AP Psychology: Biology of the Mind (Modules 4-6)

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

Neurons that cary incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

Neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands

Neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

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

When there’s a positive charge outside of the neuron and a negative charge inside of a neuron

When there is an influx of Na+ ions into the neuron upon the firing of a neuron, temporarily changing charges

Period during which Na+ ions are pumped back outside of the neuron, returning to its resting state

The level of stimulation required to trigger a nuclear impulse

Junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron

Tiny gap at the synapse, between two neurons

Less than a millionth of an inch wide

Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons; travel across synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, influencing whether that neuron generates a neural impulse

1) Electrical impulses (action potentials) travel down a neuron’s axon until reaching the synapse
2) When an action potential reaches an axon terminal, neurotransmitter molecules are released. These molecules cross the synaptic gap to bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron. This allows electrically charged atoms to enter the receiving neuron and excite or inhibit a new action potential.
3) The sending neuron reabsorbs excess neurotransmitter molecules (re-uptake).

A neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron

“Morphine within” – natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure

Function: Enables muscle action, learning and memory

Malfunctions: With Alzheimer’s disease, ACh-producing neurons deteriorate

Function: Influences movement, learning, attention and emotion

Malfunctions: Excess dopamine, receptor activity is linked to schizophrenia; lack of dopamine is connected to tremors, decreased mobility and Parkinson’s disease

Function: Affects mood, hunger, sleep and arousal

Malfunctions: Undersupply of serotonin is linked to depression, prozac and some other antidepressant drugs raise serotonin levels

Function: Helps control alertness and arousal

Malfunction: Undersupply can depress mood

Function: A major inhibitory neurotransmitter

Malfunction: Undersupply linked to seizures, tremors and insomnia

Function: A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory

Malfunction: Oversupply can overstimulate brain, producing migraines or seizures (which is why some people avoid MSG in food)

May be similar enough to a neurotransmitter to mimic its effects or it may block the neurotransmitter’s re-uptake

Ex. Opiate drugs (amplify normal sensations), black widow spider venom (blocks)

Block a neurotransmitter’s function

Ex. Botulin, a poison that can form in improperly canned food, causes paralysis by blocking ACh release

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

The brain and spinal cord

Bundled axons that form neural cables connecting the CNS with muscles, glands and sense organs

Interconnected neural cells; with experience, networks can learn, as feedback strengthens or inhibits connections that produce certain results. Computer simulation of neural networks show analogous learning.

A simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response

The sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body

The division of the PNS that controls the body's skeletal muscles, AKA skeletal nervous system

The part of the PNS that controls the glands and the muscles of internal organs, includes the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system

Division of the ANS that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations

Division of the ANS that calms the body, conserving its energy

The body's "flow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream

Chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through bloodstream and affect tissues

A pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress

The endocrine system's most influential gland; under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands

Tissue destruction; a brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue

An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.

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A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task

A technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue. MRI scans show brain anatomy. AKA magnetic resonance imaging.

AKA functional MRI. A technique for revealing blood flow and brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. fMRI scans show brain function.

The oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automative survival functions

The base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

A nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal

The brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

The "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance

Neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated

Two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion

A neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland and is linked to emotion and reward

The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemisphere; the body's ultimate control and information processing center

Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish and protect neurons

Portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments

Portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position

Portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from visual fields

Portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, such receiving information primarily from the opposite ear

An area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

There will be movement of body parts on the opposite side of the body.

Area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

Areas of the brain that integrate information, uncommitted to sensory or muscular activity, links sensory inputs with stored memories

The brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

When we are young

The formation of new neurons

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemipheres and carrying messages between them

A condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly those of the corpus callossum) connecting them

Treat refractory epilepsy

Split-brained people can perform two tasks independent of each other.

Ex. Drawing a circle with one hand and a square with the other at the same time