unit 1 part 2 vocab

Question 1

GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid)

Answer 1

A major inhibitory neurotransmitter found widely distributed in both invertebrate and vertebrate nervous systems. It is synthesized from the amino acid glutamic acid

Question 2

Substance P

Answer 2

A neuropeptide that functions as a neurotransmitter in both peripheral and central nervous systems; responsible for pain signals

Question 3

Acetylcholine

Answer 3

(Memory, learning, muscle action, Alzheimers, Myasthenia Gravis)

A major, predominantly excitatory but also inhibitory, neurotransmitter both in the CNS and PNS. Plays an important role in memory formation and learning and is implicated in Alzheimer’s disease in CNS, and mediates skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle contraction and is implicated in myasthenia gravis and other movement disorders in PNS

Question 4

Adrenaline

Answer 4

A catecholamine neurotransmitter and adrenal hormone that is the end product of the metabolism of the dietary amino acid tyrosine. As a hormone, it is secreted in large amounts when an individual is stimulated by fear, anxiety, or a similar stress-related reaction.

Increase heart rate & blood sugar- fight or flight response

Question 5

Leptin

Answer 5

A protein, manufactured and secreted by fat cells, that may communicate to the brain the amount of body fat stored and may help to regulate food intake

Question 6

Ghrelin

Answer 6

A peptide secreted by endocrine cells in the stomach that binds to growth hormone receptors in the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary, stimulating appetite and the release of growth hormone

Question 7

Melatonin

Answer 7

An amine hormone, produced mainly by the pineal gland as a metabolic product of the neurotransmitter serotonin, that helps to regulate seasonal changes in physiology and may also influence puberty

Makes you wanna go sleepy sleepy

Question 8

Oxytocin

Answer 8

A peptide produced in the hypothalamus that can be released by the posterior pituitary gland into the blood, where it acts as a hormone, or into the central nervous system, where it acts as a neurotransmitter and binds to oxytocin receptors to influence behavior and physiology

Question 9

Pituitary Gland

Answer 9

A gland, pea-sized in humans, that lies at the base of the brain and is connected by a stalk (the infundibulum) to the hypothalamus

Homeostasis hormones

Question 10

Reuptake Inhibitors

Answer 10

A substance that interferes with the reabsorption of neurotransmitters by the presynaptic neurons that released them

Question 11

Reticular Activating System

Answer 11

A part of the reticular formation thought to be particularly involved in the regulation of arousal, alertness, and sleep-wake cycles

Question 12

Nucleus Accumbens

Answer 12

One of the largest of the septal nuclei (see septal area), which receives dopaminergic innervation from the ventral tegmental area

a brain structure that plays a central role in reward, pleasure, and addiction (dopamine)

Question 13

Reward Center

Answer 13

Any of various areas of the brain (including areas of the hypothalamus and limbic system) that, upon intracranial self-stimulation (see intracranial stimulation), have been implicated in producing pleasure

Question 14

Cerebral Hemispheres

Answer 14

Either half (left or right) of the cerebrum. The hemispheres are separated by a deep longitudinal fissure, but they are connected by commissural, projection, and association fibers so that each side of the brain normally is linked to functions of tissues on either side of the body

Question 15

Wernicke’s Area

Answer 15

A brain area, usually in the left temporal lobe, involved in language comprehension and expression

Question 16

Broca’s Area

Answer 16

A frontal lobe brain area, usually in the left hemisphere, that helps control language expression by directing the muscle movements involved in speech

Question 17

Prefrontal Cortex

Answer 17

The most anterior (forward) part of the cerebral cortex of each frontal lobe in the brain

Higher order cognitive functions

Question 18

Aphasia

Answer 18

Impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca’s area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke’s area (impairing understanding)

Question 19

Amplitude

Answer 19

Magnitude or extent (e.g., of a stimulus) or peak value (e.g., of a sinusoid wave)

Question 20

Volley Theory

Answer 20

The principle that individual fibers in an auditory nerve respond to one or another stimulus in a rapid succession of rhythmic sound stimuli, whereas other fibers in the nerve respond to the second, third, or nth stimulus

Question 21

Broca’s Aphasia

Answer 21

One of eight classically identified aphasias, characterized by nonfluent conversational speech and slow, halting speech production

Question 22

Wernicke’s Aphasia

Answer 22

Loss of the ability to comprehend sounds or speech, in particular to understand or repeat spoken language and to name objects or qualities

Question 23

Social Jet Lag (Use Google)

Answer 23

The difference between a person’s biological clock and their social obligations, such as work or school schedules

Question 24

Beta Waves

Answer 24

In electroencephalography, the type of brain wave (frequency 13-30 Hz) associated with alert wakefulness and intense mental activity

