Biological Bases

Study of how behavior is influenced by biology

Measures subtle changes in electrical activity in the brain through electrodes placed on the head; used commonly in sleep studies

Uses electromagnets and radio waves to create 3-D structural images

Generates cross sectional images of brain with a series of x-ray pictures

Creates a rapid sequencing of MRI images(video of sorts)

Visualizes radioactive glucose in the brain, which is used when there is activity in the brain, therefore visualizing which parts of the brain are active

Comprised of nerves in the spinal cord and brain

Comprised of all neurons outside of the central nervous system

Neurons that send sensory info to the brain

Neurons that send info from the brain to the rest of the body

quick and involuntary responses caused by direct transmission from sensory to motor neurons

Part of the peripheral nervous system, controls voluntary movements of large skeletal muscle

Part of the peripheral nervous system, controls non skeletal or smooth muscle; made up of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems

Part of the autonomic nervous system, responsible for heightened sense of arousal; fight or flight; causes digestion and salivation to be slowed while speeding up heart rate and respiration

Part of the autonomic nervous system, compliments sympathetic nervous system by slowing down the body(heart rate, respiration) and increasing salivation and digestion in order to return to homeostasis

Oldest part of the brain that contains the cerebellum, medulla oblongata, reticular activating system(RAS), and the pons

Part of hindbrain, controls muscle tone and balance

Part of hindbrain, controls involuntary actions such as breathing, digestion, and heart rate(Basic life needs)

Part of hindbrain, controls arousal

Part of hindbrain, also Latin for "bridge"; passes neutral information from one brain region to another and has also been linked to REM sleep

consists of tectum and tegmentum

part of the midbrain that acts as the brain's roof; also governs visual and auditory reflexes

Part of the midbrain that acts as the brain's floor; also governs visual and auditory reflexes

Contains the limbic system; contains the parts of the brain called the thalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, and the cerebral cortex

Part of the forebrain that relays sensory info to other parts of the brain

Part of the forebrain that is involved in the creation of memories; damage to this can cause anterograde amnesia

Part of the forebrain that is involved in emotion, particularly anger, fear, and frustration

Part of the forebrain that controls temperature and water balance; sex and hunger drives. This part of the brain is separated into two parts.

Turns on the hunger drive

Turns off the hunger drive

Part of the forebrain that is involved in higher cognitive function such as thinking, planning, language use, and fine motor control.

Hold the right and left cerebral hemispheres together with connective nerve fibers

the loss of the ability to speak and produce language(can still understand it)

Area in the left hemisphere responsible for language processing(speech function)

inability to understand speech

part of the left temporal lobe that controls speech comprehension(listening to dialogue)

Researcher who studied split brain patients; proved that the two hemispheres can act independently of each other

The ability to use both hemispheres and integrate information between them via the corpus callosum

Lobe of the brain responsible for decision-making and working memory

Lobe of the brain responsible for somatosensory information; somatosensory cortex is locate here; receives info about temperature, pressure, pain, and texture

Lobe of the brain responsible for processing visual input

Lobe of the brain responsible for handling auditory input; critical for speech comprehension and understanding the tone of music

inability to organize one's movement

Difficulty processing sensory input

Inability to read

Inability to write

Nerve cell

Cell body of the neuron

Receive messages from other neurons; attached to the soma

Transmits action potential down its length in order for neurotransmitters to release at the terminal buttons

Fatty coatings of the axon that speed up action potentials

Parts of the axon in between the myelin sheaths that are left uncovered

End of the axon that forms a synapse with the dendrites of other neurons; secretes neurotransmitters

Gap between terminal buttons and dendrites; extremely small

Chemical messengers that are released by the terminal buttons that go across the synapse to the dendrites of another neuron

A membrane potential of -70 mV

Channels that are open all the time that allow ions to diffuse through the membrane

A nerve impulse that travels down the axon causing the terminal buttons to secrete neurotransmitters.

neurotransmitters that excite the nerve cell into firing

Neurotransmitters that inhibit the cell; stop it from firing

The process by which neurotransmitters that are not broken down by enzymes are reabsorbed

What breaks down neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitter that affects memory and muscle function, particularly the heart

Neurotransmitter that is related to sleep, arousal, pain, and hunger

Neurotransmitter that is associated with happiness, movement, and attention; imbalance of this can lead to Parkinson's or Schizophrenia

An inhibitory neurotransmitter

An excitatory neurotransmitter that is the counterpart to GABA

Neurotransmitters that act as the body's painkillers

Neurotransmitter that affects alertness; too little of this can cause depression

The brain's ability to form or sever neural connections throughout one's life

Researcher who is known for pioneering work on neuroplasticity

Bodily System that regulates hormones

Located in the brain, main gland in the endocrine system

Hormone that stimulates the adrenal glands

Gland in the endocrine system that is responsible for secreting epinephrine and norepinephrine

Hormone that is otherwise known as adrenaline

Gland in the endocrine system that secretes thyroxine

Hormone that helps regulate cellular metabolism

A rare genetic disease with a late onset of after 40 years old that causes muscular impairment; caused by damage to the basal ganglia

The degree of variance among individuals that can be attributed to genetic variations

Degree to which a trait's expression is caused by he environment surrounding that organism

When we are conscious of the environment around us

When are normal consciousness is disrupted; head injuries, toxins, or other disorders

Believed in a stream of consciousness; also created functionalism

Believed consciousness is a mental reality we create for ourselves in order to adapt to the world; also create the triarchic theory of intelligence

Things that happen that without our command; heavily studied by Sigmund Freud

Info that is consciously available but not commonly used; riding a bike or other involuntary movements we have learned

A state where we are very aware of our actions; opposite of automatic processing

A state where we perform tasks mechanically, without very much thought; opposite of controlled processing

Neurochemical that is believed to play a role in sleep

Gland in the brain that produces melatonin

A day to night pattern that our bodily functions regulate to

Neural activity occurring when we are awake and focused

Neural activity occurring when we are awake, but much more relaxed

Neural activity occurring during the early stages of sleep

Neural activity occurring during stages 3 and 4 of sleep which progressively increase throughout stage 4

Discovered that eyes move rapidly during REM sleep

How REM sleep is described due to the activity of beta waves, which are normally found in people who are awake and focused

Sleep researcher who studied REM sleep and discovered the "REM Rebound"

When someone loses REM sleep one night, they have more REM sleep the next(replenishes what they lost)