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bio unit Flashcards

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1
Q

central nervous system (CNS)

A

made up of brain & spinal cord; command center

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2
Q

phrenology

A

study of bumps on skulls (discredited)

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3
Q

neuron

A

nerve cell; basic building block of the nervous system

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4
Q

cell body

A

part of neuron that contains the nucleus

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5
Q

dendrite

A

receives & integrates messages; conducts messages TOWARDS the cell body

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6
Q

axon

A

passes messages through its branches to other neurons, muscles, or glands

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7
Q

myelin sheath

A

fatty tissue layer that segmentally encases the axons of some neurons; enables greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one mode to the next

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8
Q

glial cells

A

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, & protect neurons; also play a role in learning, thinking, & memory; cannot survive on their own

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9
Q

action potential

A

neural impulse (message); brief electrical charge that travels down its axon

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10
Q

does a resting axon’s interior mostly have a mostly negative or a mostly positive charge?

A

mostly negative

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11
Q

positive-outside & negative-inside of an axon is called

A

resting potential

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12
Q

an axon’s surface is

A

selectively permeable

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13
Q

loss of inside/outside charge difference is called

A

depolarization

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14
Q

threshold

A

level of stimulation required to trigger a neural response; occurs when excitatory signals exceed inhibitory signals

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15
Q

refractory period

A

short resting period in neural processing that occurs after a neuron has fired

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16
Q

neuron’s reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not firing

A

all or none response

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17
Q

synapse

A

junctions between the axon tip of one neuron & the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron

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18
Q

synaptic gap/cleft

A

gap at the synapse

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19
Q

neurotransmitters

A

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gap. travel across the synapse & bind to receptor sites of the receiving neuron. influences whether that neuron generates a neural impuls

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20
Q

reuptake

A

neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron

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21
Q

acetylcholine (ACh)

A

plays a role in learning & memory; is the messenger at every junction between motor neurons & skeletal muscles

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22
Q

endorphins

A

natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control & pleasure

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23
Q

agonists

A

molecule that increases a neurotransmitter’s action

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24
Q

antagonists

A

molecule that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter’s actions

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25
Nervous system -
the body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network that consists of all the nerve cells of the peripheral & central nervous systems
26
Central nervous system (CNS)
brain & spinal cord; body's decision maker
27
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
sensory & motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body
28
nerves
bundled axons that form neural cables connects the CNS with muscles, glands & organs
29
sensory (afferent) neurons
carry incoming info from the body’s tissues & sensory receptors to the brain & spinal cord
30
motor (efferent) neurons
carry outgoing info from the brain & spinal cord to muscles & glands
31
Interneurons
within brain & spinal cord; communicate internally & process info between the sensory inputs & motor outputs
32
Somatic nervous system
part of the PNS that controls skeletal muscles
33
Autonomic nervous system (ANS)
part of the PNS that controls glands & internal organs
34
Sympathetic nervous system
part of the ANS that arouses the body & mobilizes its energy (fight or flight)
35
Parasympathetic nervous system
part of the ANS that calms the body & conserves its energy
36
homeostasis
steady internal body state achieved by sympathetic & parasympathetic nervous systems
37
neural networks
work groups made up of the brain's neurons
38
spinal cord
connects the PNS & the brains
39
reflex
automatic response to a sensory stimulus (knee-jerk response)
40
Endocrine system
the body’s “slow” chemical communication system, a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
41
Hormones
chemical messengers manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, & affect other tissues
42
Pituitary gland
regulates growth & controls other endocrine glands under the influence of the hypothalamus *MASTER GLAND
43
oxytocin
enables contractions during birth, milk flow, & orgasm
44
epinephrine
adrenaline
45
norepinephrine
noradrenaline
46
Behavior genetics
study of the relative power & limits of genetic & environmental influences on behavior
47
Heredity
genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring
48
Environment
every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people & things around us
49
Chromosomes
threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that hold genes
50
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
complex molecule that contains the genetic info that makes up the chromosomes
51
Genes
biochemical units of hereditary that make up chromosomes; segments of DNA that can synthesize proteins
52
Genome
complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism’s chromosomes
53
Identical (monozygotic) twins
genetically identical organisms
54
Fraternal (dizygotic) twins
genetically no closer than ordinary siblings, but they share a prenatal environment
55
Heritability
proportion of variation among individuals in a group that we can attribute to genes. May vary due to range of populations & environments studied
56
Interaction
interplay that occurs when the effect of one factor (ex. the environment) depends on another factor (ex. hereditary)
57
Molecular genetics
subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure & function of genes
58
Molecular behavior genetics
study of how the structure & function of genes interact with our environment to influence behavior
59
Epigenetics
study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change
60
lesion
tissue destruction
61
eEEG (electroencephalogram)
is a readout of electrical waves in your brain; measured by electrodes on scalp
62
MEG (magnetoencephalography)
allows researchers to understand how certain tasks influence brain activity
63
CT scan
reveals brain damage
64
PET (positron emission tomography) scan
tracks the gamma rays from the glucose as the task is carried out
65
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan
shows images of soft tissue in brain
66
fMRIs (functional MRI)
watches blood flow in the brain
67
Brainstem
central core of the brain responsible for automatic survival functions
68
Medulla
base of the brainstem that controls heartbeat & breathing
69
Thalamus
directs messages to sensory receiving areas in the cortex & replies to the cerebellum & medulla
70
Reticular formation
nerve network that travels through the brainstem into the thalamus & plays an important role in arousal
71
Cerebellum
“little brain” at the back of the brainstem; processes sensory input, coordinates movement output & balance, enables nonverbal learning & memory
72
Limbic system
neural system that includes the hypothalamus, amygdala, & hippocampus
73
Amygdala
linked to emotion, processes fear & aggression
74
Hypothalamus
directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temp.), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary, & is linked to emotion & reward
75
Hippocampus
helps process for storing explicit (conscious) memories of facts & events
76
Cerebral cortex
intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres’ the body’s ultimate control & information-processing center
77
Frontal lobes
involved in speaking, muscle movements, making plans & judgements
78
Parietal lobes
receives sensory input for touch & body position
79
Occipital lobes
receives info from visual fields
80
Temporal lobes
included auditory areas; mainly receives info from the opposite ear
81
Temporal lobes
included auditory areas; mainly receives info from the opposite ear
82
Motor cortex
area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements
83
Somatosensory cortex
registers & processes body touch & movement sensations
84
Association areas
parts of the cerebral cortex not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; instead are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, thinking, speaking, etc
85
Phineas Gage injured his...?
frontal lobes
86
Broca's area
speaking
87
Wernicke's area
understanding
88
Plasticity
the brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience
89
Neurogenesis
formation of new neurons
90
Corpus callosum
large band of neural fibers that connects the 2 brain hemispheres & carries the messages between them
91
Split brain
condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain’s 2 hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly the corpus callosum) that connects them
92
Consciousness
our subjective awareness of ourselves & our environment
93
Cognitive neuroscience
interdisciplinary study of brain activity linked with cognition (perception, thinking, language, memory, etc)
94
Dual processing
the principle that info is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious & unconscious tracks
95
Blindsight
condition where a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it
96
Parallel processing
(fast) processing many aspects of a problem at the same time; typically used to process well-learned info or to solve easy problems
97
Sequential processing
(slow) processing one aspect of a problem at a time; typically used to process new info or to solve difficult problems

ap psych (2 decks)

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