Question 25

Theta Waves

Answer 25

In electroencephalography, a type of regular brain wave with a frequency of 4 to 7 Hz. Theta waves occur during REM sleep in nonhuman animals, Stage 2 NREM sleep in humans, and the drowsy state prior to sleep onset in newborn infants, adolescents, and adults

Question 26

Somnambulism

Answer 26

A sleep disorder characterized by persistent incidents of complex motor activity during slow-wave NREM sleep

Question 27

Perception

Answer 27

The process by which our brain organizes and interprets sensory information, enabling us to recognize objects and events as meaningful

Question 28

Just Noticeable Difference

Answer 28

The minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time

Question 29

Synesthesia

Answer 29

A condition in which stimulation of one sense generates a simultaneous sensation in another

Question 30

Visual Transduction

Answer 30

The biochemical and biophysical process in which light energy is converted to a neural signal in a photosensitive cell containing a retinal photoreceptor

Question 31

Nearsightedness

Answer 31

A refractive error due to an abnormally long eye: Causing far images to be blurred because the focal point of one or both eyes lies in front of, rather than on, the retina

Question 32

Farsightedness

Answer 32

A refractive error due to an abnormally short eyeball, which causes the image of close objects to be blurred because the focal point of one or both eyes lies behind, rather than on, the retina

Question 33

Bipolar Cell

Answer 33

A neuron with only two extensions—an axon and a dendrite—that run from opposite sides of the cell body

Question 34

Ganglion Cell

Answer 34

A collection of cell bodies of neurons that lies outside the central nervous system

Question 35

Afterimage

Answer 35

The image that remains after a stimulus ends or is removed

Question 36

Dichromatism

Answer 36

Partial color blindness in which the eye contains only two types of cone photopigment instead of the typical three: Lack of the third pigment leads to confusion between certain colors. Red-green color blindness is the most common

Question 37

Monochromatism

Answer 37

A partial color blindness in which the eye contains only one type of cone photopigment instead of the typical three: Everything appears in various shades of a single color

Question 38

Prosopagnosia

Answer 38

A form of visual agnosia in which the ability to perceive and recognize faces is impaired, whereas the ability to recognize other objects may be relatively unaffected

Question 39

Eardrum

Answer 39

A conically shaped membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear and serves to transform the pressure waves of sounds into mechanical vibration of the ossicles

Question 40

Ossicles

Answer 40

Any small bones, but particularly the auditory ossicles: the chain of three tiny bones in the middle ear that transmit sound vibrations from the tympanic membrane (eardrum) to the oval window of the inner ear

Question 41

Auditory Nerve (Use Google)

Answer 41

A nerve that transmits sound signals from the inner ear to the brain

Question 42

Basilar Membrane

Answer 42

A fibrous membrane within the cochlea that supports the organ of Corti

Question 43

Oval Window

Answer 43

A membrane-covered opening in the bony wall of the cochlea in the ear

Question 44

Stereocilia

Answer 44

Fine hairlike structures that protrude from hair cells

Question 45

Pinna

Answer 45

The funnel-shaped part of the external ear that projects beyond the head

Question 46

Auditory Perception

Answer 46

The organization and interpretation of sensory information received through the ear

Question 47

Olfactory Bulb

Answer 47

A bulblike ending on the olfactory nerve in the anterior region of each cerebral hemisphere. This first synapse in the olfactory system picks up excitation from the nose, specifically from the cilia in the olfactory epithelium

Question 48

Olfactory Cilium

Answer 48

A hairlike structure arising from an olfactory receptor

Question 49

Taste Bud

Answer 49

A goblet-shaped structure, each one is a collection of about 50 taste cells arranged like sections of an orange

Question 50

Papilla

Answer 50

Any of the four types of swellings on the tongue. In humans, some 200 fungiform papillae are toward the front of the tongue

Question 51

Gustatory Cortex (Use Google)

Answer 51

The brain has a dedicated area chiefly responsible for perceiving and distinguishing different tastes

Question 52

Gustatory Transduction

Answer 52

The sequence of events involved in converting the detection of chemical molecules into taste signals

Question 53

Umami

Answer 53

Denoting the taste of foods rich in protein (e.g., meats, fish, some vegetables, cheeses), as represented by the taste of monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is used primarily to enhance other flavors (Savory flavor)

Question 54

Oleogustus (Use Google)

Answer 54

Latin term for the taste of fat

Question 55

Somatosensory Cortex

Answer 55

A cerebral cortex area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

Question 56

Gate-Control Theory

Answer 56

The theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The "gate" is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain

Question 57

Phantom Limb

Answer 57

The feeling that an amputated limb is still present, often manifested as a tingling or, occasionally, painful sensation in the area of the missing limb

