AP Psych Neuropsychology Vocabulary

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Brainstem

Brainstem

• Oldest part & central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull

• Responsible for automatic survival functions

Endorphins

• Natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain, control, and pleasure

• "Morphine-like"

Nervous System

• Network of nerve cells & fibers that transmits nerve impulses between parts of the body

Medulla

• Base of the brainstem

• Controls heartbeat & breathing

Limbic System

• Doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem & cerebral hemispheres

• Associated with emotions: fear and aggression

• Drives desire for food & sex

• Includes the hippocampus, amygdala, & hypothalamus

Motor Cortex

• Area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

Reflex

• Simple, automatic, inborn response to a stimulus

PNS (peripheral nervous system)

• Sensory & motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body

CNS (central nervous system)

• Brain & spinal cord

Sensory Neuron

• Neuron that carries incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system

Interneuron

• CNS neurons that internally communicate & intervene b/w the sensory inputs and motor outputs

Motor Neuron

• Carries outgoing information from the CNS to muscles & glands

Synapse

• Junction b/w the axon tip of the sending neuron & the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron

Dendrite

• Bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages & conduct impulses toward the cell body

Myelin Sheath

• A layer of fatty cells segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons

• Enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses

Neurotransmitter

• Chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps b/w neurons

Neuron

• A nerve cell

• Basic building block of the nervous system

Axon

• Extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles/glands

Somatic Nervous System

• The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles

Sympathetic Nervous System

• The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations

Parasympathetic Nervous System

• Division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

Automatic Nervous System

• The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands/muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart)

• Sympathetic division = arousing

• Parasympathetic = calming

Reticular Formation

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

Frontal Lobe

• Involved in speaking & muscle movements and in making plans & judgments

Parietal Lobe

• Includes the sensory cortex

Occipital Lobe

• Includes the visual areas, which receive visual information from the opposite visual field

Temporal Lobe

• Includes the auditory areas

Lesion

• Tissue destruction

• Brain lesion = destruction of brain tissue

Plasticity

• The brain's capacity for modification (as evident in brain reorganization following damage & in experiments on the effects of experience on brain development)

Thalamus

• Brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem

• Directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex & transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

Cerebellum

• "Little brain" at the rear of the brainstem

• Helps coordinate voluntary movement & balance

Amygdala

• Two almond-shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system & are linked to emotion

Hypothalamus

• Neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus

• Directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature)

• Helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland (linked to emotion & reward)

Cerebral Cortex

• Intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres

• Body's ultimate control & information-processing center

Glial Cells

• Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, & protect neurons

The Brain

• Organ of soft nervous tissue contained in the skull of vertebrates, functioning as the coordinating center of sensation & intellectual and nervous activity

Sensory Cortex

• Area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers & processes body sensations

Aphasia

• Impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) OR to Wernicke's area (impairing understanding)

Broca's Area

• Area of the left frontal lobe directing muscle movements involved in speech

Wernicke's Area

• Area of the left temporal lobe involved in language comprehension & expression

Pituitary Gland

• Under the influence of the hypothalamus

• Pituitary regulates growth & controls other endocrine glands

Adrenal Gland

• Pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys

• Secrete hormones: epinephrine (adrenaline) & norepinephrine (nonadrenaline), which help arouse to arouse the body in times of stress

Hormones

• Chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue & affect another

Corpus Collosum

• Large band of neural fibers

• Connects the two brain hemispheres

• Carries messages between the hemispheres

Endocrine System

• The body's "slow" chemical communication system

• Set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream