CASA psych - bio
CASA psychology - terms from nervous system, endocrine system, brain and behavioral genetics
Terms
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- medulla
- this controls breathing and heart rate
- glutamate
- an excitatory neurotransmitter
- motor neurons
- these carry messages from the brain to skeletal muscles
- endophins
- similar in chemical structure to morphine, this neurotransmitter is released in response to pain and to vigorous exercise
- GABA
- an inhibitory neurotransmitter
- serotonin
- a neurotransmitter whose reuptake may be interrupted as part of therapy for certain psychological illnesses
- neurotransmitters
- chemical messengers used to carry messages from a neuron to another neuron or other structure in the body or brain
- pancreas
- endocrine gland that is produces insulin and glucagon to regulate blood sugar levels
- MRI
- a form of brain imaging that uses magnetism
- pineal gland
- endocrine gland involved in regulating biological rhythms
- EEG
- measures electrical impulses in the brain
- insulin
- produced when blood sugar is high
- refractory period
- in neurons, a short time of rest after the neuron fires
- dopamine
- neurotransmitter that is associated with Parkinson's and schizophrenia
- CNS
- abbreviation for the part of the nervous system that includes the brain and spinal cord
- mirror neurons
- these activate when we observe someone else performing a task
- interneurons
- located in the spinal cord, thses are involved in reflex reactions
- arousal
- directed by the sympathethetic nervous system, this state is distinguished by increased breathing and heart rates, slowing of digestion
- plasticity
- the ability of the brain to adapt to damage or changing environments
- corpus callosum
- 200 million neurons that connect the hemispheres
- testosterone
- male sex hormone
- threshold
- level of stimulation needed to cause a neuron to fire
- glial cells
- these support and maintain neurons
- hemispheres
- you have two, in one of which language skills are centered, in the other spatial abilities are centered
- fight or flight
- a physical response to danger than enables one to resist or flee
- reflex
- a simple, automatic inborn response to sensory stimulation
- myelin sheath
- this fatty covering enables neurons to speed transmission of information
- peripheral nervous system
- the major division of the nervous system that contains the autonomic and somatic systems
- dendrite
- the part of the neuron that receives information from other neurons or the environment
- ablation
- surgical removal of brain tissue
- primary sex characteristics
- male and female genitals - organs directly involved in reproduction
- hypothalamus
- controls the pituitary gland and provides oxytocin to the pituitary gland; in the brain, responsible for hunger, thirst, sex, body temperature
- hormone
- chemical messenger, produced in an endocrine gland, used to affect processes elsewhere in the body
- glucagon
- produced when blood sugar is low
- reticular formation
- located near the medulla, this is involved in filtering sensory information
- frontal lobe
- one of four, it lies at the front of the brain and is the center of thinking and executive functions
- amygdala
- a limbic structure that is involved with fear and anger
- thyroid gland
- endocrine gland involved in regulating metabolism
- estragon, progesterone
- female sex hormones
- neural network
- complexly interconnected cells in the brain which enable us to learn by extending and strengthening connections between neurons
- synaptic gap
- another term for synapse
- motor cortex
- a thin band at the rear of the frontal lobe that controls muscles
- Wernicke's area
- this area of the brain interprets auditory code into language
- hypothalamus
- this structure controls hunger, thirst, sex and body temperature
- parasympathetic nervous system
- part of the autonomic nervous system, this directs our body to calm down after a fight-or-flight response
- pons
- part of the brainstem, involved in arousal
- synapse
- the space between one neuron's axon terminal and another neuron's dendrite
- cell body
- the central part of the neuron where incoming inhibitory and excitatory messages are processed
- excitatory
- messages of this type increase the likelihood of a neuron's firing
- thalamus
- the sensory switchboard, so called because all sensory information except smell is routed here
- Human Growth Hormone
- produced by the pituitary, essential for normal growth and development
- Ach
- commonly used abbreviation for acetylcholine
- efferent neurons
- another name for motor neurons
- agonist
- a substance that mimics the action of a neurotransmitter
- CAT
- method of imaging the brain in which x-rys are passed through the brain from many different angles, producing a slice-by-slice picture of the brain
- parietal lobe
- located behind the frontal lobe, it contains the sensory cortex
- all-or-none
- phrase describing how a neuron fires
- afferent neurons
- another name for sensory neurons
- angular gyrus
- translates visual information into auditory code
- action potential
- movement of an electrical signal through the axon
- Broca's area
- directs the motor cortex to form words when we read aloud
- antagonist
- a substance that blocks the action of a neurotransmitter
- split brain
- term refers to a brain whose corpus callosum has been severed
- cerebellum
- brain structure at the base of the skull that is responsible for well-learned physical movements
- reuptake
- process by which a neuron reabsorbs meurotransmitters left in the synapse after they have done their work
- hippocampus
- I would give you a clue to what this structure does, but I can't remember myself...
- melatonin
- hormone used in regulation of biological rhythms
- axon terminal
- the point on the neuron where neurotransmitters are released
- oxytocin
- a hormone that is is associated with birth labor, nursing and emotional bonding
- autonomic nervous system
- part of the peripheral nervous system, this controls the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
- pituitary gland
- provides Human Growth Hormone and distributes oxyocin, from the hypothalamus, to other endocrine glands; directs the activity of other endocrine glands
- sympathetic nervous system
- part of the autonomic nervous system, it controls physiological arousal
- inhibitory
- this type of message reduces the likelihood of a neuron's firing
- norepinephrine
- also called adrenaline, a hormone that affects arousal
- sensory cortex
- located in the parietal lobe, it receives information from sensory neurons
- occipital lobe
- this is the center of vision processing
- secondary sex characteristics
- these generally begin developing in puberty, but are not directly involved in reproduction. Secondary sex characteristics include, in males, deepening voice; facial, pubic, and body hair; muscle development; in females, pubic hair, breast development, hips widening
- temporal lobe
- audition is centered here
- cerebral cortex
- the thinking part of the brain that covers the hemispheres
- adrenal gland
- produces adrenaline or norepinephrine
- Acetylcholine
- neurotransmitter involved in muscle control, learning, and memory
- testes
- male sex-related endocrine gland
- lesion
- damage to the normal structure of an organ or brain structure
- somatic nervous system
- part of the peripheral, its major function is controlling voluntary movements
- Central nervous system
- includes the brain and spinal cord
- axon
- the long, segmented part of a neuron that carries information to the next neuron after threshold is reached
- brainstem
- the oldest part of the brain, it contains the pons, medulla, cerebellum and reticular formation
- neuron
- the central structure of the nervous system, it has both dendrites and an axon
- sensory neuron
- this carries information from sense receptors to the brain
- fMRI
- a form of magnetic imaging that measures functional activity in the brain
- ovaries
- female sex-related endocrine gland
- PET scan
- a method of imaging that uses radioactive substances and can show changes in brain functions