Question 58

Subliminal

Answer 58

Below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness

Question 59

Priming

Answer 59

The activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response

Question 60

Difference Threshold

Answer 60

The minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. We experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference (or jnd)

Question 61

Ernst Weber

Answer 61

Pioneer or father of experimental psychology. He was the first to conduct true psychological experiments that held validity

Question 62

Pitch

Answer 62

A tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency

Question 63

Middle Ear

Answer 63

The chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window

Question 64

Cochlea

Answer 64

A coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses

Question 65

Inner Ear

Answer 65

The innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs

Question 66

Weber's Law

Answer 66

The principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount)

Question 67

Sensory Adaptation

Answer 67

Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

Question 68

Wavelength

Answer 68

The distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next. Electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short gamma waves to the long pulses of radio transmission

Question 69

Place Theory

Answer 69

In hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated. (Also called place coding)

Question 70

Frequency Theory

Answer 70

In hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch. (Also called temporal coding)

Question 71

Gate-Control Theory

Answer 71

The hypothesis that the subjective experience of pain is modulated by large nerve fibers in the spinal cord that act as gates, such that pain is not the product of a simple transmission of stimulation from the skin or some internal organ to the brain

Question 72

Gustation

Answer 72

Our sense of taste

Question 73

Olfaction

Answer 73

Our sense of smell

Question 74

Kinesthesis

Answer 74

Our movement sense — our system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts

Question 75

Vestibular Sense

Answer 75

Our balance sense; our sense of body movement and position that enables our sense of balance

Question 76

Sensory Interaction

Answer 76

The principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste

Question 77

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Answer 77

The most common form of hearing loss, caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerve; also called nerve deafness

Question 78

Conduction Hearing Loss

Answer 78

A less common form of hearing loss, caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea

Question 79

Nature-Nurture Issue

Answer 79

The longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors. Today's science views traits and behaviors as arising from the interaction of nature and nurture

Question 80

Eugenics

Answer 80

A social and political philosophy, based loosely on Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory and Francis Galton's research on hereditary genius, that seeks to eradicate genetic defects and improve the genetic makeup of populations through selective human breeding

Question 81

Heritability

Answer 81

1. The capacity to be inherited 2. A statistical estimate of the contribution of inheritance to a given trait or function in a population (but not in particular individuals). Heritabilities can range from 0, indicating no contribution of heritable factors, to 1, indicating total contribution of heritable factors. Also called heritability estimate

Question 82

Sympathetic Nervous System

Answer 82

The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy

Question 83

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Answer 83

The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

Question 84

Neuron

Answer 84

A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

Question 85

Twin Study

Answer 85

Research utilizing twins. The purpose of such research is usually to assess the relative contributions of heredity and environment to some attribute

Question 86

Dendrites

Answer 86

A neuron's often bushy, branching extensions that receive and integrate messages, conducting impulses toward the cell body

Question 87

Genome

Answer 87

The complete instructions for making an organism

Question 88

Family Study

Answer 88

Research conducted among siblings, parents, or children to assess evidence for genetic links for characteristics or outcomes, often related to health or disease

Question 89

Adoption Study

Answer 89

A research design that investigates the relationships among genetic and environmental factors in the development of personality, behavior, or disorder by comparing the similarities of biological parent-child pairs with those of adoptive parent-child pairs

Question 90

Axon Terminal Branches (Use Google)

Answer 90

Extensions of an axon that end in axon terminals. These branches are responsible for converting electrical impulses into chemical messages that are then sent to other neurons or cells

Question 91

Epigenetics

Answer 91

Above or "in addition to" (epi) genetics; the study of the molecular mechanisms by which environments can influence genetic expression (without a DNA change)

Question 92

Nervous System

Answer 92

The body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems

Question 93

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Answer 93

The brain and spinal cord

Question 94

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Answer 94

The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body

Question 95

Axon

Answer 95

The segmented neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands

Question 96

Myelin Sheath

Answer 96

A fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons; it enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next

Question 97

Glial Cells (Glia)

Answer 97

Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons; they may also play a role in learning, thinking, and memory

Question 98

Action Potential (Depolarization)

Answer 98

A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

Question 99

Threshold

Answer 99

The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

Question 100

Refractory Period (Repolarization)

Answer 100

In neural processing, a brief resting pause that occurs after a neuron has fired; subsequent action potentials cannot occur until the axon returns to its resting state

Question 101

All-or-None Response

Answer 101

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

Question 102

Synapse

Answer 102

The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or synaptic cleft

Question 103

Neurotransmitters

Answer 103

Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse

Question 104

Reuptake

Answer 104

A neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron.

Question 105

Endorphins

Answer 105

Morphine within — natural, opioid-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure