Quizlet Psychology Ch. 2: Neuroscience and Behavior

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  1. Broca's area: controls language expression
  2. Wernicke's area: controls language reception
  3. acetylcholine: neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also triggers muscle contraction
  4. action potential: neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
  5. adrenal glands: pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys; secretes adrenaline and arouses body in times of stress
  6. amygdala: two lima bean-sized neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion
  7. aphasia: impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area or Wernicke's area
  8. association areas: areas of the cerebral cortex not involved in primary motro or sensory functions
  9. autonomic nervous system: part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs; sympathetic, parasympathetic
  10. axon: extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands
  11. brainstem: oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skills; survival functions
  12. central nervous system: the brain and the spinal cord
  13. cerebellum: "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; movement output and balance
  14. cerebral cortex: intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres
  15. corpus callusum: large band of neural fibers connecting two brain hemispheres and carrying mesages between them
  16. dendrite: the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receiv messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body
  17. endocrine system: body's "slow" chemical communication system; set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
  18. endorphins: "morphine within"- natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure
  19. frontal lobes: portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements; personality, judgements
  20. glial cells: cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons
  21. hormones: chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect another
  22. hypothalamus: neural structure that maintains activities (eating, drinkin, body temperature)
  23. interneurons: central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs
  24. lesion: tissue destruction
  25. limbic system: doughnut-shaped system of neural structures associated with emotions such as fear and aggression, and drives such as those for food and sex
  26. medulla: base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing
  27. motor cortex: area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements
  28. motor neurons: neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands
  29. myelin sheath: layer of fatty tissure segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables faster transmissions of neural impulses
  30. nerves: neural "cables" containing many axons
  31. nervous system: body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous system
  32. neural networks: interconnected neural cells
  33. neuron: a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system
  34. neurotransmitters: chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons
  35. occipital lobe: portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; visual areas
  36. parasympathetic system: division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy
  37. parietal lobe: portion off the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; touch and body position
  38. peripheral nervous system: sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body
  39. pituitary gland: endocrine system's most influential gland; regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands
  40. plasticity: brain's capacity for modification, as evident in brain reorganization following damage
  41. reflex: simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response
  42. reticular formation: nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal
  43. sensory cortex: area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations
  44. sensory neurons: neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system
  45. somatic nervous system: division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles' skeletal nervous system
  46. split brain: condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers between them
  47. sympathetic nervous system: division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations
  48. synapse: junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron.
  49. temporal lobes: portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; auditory areas
  50. thalamus: brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem
  51. threshold: level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse