unit 2 Flashcards
(39 cards)
action potential
a brief electrical charge that travels down its axon.
endorphins
(like neurotransmitters )-linked
to pain control and to pleasure.
trigger a positive feeling in the body
dopamine
a chemical released in the brain that makes you feel good
Influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion.
pituitary gland
It regulates growth, metabolism, and reproduction through the hormones that it produces.
MRI
MRI scans show brain structure.
brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans
fMRI
show brain function.
to see which parts of the brain are functioning during different tasks
frontal lobes
just behind the forehead
involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments.
parietal lobes
receives sensory input for touch and body position.
occipital lobes
lying at the back of the head
includes areas that receive information from the visual fields.
temporal lobes
above the ears;
includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear.
brain plasticity
the brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience.
identical twins vs fraternal twins
twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, the same sex and closed personality
twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs.
can be different sex
dendrites
as known as cell body or soma
receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body
axon
the neuron extension that passes messages
through to other neurons or to muscles or glands.
neurotransmitters
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
synapse
receiving neuron– receiving the massage
somatic nervous system
the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles.
associated with the voluntary control of body movements via skeletal muscles.
autonomic nervous system
the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart
including heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and sexual arousal.
sympathetic nervous system
the division of the autonomic nervous system
mobilizing（调动） its energy in stressful situations.
parasympathetic nervous system
the division of the autonomic nervous system
calms the body, conserving its energy.
brainstem
the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions.
It connects your brain to your spinal cord.
Your brainstem sends messages to the rest of your body to regulate balance, breathing, heart rate and more.
thalamus
the brain’s sensory control center
it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.
reticular formation
a nerve network that travels through the brainstem and thalamus
brain systems to coordinate functions necessary for survival
endocrine system
the body’s “slow” chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.
