AP Psych- Biology

a nerve cell, the basic building block of the nervous system, generate/conduct electric impulses

send information from senses to the CNS, A for arriving, ex: touch hot stove; send info to brain

send info from CNS to body, E for exit, ex: moves arm from hot stove

internal communication within the CNS, intervene between sensory inputs and motor outputs, I for internal

the cell's life support center

form junctions with other cells

the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body

the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands

an insulating layer covering an axon that allows for faster neural impulses, if damaged, impulses slow down

results when myelin sheath degenerates, communication to muscle slows, with eventual loss of muscle control

a neural impulse, a brief electric charge that travels through a neuron allowing a neurotransmitter, or messenger, to exit the neuron an go to another neuron

each neuron sits, or rests at a, positive outside/negative inside state

a message from another neuron causes the inside of the neuron to become positive as sodium starts to enter

the membrane letting in/shutting out certain ions

occurs right after the action potential as potassium moves out of the inside of the cell restoring the inside back to a negative charge

a brief period that the neuron CANNOT fire until

produce action potentials, like pushing a neuron's accelerator

prevent action potentials, like pushing a neuron's brake

sending neuron reabsorbs remaining, neurotransmitters in synapse, like a vacuum

the amount of neurotransmitters that need to be received to trigger an action potential

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron, "meeting point"

the tiny gap at the synapse, axon terminal of one neuron is seperated from the receiving neuron by this gap

"housekeeper" cells of nervous system, hold neurons in place, supply nutrients and oxygen to neurons, insulate neurons from each other, destroy and remove dead neurons

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons

a region of specialized membrane on the surface of a neuron that contains receptor molecules that receive and react with neurotransmitters

blocks pain signals and causes pleasure (addiction), too much pain medication could lead to lack of natural endorphin supply, ex: opiates mimicking endorphins

muscle action, learning, memory, messenger at every junction between a motor neuron and skeletal muscle, lack of it can lead to Alzheimer's disease; paralyzed without it

attention, emotion (pleasure), voluntary motion, ex: eat sugar, causes you to feel good, too much leads to schizophrenia, too little could lead to Parkinson's disease

mood, hunger, sleep, arousal, lack of is linked to depression and anxiety disorders

inhibitory neurotransmitter, slows down brain activity, lack of linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia

mimic effects of neurotransmitters

ex: morphine mimics endorphins

block neurotransmitters from receptor sites, ex: curare blocks ACh

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

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

ex: optic nerve bundles 1 million axon fibers into a single cable carrying the messages each eye sends to the brain

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 (skeletal nervous system)

ex: as you reach the bottom of a page while reading, your SNS will report to your brain the current state of your skeletal muscles and carry instructions back, triggering your hand to turn the page

the part of the PNS that controls the glands and muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart), ex: autopilot (operates on its own)

the division of the automatic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations, ex: if something alarms, enrages, or challenges you, your sympathetic nervous system accelerates heart rate, raises blood pressure, slows digestion, raises blood sugar, and cools you with precipitation, making you alert and ready for action

the division of the automatic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy, ex: decreases heart rate, lowers blood sugar, and so forth

the brain and spinal cord, communicates with the body's sensory receptors, muscles, and glands via PNS

an info highway connecting the PNS to the brain

ascending neural fibers send up sensory info, and descending fibers send back motor

control info

a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus

ex: knee jerk response

a simple spinal reflex pathway is composed of a single sensory neuron and a single motor neuron; often communicate through an interneuron

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

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

ex: when they act on the brain, they influence our interest in sex, food, and aggression

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.

hormone that increases heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar, providing us with a surge of energy

the endocrine system's most influential gland

ex: under brain's influence, the pituitary triggers your sex glands to release sex hormones; these in turn influence your brain and behavior

under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands, located in core of brain; controlled by hypothalamus

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

ex: scientists can selectively lesion (destroy) tiny clusters of normal or defective brain cells, leaving the surrounding tissue unharmed

creates an image of the brain using x ray

quick and cheap; grainy

detects general electrical brain waves emanating from the brain, ex: like humming of a car (you can tell if it doesn't sound right, but don't get info about individual parts)

used in sleep studies

shows neurons' consumption of radioactive glucose (contained in blood), areas of high consumption = high activity, shows function, but not structure

uses magnetic field to determine density and location of brain material

structure of brain's soft tissue, not function, costly and timely; more detailed than CAT scan

combines blood flow (PET) with structure (MRI)

shows us brain activity (function)

3D model

the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull, responsible for automatic survival functions

the base of the brainstem

controls heartbeat and breathing

just above the medulla

helps coordinate movements

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

network of neurons that extends from spinal cord to thalamus

the brain's sensory switchboard, located ontop of brainstem, directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to cerebellum and medulla, receives info from all senses except smell

the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem, functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance, functions occur without any conscious effort

neural system, located below the cerebral hemispheres associated with emotions and drives

processes memory

if we lose hippocampus, we are unable to process new memories of facts and episodes

two lima bean

linked to emotion, influence aggression and fear

a neural structure lying below the thalamus, directs several maintenence activities (eating, drinking, body temp), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland

"reward center" or "pleasure center"

linked to emotion and reward

thin gray

carries on thinking and perceiving

each hemisphere is divided into 4 lobes which are geographic subdivision separated by fissures, or folds

portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead, involved in speaking and muscle movements, and in making plans and judgements, prefrontal cortex and motor cortex

the cerebral cortex covering the front part of the frontal lobe, functions: focusing one's attention, predicting consequences of one's actions, impulse control, and planning for the future

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head

toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of head, includes areas that receive info from the visual field, visual cortex

portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears, includes the auditory areas, each receiving info primarily from the opposite ear, auditory cortex

motor and sensory cortex

controls body movements, motor cortex in each hemisphere controls opposite side of body, located at rear of frontal lobes

located at front of parietal lobes, processes body touch and movement sensations, parallel and just behind motor cortex

areas of the cerebral cortex that aren't involved in primary motor or sensory functions

involved in higher neural functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

frontal: enable judgement, planning, and processing of new memories

parietal: enable mathematical and spatial reasoning

temporal: enables us to recognize faces

brain's ability to change and reorganize itself in response to damage, brain "rewiring" itself, brain can't create new cells when damaged, but it can rewire

formation of new neurons

brain's 2 sides serve differing functions

the large band of neural fibers connecting the 2 brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

a condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) between them

intuition, "reading" emotions, visual and spatial reasoning, creativity, motor control for left side, processes left side of visual field

speech and language, logical reasoning, math skills, motor control for right sideprocesses right side of visual field

threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes, 23 from each parent

the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes, a segment of DNA capable of synthesizing a protein

can be active (expressed) or inactive

the complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism's chromosomes

twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in 2, creating genetically identical organism

twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs

they are genetically no closer than brothers and sisters, but they share a fetal environment

a person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity, ex: infant's emotional excitability; whether reactive, intense, and fidgety, or easygoing, quiet, and placid

the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes the heritability of a trait may vary, depending of the range of populations and environments studied

the subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes

goal is to find some of the many genes that influence normal human traits, such as body weight, sexual orientation, and extraversion

explores the mechanisms that control gene expression

the study of evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection

focus on what makes us so alike as humans

the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those that lead to increased reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations

a random error in gene replication that leads to a change

the sex chromosome found in both men and women

females have 2; males have 1

the sex chromosome found in only males

the most important of the male sex hormones, both males and females have it, but the additional testosterone in males stimulates the growth of the male sex organs in the fetus and the development of the male sex characteristics during puberty