| 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 busy, 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, thruogh which emssages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands |
| myelin sheath | a layer o fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission 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 |
| 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 synapse junction |
| neurotransmitters | chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons; they bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron |
| acetylcholine | a neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also triggers muscle contraction |
| agonist | mimic neurotransmitters |
| antagonist | blocks neurotransmitters |
| endorphins | natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure |
| nervous system | the body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems |
| central nervous system (CNS) | the brain and spinal cord |
| peripheral nervous system (PNS) | the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body |
| nerves | neural "cables" containing many axons; connect the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs |
| sensory neurons | neurons that carry incoming information from the sense recptors to the central nervous system |
| motor neurons | neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands |
| interneurons | central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs |
| 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 division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses 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 network | interconnected neural cells |
| endocrine system | the body's "slow" chemiacl communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream |
| hormones | chemiacl 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 (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline), 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 will regulate growth and control other endocrine glands |
| lesion | a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue |
| electroencephalogram (EEG) | an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface; waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp |
| 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 technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within the brain |
| brainstem | the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem 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 an important role in controlling arousal |
| thalamus | the brain's sensory switchboard or relay station, located on top of the brainstemp; 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; its functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance |
| 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 and drives such as those for food and sex; includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus |
| amygdala | two lima beansized neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion, specifically fear and aggression |
| hypothalamus | a neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature, sex drive), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is 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 |
| sensory cortex | the area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations |
| frontal lobes | the protion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments |
| 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 |
| occipital lobes | the portion of hte 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 recieves auditory information primarily from the opposite ear |
| motor cortex | an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements |
| 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 |
| aphasia | impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke's area (impairing understanding) |
| Broca's area | controls language expression--an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech |
| Wernicke's area | controls language reception--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 (especially in children) and in experiments on the effects of experience on 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 connecting fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) between them |
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