| A | B |
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| biological psychology | concerned with link between behavior and biology |
| neuron | nerve cell, basic building block of the nervous system |
| sensory neurons | neurons carrying incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain & spinal cord |
| motor neurons | neurons carrying outgoing information from the brain & spinal cord to the muscles and glands |
| interneurons | neurons within the brain & spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs |
| dendrite | bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body |
| axon | extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands |
| myelin sheath | layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons, greater transimission speed of neural impulses going from one node to the next |
| action potential | neural impulse, brief electrical charge that travels down an axon |
| threshold | level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse |
| synapse | junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron |
| neurotransmitter | chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons |
| reuptake | a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron |
| endorphins | natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure |
| nervous system | the body's speedy electrochemical communications network consisting of nerve cells in the peripheral and central nervous system |
| central nervous system | the brain and the spinal cord |
| peripheral nervous system | sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body |
| nerves | bundled axons that form neural cables connecting the cns with muscles, glands, and sense organs |
| somatic nervous system | division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles |
| autonomic nervous system | part of the peripheral system that controls the glands, it's automatic |
| sympathetic nervous system | part of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations |
| parasympathetic nervous system | division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body conserving energy |
| reflex | simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus |
| endocrine system | body's slow chemical communication system, a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream |
| hormones | chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues |
| adrenal glands | pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones that help arouse the body in time of stress |
| pituitary gland | master gland, influenced by the hypothalamus, it regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands |
| lesion | tissue destruction, can be natural or experimental |
| electroencephalogram (EEG) | amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface |
| PET (positron emission tomography) scan | visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a task |
| MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) | uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue, shows the brain's anatomy |
| fMRI (functional MRI) | reveales bloodflow, therefor showing brain activity and brain functions |
| brainstem | central core of the brain, begins where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull, responsible for automatic survival functions |
| medulla | base of the brainstem, controls heartbeat and breathing |
| reticular formation | nerve network in teh brianstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal |
| thalamus | brain's sensory swithboard, top of the brainstem, directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla |
| cerebellum | "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem, processes sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance |
| limbic system | neural system (hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerbral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives |
| amygdala | two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system linked to emotion |
| hypothalamus | neural structure lying below the thalamus, directs several maintenance activities, helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland and is linked to emotion and reward |
| cerebral cortex | intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres, body's ultimate control and information-processing center |
| glial cells (glia) | cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons |
| frontal lobes | portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involves speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments |
| parietal lobes | portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position |
| occipital lobes | portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head, includes areas that receive information from the visual fields |
| temporal lobes | portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes auditory areas, each receiving information primarily form the opposite ear |
| motor cortex | area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movement |
| sensory cortex | area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations |
| association areas | areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motoro or sensory functions; rather they are involved in higher mental functions such learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking |
| plasticity | the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience |
| neurogenesis | the formation of new neurons |
| corpus callosum | large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them |
| split brain | condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemipsheres by cutting the fibers connecting them |
