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Psychology > Psych-Chapter 3 The Brain And The Nervous System > Flashcards

Psych-Chapter 3 The Brain And The Nervous System Flashcards

(60 cards)

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1
Q

Afferent neurons

A

Nerves that carry messages inward toward the central nervous system.

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2
Q

Agonists

A

Drugs that enhance a neurotransmitter’s activity.

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3
Q

All-or-none law

A

The law that all action potentials have the same strength and speed regardless of the triggering stimulus.

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4
Q

Amygdala

A

An almond-shaped, temporal lobe structure that plays a central role in emotion and evaluating stimuli.

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5
Q

Antagonists

A

Drugs that impede the activity of a neurotransmitter.

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6
Q

Apraxia

A

A serious disturbance in beginning or carrying out voluntary movements.

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7
Q

Aphasia

A

Any of a number of linguistic disorders caused by injury to or malformation of the brain. See also fluent aphasia, no fluent aphasia.

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8
Q

Autonomic nervous system (ANS)

A

The division of the peripheral nervous system that receives information from and controls the internal organs.

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9
Q

Axon

A

The part of a neuron that transmits impulses to glands, muscles, or other neurons.

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10
Q

Blood-brain barrier

A

Specialized membranes that surround the blood vessels within the brain and filter harmful chemicals out of the brain’s blood supply.

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11
Q

Brain plasticity

A

The capacity for the brain to alter its structure and functions.

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12
Q

Brain stem

A

The brain region at the top of the spinal cord that includes the medulla and the pons.

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13
Q

Cell body

A

The portion of the neuron containing the metabolic machinery that keeps cell alive and functional.

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14
Q

Central nervous system (CNS)

A

The brain and spinal cord.

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15
Q

Cerebellum

A

The part of the brain that controls muscular coordination and equilibrium.

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16
Q

Cerebral cortex

A

The outermost layer of the forebrain.

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17
Q

Cerebral hemisphere

A

One-half (left or right) of the cerebrum, the topmost part of the brain.

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18
Q

Contralateral control

A

The typical pattern in vertebrates in which movements of the right side of the body are controlled by the left hemisphere, while movements of the left side are controlled by the right hemisphere.

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19
Q

Corpus callosum

A

The thick bundle of fibers connecting the cerebral hemisphere.

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20
Q

CT (computerized tomography) scan

A

A technique for examining brain structure by constructing a composite of X-Ray images taken from many different angles.

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21
Q

Dendrites

A

The branched part of a neuron that receives impulses and conducts them toward the cell body.

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22
Q

Depolarize

A

In the nervous system, to lose the charge that normally exists across the neuronal membrane.

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23
Q

Efferent neurons

A

Nerves that carry messages outward from the central nervous system.

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24
Q

(EEG) electroencephalogram

A

A record of the brain’s electrical activity recorded by placing electrodes on the scalp.

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25
Endocrine system
The system of glands that release secretions directly into the bloodstream and affect organs elsewhere in the body.
26
Event-related potential (ERP)
Electrical changes in the brain that correspond to the brain's response to a specific event; measured with EEG.
27
excitation threshold
The voltage difference between a neuron's interior and exterior that, if exceeded, causes the neuron to fire.
28
Executive control
Processes such as making plans or overriding habitual responses that let the brain direct its own cognitive activities.
29
Frontal lobe
The area at the front of each cerebral hemisphere; includes tissue crucial for many aspects of planning and controlling thoughts and behavior.
30
Functional MRI (fMRI) scan
A technique for examining brain function by measuring blood flow and oxygen use within the brain.
31
Action potential
A brief change in the electrical charge of a neuronal membrane; the physical basis of the signal that travels the length of the neuron.
32
Glia
A type of cell in the nervous system long believed to provide support function for neurons, recent research indicates glia provide many other functions as well
33
Hippocampus
A temporal lobe structure that plays a pivotal role in learning and forming new memories
34
Hormone
A chemical released by a gland. Hormones travel through the bloodstream and influence functions such as metabolic rate, arousal level, and the liver's sugar output.
35
Hypothalamus
A sub cortical structure that plays a vital role in controlling many motivated behaviors, like eating, drinking, and sexual activity
36
Interneurons
Neurons that are neither Afferent nor efferent but instead carry information from one neuron to another
37
Lateralization
Functions differences between two cerebral hemispheres ex: most right handlers, the left hemisphere is specialized for language while the right hemisphere is better at some visual ad spatial tasks
38
Limbic system
A group of interconnected structures including the hypothalamus the amygdaloid and others that are crucial for emotion, motivation and many aspects of learning and memory
39
MRI magnetic resonance imaging
A neuron aging technique that documents the effects of strong magnetic impulses on the molecules that make up brain tissue. A computer then assembles this information into a picture of the brain.
40
Myelin
A fatty substance that makes up some types of glial cells. These cells wrap around the axon of some neurons providing an insulating myelin sheath around these neurons.
41
Neglect syndrome
The result of certain right parietal lobe lesions that leave a patient completely inattentive to stimuli to her left, including the left side of her own body
42
Neurotransmitters
Chemicals released by one neuron usually pre synaptic neuron which trigger a response in another neuron usually post synaptic neuron the chief means of communication among neurons
43
Occipital lobe
The rearmost area of each cerebral hemisphere, includes tissue crucial for processing visual information
44
Parasympathetic branch
The division of the autonomic nervous system that restores the body's normal resting state and conserves energy
45
Parietal lobe
The area in each cerebral hemisphere that lies between the frontal and occipital lobes, includes tissue crucial for receiving information from the skin senses
46
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
The Afferent and efferent nerves that extend from the brain and spinal chord to connect them with the organs and muscles.
47
Perseveration
The tendency to repeat a response inappropriately, often a result of deficits in executive control caused by prefrontal lesions.
48
PET positron emission tomography scan
A technique for examining brain function by observing the amount of metabolic activity in different brain regions
49
Prefrontal area
The front most portion of the frontal lobes, involved in working memory, strategy formation, and response inhibition
50
Projection areas
Areas in which the brain tissue seems to form a "map" of sensory information
51
Propogation
The spread of action potential down an axon, caused b successive changes in electrical charge along the length of the axon's membrane
52
Refractory period
The time after an action potential during which a neuron's cell membrane is unprepared for the next action potential
53
Resting potential
The voltage difference between the inside and the outside of a neuronal membrane when the neuron is not firing
54
Somatic nervous system SNS
The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the skeletal muscles and transmits sensory information.
55
Sympathetic branch
The division of autonomic nervous system that mobilizes the organism for physical exertion
56
Synapse
The small gap between two adjacent neurons, consisting of the pre synaptic and post synaptic neurons' membranes and the space between them
57
Synaptic reputable
The pre synaptic neuron's process of reabsorbing its own neurotransmitters after signaling so that they can be released again the next time neuron firs
58
Temporal lobe
The areas in each cerebral hemisphere lying below the temples, includes tissue crucial for hearing and many aspects of language use
59
TMS transcribing magnetic stimulation
The technique of applying repeated magnetic stimulation at the surface of the skull to temporarily stimulate or disable a target brain region
60
Visual agnosia
The inability to recognize a visual stimulus despite the ability to see and describe it.

Psychology (3 decks)

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