Olivia Boustani Psych Study Guide
Across
- 1. the body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems
- 5. a nerve network that travels through the brainstem and thalamus and plays an important role in controlling arousal
- 7. 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
- 9. an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain's surface; these waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp
- 11. a neural structure lying below (hypo) 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
- 15. a technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans; fMRI scans show brain function as well as its structure
- 20. a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system
- 23. the scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, and hormonal) and psychological processes
- 25. the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
- 28. the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input, coordinating movement output and balance, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory
- 29. a fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one sausage-like node to the next
- 33. the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart); its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms(ANS)
- 35. the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body (acronym)
- 36. neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs
- 39. the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy
- 41. the oldest part of central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions
- 42. a molecule that, by binding to a receptor site, stimulates a response
- 43. the endocrine system's most influential gland; under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands
- 44. a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron
Down
- 2. the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations
- 3. neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives
- 4. a molecule that, by binding to a receptor site, inhibits or blocks a response
- 6. the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing
- 8. a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response
- 10. a neuron's reaction of either firing or not firing
- 12. a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
- 13. 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
- 14. chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues
- 16. neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands
- 17. tissue destruction; a brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue
- 18. 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
- 19. neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord
- 21. the neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands
- 22. the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
- 24. the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles (also called the skeletal nervous system)
- 26. a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task
- 27. a series of X-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice of the brain's structure (also called CAT scan)
- 29. a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft-tissue; MRI scans show brain anatomy
- 30. the brain and spinal cord(acronym)
- 31. a neuron's bushy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body (like a greek tree)
- 32. a period of inactivity after a neuron has fired
- 34. "morphine within"; natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure
- 37. bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs
- 38. two lima-bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion
- 40. the brain's sensory control center, located on the top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla