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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

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
Q

Endocrine system

A

The system of glands that release secretions directly into the bloodstream and affect organs elsewhere in the body.

26
Q

Event-related potential (ERP)

A

Electrical changes in the brain that correspond to the brain’s response to a specific event; measured with EEG.

27
Q

excitation threshold

A

The voltage difference between a neuron’s interior and exterior that, if exceeded, causes the neuron to fire.

28
Q

Executive control

A

Processes such as making plans or overriding habitual responses that let the brain direct its own cognitive activities.

29
Q

Frontal lobe

A

The area at the front of each cerebral hemisphere; includes tissue crucial for many aspects of planning and controlling thoughts and behavior.

30
Q

Functional MRI (fMRI) scan

A

A technique for examining brain function by measuring blood flow and oxygen use within the brain.

31
Q

Action potential

A

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
Q

Glia

A

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
Q

Hippocampus

A

A temporal lobe structure that plays a pivotal role in learning and forming new memories

34
Q

Hormone

A

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
Q

Hypothalamus

A

A sub cortical structure that plays a vital role in controlling many motivated behaviors, like eating, drinking, and sexual activity

36
Q

Interneurons

A

Neurons that are neither Afferent nor efferent but instead carry information from one neuron to another

37
Q

Lateralization

A

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
Q

Limbic system

A

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
Q

MRI magnetic resonance imaging

A

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
Q

Myelin

A

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
Q

Neglect syndrome

A

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
Q

Neurotransmitters

A

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
Q

Occipital lobe

A

The rearmost area of each cerebral hemisphere, includes tissue crucial for processing visual information

44
Q

Parasympathetic branch

A

The division of the autonomic nervous system that restores the body’s normal resting state and conserves energy

45
Q

Parietal lobe

A

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
Q

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

A

The Afferent and efferent nerves that extend from the brain and spinal chord to connect them with the organs and muscles.

47
Q

Perseveration

A

The tendency to repeat a response inappropriately, often a result of deficits in executive control caused by prefrontal lesions.

48
Q

PET positron emission tomography scan

A

A technique for examining brain function by observing the amount of metabolic activity in different brain regions

49
Q

Prefrontal area

A

The front most portion of the frontal lobes, involved in working memory, strategy formation, and response inhibition

50
Q

Projection areas

A

Areas in which the brain tissue seems to form a “map” of sensory information

51
Q

Propogation

A

The spread of action potential down an axon, caused b successive changes in electrical charge along the length of the axon’s membrane

52
Q

Refractory period

A

The time after an action potential during which a neuron’s cell membrane is unprepared for the next action potential

53
Q

Resting potential

A

The voltage difference between the inside and the outside of a neuronal membrane when the neuron is not firing

54
Q

Somatic nervous system SNS

A

The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the skeletal muscles and transmits sensory information.

55
Q

Sympathetic branch

A

The division of autonomic nervous system that mobilizes the organism for physical exertion

56
Q

Synapse

A

The small gap between two adjacent neurons, consisting of the pre synaptic and post synaptic neurons’ membranes and the space between them

57
Q

Synaptic reputable

A

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
Q

Temporal lobe

A

The areas in each cerebral hemisphere lying below the temples, includes tissue crucial for hearing and many aspects of language use

59
Q

TMS transcribing magnetic stimulation

A

The technique of applying repeated magnetic stimulation at the surface of the skull to temporarily stimulate or disable a target brain region

60
Q

Visual agnosia

A

The inability to recognize a visual stimulus despite the ability to see and describe it.

Psychology (3 decks)

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