Chapter 3 Biological Aspects of Psych

the most highly developed part of the brain; it is responsible for the most complex aspects of behavior and mental life

A forebrain structure that relays signals from most sense organs to higher levels in the brain and plays an important role in processing and making sense out of this position

A structure in the forebrain that regulates hunger, thirst, and sex drives

Nuclei in the hypothalamus that generates biological rythms

A structure in the forebrain that, amung other things, associates features of stimuli from two sensory modalities

A structure in the forebrain associated with the formation of new memories

a set of brain structures that play important roles in repulating emotion and memory

triggers dreaming and waking up from sleeping

coordinates body movements, controls posture, maintains equilibrium, and learned associations that involve movement

A network of cells and fibers threded throughout the hindbrain that alters the activity of the rest of the brain

center for breathing, waking, sleeping, and beating of the heart

assists in motor skills and cognitive abilities, such as planning, making decisions, setting goals, and relating the present to the future through purposeful behavior

process visual information and passes its conclution to the pariential and temporal lobe

assists in sensory processes, spatial-interpretation, attention, language

assists auditory preception, language comprehention, and visual recognition

are of the brain deals with reading, and may hold the key to treating dyslexia. Writtern and spoken language comprehention

area of the brain deals with memory

areas of the brain play a major role in sleep and wakeflness

Coordinates movement and learned rote movement

Muscles of speech

smelling

Pain; hunger; "fight or flight" response

Evaluation of weight, texture, temperature for object recognition

Facial Sensation

control of Neck and shoulder muscle

tongue movement

Amygdala

Central Nervous System

cerebellum

Cerebral Cortex

Cervical Region

Corpus Callosum

Forebrain

Hippocampus

Hypothalamus

Locus Coerulus

Lumbar Region

Medulla

Midbrain

Peripheral Nervous System

reticular formation

septum region

Spinal Cord

Straitum

thalamus

thoracic region

a small nucleus in the reticular formation involved in attention, sleep, and mood

a small structure between the hindbrain that relays information from the eyes, eays, and skin and that controls certain types of automatic behaviors

a structure within the forebrain that is involved in the smooth initiation of movement

a complex combination of cells whose primare function is to allow an organism to gain information about what is going on inside and outside the body and to respond appropriately

fundamental unit of the nervous system; nerve cell. rapidly respond to signals and quickly send signals of their own

cell in the nervous system thatholds nuerons together and helps them communicate with one another

a nueron fiber that carries signals from the body of a neuron out to where comunication occurs with other neurons \

a neuron fiber that receives signals from the axons of other neurons and carries those signals to the cell body

the tiny gap between neurons across which they communicate

an abrupt wave of electronchemical changes traveling down an axon when a neuron becomes depolarized

a fatty substnace that wraps around some axons and increases the speed of action potential

a short rest period between action potentials

chemical that assists in the transfer of signals from one neuron to another

site on the surface of a cell allows only one type of neurotransmitter to fit into it, triggering a chemical response that may lead to an action potential

the change in the membrane potential of a neuron that has recieved stimulation from another neuron

the change in the membrane potential of a neuron that has received stimulation from another neruron

a postsynaptic potential that hyperpolarizes the neruonal membrane, making a cell less likely to fire an action potential

the subsystem of the peripheral nervous system that transmits information from the senses to the central nervous system and carries signals from the central nervous system to the muscles

the subsystem of the peripheral nervous system that carries messages between the central nervous system and the heart, lungs, and other organs and glands

collection of nerve cells bodies in the central nervous system

axons in the central nervous system that travel together in bundles

the part of the central nervous system within the spinal column that relays signals from peripheral sense to the brain and coveys messages from the brain to the rest of the body

involuntary, unlearned reaction in the form of swift, automatic and finely coordinated movements in response to external stimuli

referring to the tendency for one cerebral hemisphere to excel at a particular function or skill compared with the other hemisphere

the ability to create new synapses and to change the strength of synapses

a group of neurons that communicates by using the same neurotransmitter

a neurotransmitter used by neurons in the peripheral and central nervous systems in the control of functions ranging from muscle contraction and heart rate to digestion and memory

a neurotransmitter involved in arousal, as well as in learning and mood regulation

a neurotransmitter used by cells in parts of the brain involved in the regulation of sleep, mood, and eating

a neurotransmitter used in the parts of the brain involved in regulating movement and experiening pleasure

a neurotransmitter that inhibits the firing of neurons

an excitatory neurotransmitter that helps strengthen synaptic connections between neurons

one of a class of newurotransmitters that bind to opeate receptrors and moderate pain

cells that form oprgans called glands and that communicate with one another by secreting chemicals called hormones

an organ that secretes hormones into the bloodstream

chemical secreted by a gland into the bloodstream, which carries it throughout the body

physical reaction initiated by the sympathetic nervous system that prepares the body to fight or to run from a threatening situation

the body;s system of defense against invading substances and microorganisms

physical problems caused when cells of the body's immune system attack normal body cells as if they were foreign invaders

excess thyroid secretions. nervousness, tremers, hunger, heart palpitations, weight loss, swollen neck

lack of iodine. sleepiness, eating problems, physical and mental impairment, and deafness, sluggishness, weight gain, and lowed body ability

excess parathyroid secretions cause calcium loss and bone softening

adrenal insufficiency causes skin darkening, weight loss, and dizziness

excess adrenal cotrtex horomones cause arm and leg muscel weakness; are and leg muscle weakness, decreased bone, thick and easily bruised skin