons or to muscles or glands |
| Myelin Sheath | A layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables a greater speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next |
| Action Potential | A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon, and is generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axon's membrane |
| Threshold | The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse |
| Synapse | The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron |
| Synaptic Gap | The tiny gap at the junction between the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron |
| Neurotransmitters | Chemical messengers that transverse the synaptic gaps betwen neurons, after being released they travel across the synapse and bind receptor sites on the receiving neuron |
| Acetylcholine | A neurotransmitter that among its fuctions, triggers muscle contraction |
| Endorphins | natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure |
| Nervous System | The body's speedy electrochemical communication system, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems |
| Central Nervous System | The brain and spinal cord |
| Peripheral Nervous System | The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body |
| Nerves | neural "cables" containing many axons, that connect the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs |
| Sensory Neurons | Neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system |
| Interneurons | Central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory imputs and motor outputs |
| Motor Neurons | The neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands |
| Somatic Nervous System | The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles |
| Autonomic Nervous System | The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs |
| Sympathetic Nervous System | The divison of the autonomic nervous system that aroused the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations |
| Parasympathetic Nervous System | The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy |
| Reflex | A simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response |
| Neural Networks | Interconnected neural cells that, with experience can learn as feedback strengthens or inhibits connections that produce certain results |
| Lesion | Tissue destruction |
| Electroencephalogram (EEG) | An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweeps across the brain's surface, which are measured by electrodes placers on the scalp |
| CT(computed tomography) Scan | A series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body (CAT Scan) |
| PET(positron emission tomography) Scan | A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task |
| MRI(magnetic resonance imaging) | A technigue that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue |
| Brainstem | The oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells and enters the skull, and it is responsible for automatic survival functions |
| Medulla | The base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing |
| Reticular Formation | A nerve network in the brainstem that plays and important role in controlling arousal |
| Thalamus | The brain's sensory switchboard, located on the top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla |
| Cerebellum | The "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; it helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance |
| Limbic System | A doughnut-shapes system of neural structures at the bored of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions like fear and aggress |
| 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 are not neurons but that support, nourish, and protect neurons |
| 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 |
| Parietal Lobes | The portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; includes the sensory cortex |
| Occipital Lobes | The portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas, which receive visual information from the opposite visual field |
| Temporal Lobes | The portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each of which receives auditory information primarily from the opposite ear |
| Motor Cortex | An area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements |
| Sensory Cortex | The area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body sensations |
| 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 learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking |
| Aphasia | Impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area or to Wernicke's area |
| Broca's Area | An area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech |
| Wernicke's Area | A brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe |
| Plasticity | The brain's capacity for modification, as evident in brain reorganization following damage and in experiments on the effects of brain development |
| Corpus Callosum | The large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them |
| Split Brain | A condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connected fibers between them |
| Endocrine System | The body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream |
| Hormones | Chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect another |
| Adrenal Glands | A pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys; they secrete the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine which help to arouse the body in times of stress |
| Pituitary Gland | The endocrine system's most influential gland; under the influence of the hypothalamus, it regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands |
| Amygdala | Two almond-shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion |
| Hypothalamus | A neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities, helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion |
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