biological perspective - ANSWER concerned with the links between biology and behavior. Includes psychologists working in neuroscience, behavior genetics, and evolutionary psychology. These researchers may call themselves
...
biological perspective - ANSWER concerned with the links between biology and behavior. Includes psychologists working in neuroscience, behavior genetics, and evolutionary psychology. These researchers may call themselves behavioral neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, behavior geneticists, physiological psychologists, or biopsychologists.
neuron - ANSWER a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system.
dendrites - ANSWER a neuron's bushy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.
axon - ANSWER the neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or to glands.
myelin sheath - ANSWER a fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next.
action potential - ANSWER a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon.
threshold - ANSWER the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse.
synapse - ANSWER the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or synaptic cleft.
neurotransmitters - ANSWER 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 on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse.
reuptake - ANSWER a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron.
endorphins - ANSWER "morphine within" -natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.
nervous system - ANSWER the body's speedy electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems.
central nervous system - ANSWER the brain and the spinal cord.
peripheral nervous system - ANSWER the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body.
nerves - ANSWER bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs.
sensory neurons - ANSWER neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord.
motor neurons - ANSWER neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands.
interneurons - ANSWER neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.
somatic nervous system - ANSWER the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles. Also called skeletal nervous system.
autonomic nervous system - ANSWER the part of the peripheral; nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles if the internal organs. Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.
sympathetic nervous system - ANSWER the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations.
parasympathetic nervous system - ANSWER the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy.
reflex - ANSWER a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response.
endocrine system - ANSWER the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.
hormones - ANSWER chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues.
adrenal glands - ANSWER 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.
pituitary glands - ANSWER the endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.
lesion - ANSWER tissue destruction. A brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue
electroencephalogram (EEG) - ANSWER an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweeps across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.
PET (positron emission tomography) scan - ANSWER a visual display of the brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task.
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) - ANSWER a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue. MRI scans show brain anatomy.
fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) - ANSWER a technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. fMRI scans show brain functions.
brainstem - ANSWER 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 automatic survival functions.
medulla - ANSWER the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing.
thalamus - ANSWER 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.
reticular formation - ANSWER a nerve network that travels through the brainstem and plays an important role int controlling arousal.
cerebellum - ANSWER the "little brain" at the rear if the brain stem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance.
limbic system - ANSWER neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives.
amygdala - ANSWER two lima-bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion.
hypothalamus - ANSWER 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.
cerebral cortex - ANSWER the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres' the body's ultimate control and information-processing center.
glial cells - ANSWER cells in the nervous system that supports, nourish, and protect neurons; they may also play a role in learning and thinking.
frontal lobes - ANSWER portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgement.
parietal lobes - ANSWER portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields.
occipital lobes - ANSWER portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields.
temporal lobes - ANSWER portion of the cerebra; cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear.
motor cortex - ANSWER an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements.
sensory cortex - ANSWER area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations.
association areas - ANSWER areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking.
plasticity - ANSWER the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience.
neurogenesis - ANSWER the formation of new neurons.
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