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42 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Action potential |
Excitation that travels along an axon at a constant strength no matter how far it must travel. |
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Autonomic nervous system |
section of the nervous system that controls the functioning of the internal organs such as the heart |
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Axon |
single, long, thin straight fiber that transmits information from a neuron to another neuron or to muscle cells. |
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Binding problem |
question of how separate brain areas combine forces to provide a unified perception of a single object. |
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Cell body |
Part of the neuron that contains the nucleus of the cell |
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Central nervous system |
brain and spinal cord |
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Cerebellum |
Latin for "little brain" - the hind brain structure that is active in the control of movement, especially for complex, rapid motor skills and behaviors that require precise timing. |
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Cerebral cortex |
Outer surface of the forebrain |
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Corpus callosum |
large set of axons connecting the right and left hemispheres of the cerebral cortex and thus enabling the two hemispheres to communicate with each other. |
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Dendrite |
one of the widely branching structures of a neuron that receives transmissions from other neurons. |
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Dopamine |
neurotransmitter that promotes activity levels and facilitates movement |
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Electroencephalograph (EEG) |
device that measures and amplifies the slight electrical changes on the scalp that reflect brain activity. |
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Endocrine system |
the set of glands that produce hormones and release them into the bloodstream |
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Epilepsy |
condition characterized by abnormal rhythmic activity of the brain neurons |
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Evolutionary explanation |
an explanation that relates behavior to the evolutionary history of the species |
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Frontal lobe |
Portion of each cerebral hemisphere at the anterior pole with sections that control movement and certain aspects of memory |
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Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) |
technique that uses magnetic detectors outside the head to measure the amounts of hemoglobin with and without oxygen in different parts of the brain and thereby provides an indication of current activity levels in various brain areas. |
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Glia |
cell of the nervous system that insulates neurons, removes dead waste materials (dead cells) and performs other supportive functions. |
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Hemisphere |
left or right half of the brain |
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Hormone |
chemical released by glands and conveyed by the blood to other parts of the body where it alters activity |
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Magnetoencephalography (MEG) |
Device that records rapid magnetic changes during brain activity |
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Medulla |
structure that is located in the hind brain and is an elaboration of the spinal cord; controls many muscles in the head and several life preserving functions such as breathing |
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Neuron |
cells of the nervous system that receive information and transmit it to other cells by conducting electrochemical impulses |
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Neurotransmitter |
chemicals that are stored in the terminal of an axon and that when released activate receptors of other neurons |
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Occipital lobe |
rear portion of each cerebral hemisphere critical for vision |
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Parietal lobe |
portion of each cerebral hemisphere; the main receiving area for the sense of touch and for the awareness of one's own body and perception of the location of one's own body in space. |
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Parkinson's Disease |
condition that affects about 1% of people over the age of 50. The main symptoms are difficulty initiating voluntary movement, slowness of movement, tremors, rigidity, and depressed mood. |
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Peripheral nervous system |
bundles of axons that convey messages between the spinal cord and the rest of the body |
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Physiological explanation |
an explanation that describes the mechanism that produces a behavior |
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Pons |
structure adjacent to medulla that receives sensory input from the head and controls many muscles in the head. |
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Positron Emisson Tomography (PET) |
technique that provides a high resolution image of brain activity by recording radioactivity emitted from injected chemicals |
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Postsynaptic neuron |
neuron on the receiving end of ha synapse |
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Prefrontal cortex |
area of the anterior portion of the frontal lobes critical for planning movements and for certain aspects of memory |
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Primary motor cortex |
strip in the posterior (rear) part of the frontal cortex that controls fine movements such as hand and finger movements |
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Primary somatosensory cortex |
strip in the anterior (forward) part of the parietal lobe that receives most touch sensations and other information about the body |
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Reflex |
rapic automatic response to stimuli |
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Resting potential |
electrical polarization that ordinarily occurs across the membrane of an axon that is not undergoing an action potential |
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Spinal cord |
part of the central nervous system that communicates with sensory neurons and motor neurons below the level of the head |
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Stem cells |
undifferentiated cells |
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Synapse |
specialized junction between one neuron and another; at this point, one neuron releases a neurotransmitter which either excites or inhibits the next neuron |
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Temporal lobe |
portion of each cerebral hemishpere; the main processing area for hearing, complex aspects of hearing, and certain aspects of emotional behavior |
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Terminal bouton |
bulge at the end of an axon from which the axon releases a chemical called the neurotransmitter |