question

acetylcholine

answer

neurotransmitter active in brain; regulates memory and actions of skeletal and smooth muscle

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action potential

answer

an electric charge that triggers the release of a neurotransmitter

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adrenal cortex

answer

endocrine organ that secretes steriod hormones for metabolic functions in response to stress

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adrenal medulla

answer

endocrine organ that secretes epinephrine and norepinephrine in response to stress

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agonist

answer

neurotransmitter, drug , muscle, or molecule that stimulates receptors to produce a desired reaction

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alzheimer's disease

answer

major cause of dementia in the elderly, characterized by death of neurons in the hippocampus, cerebral cortex, and other brain regions

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amino acid transmitters

answer

neruotransmitters that have excitatory or inhibitory actions on nerve cells, examples are glutamate, aspartate, glycine and gamma-amino-butyric acid

question

amygdala

answer

structure in the forebrain that is an important part of the limbic system and central role in emotional learning, particulary fear

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androgens

answer

steriod hormones including testosterone

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antagonist

answer

drug, molecule or muscle that blocks receptors

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aphasia

answer

disturbance in language comprehension or production

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apoptosis

answer

programmed cell death

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auditory nerve

answer

nerve fibers connecting the ear to the brain

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autonomic nervous system

answer

part of peripheral nervous system that regulates activity of internal organs

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axon

answer

extension of neuron that sends information

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basal ganglia

answer

plays an important role in initiation of movements

question

brain stem

answer

major route by which the forebrain sends and recieves information

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broca's area

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frontal lobe of left hemisphere that produces speech

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catecholamines

answer

neurotransmitters dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine active in brain and peripheral sympathetic nervous system

question

cerebellum

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located at the roof of the hindbrain that controls coordination of movement

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cerebral cortex

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outermost layer of the cerebral hemispheres respondible for all forms of conscious thought

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cerebral hemispheres

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two specialized halves of the brain

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left hemisphere

answer

speech, writing, language, and calculation

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right hemisphere

answer

spatal abilities, visual face recognition, and music perception and production

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cerebrospinal fluid

answer

liquid found in ventricles of brain and central canal of spinal cord

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circadian rhythm

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a cycle of behavior of physiological change lasting about 24 hours

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classical conditioning

answer

learning where a stimulus is repeatedly paired with a neutral stimulus

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cochlea

answer

snail-shaped, fluid-filled organ of the inner ear that converts sound into electrical potentials

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cognition

answer

the process by which an organism gains knowledge or becomes aware of events in its environment

question

cone

answer

a primary receptor cell for vision located in the retina, sensitive to color and used mostly for daytime vision

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corpus callosum

answer

bundle of nerve fibers linking the right and left hemispheres

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cortisol

answer

hormone manufactured by the adrenal cortex, secreted in greatest quantities at night readying the body for the daytime

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cranial nerve

answer

nerve that carries sensory input and motor output for the head and the neck region,

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depression

answer

mental disorder characterized by sadness, pessimism, abnormalities in sleep, appetite, and energy level

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dendrite

answer

extension of neuron cell body that recieves information from other neurons

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dopamine

answer

catecholamine neurotransmitter that is destroyed in parkinson

question

dorsal horn

answer

area of spinal cord where nerve fibers sensory receptors meet other nerve fibers

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drug addiction

answer

loss of control over drug intake or compulsive seeking and taking of drugs despite consequences

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endocrine organ

answer

organ that secretes a hormone directly into the bloodstream to regulate cellular activity

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endorphins

answer

neurotransmitters produced in the brain that generate cellular and behavioral effects like those of morphine

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epilepsy

answer

disorder characterized by seizures, can be treated with anticonvulsant drugs

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epinephrine

answer

a hormone released by the adrenal medulla that acts with norepinephrine to affect the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system, also called adrenaline

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estrogens

answer

hormones found more in females that males

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evoked potential

answer

measure of the brain's electrical activity in response to stimulus

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excitation

answer

change in the electrical sate of a neuron that is associated with an enhances probability of action potentials

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follicle -stimulating hormone

answer

hormone released by the pituitary gland that stimulares the production of the sperm in the male and the egg in the female

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forebrain

answer

largest part of the brain that includes the cerebral cortex and the basal ganglia, credited with the highest intellectual functions

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fovea

answer

the centermost part of the eye located in the center of the retina hat contains only cone photoreceptors

question

gamma-amino butyric acid

answer

amino acid transmitter whose primaary function in to inhibit the firing of nerve cells

question

glia

answer

specialized cells that nourish and support neurons

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glutamate

answer

amino acid transmitter that acts to excite neurons

question

gonad

answer

primary s gland

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growth cone

answer

distinctive structure at growing end of most axons

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hair cells

answer

censory receptors in the cochlea that convert mechanical vibration to an electrical signal

question

hippocampus

answer

seahorse shaped structure in the brain considered an important part of the limbic system, it functionsin learning, memory, and emotion

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homeostasis

answer

the normal equilibrium of the body function

question

hormones

answer

chemical messengers secreted by endocrine glands to regulate the activity of target cells

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huntington's disease

answer

a movement disoder caused by cell death in the basal ganglia , characterized by abnormal sudden jerky movements

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hypothalmus

answer

complex brain structure composed of many nuclei, regulates the activites of internal organs, monitors information from sutonomic nervous system, controls the pituitary gland, and regulates sleep

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interneuron

answer

neuron that exclusively signals another neuron

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inhibition

answer

a synaptic message that prevents a recipient neuron from firing

question

ions

answer

electrically charged atoms or molecules

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limbic system

answer

group of brain structures including the amygdala, hippocampus, septum, and basal ganglia that help regulate th eexpression of emotion

question

long-term memory

answer

final phase of memory where information storage mat last from hour to a lifetime

question

monia

answer

a mental disorder characterized by excessive excitment, exallted feelings, and elavated mood

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memory consolidation

answer

the physical and psychological changes that take place as the brain organized information to make it a permanent memory

question

metabolism

answer

the sum of all physical and chemical changes that take place in an organism and all energy transformations

question

midbrain

answer

that most anterior segment of the brainstem, involved in regulation of heart rate, respiration, pain perception, and movement

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mitochondria

answer

small cylindrincal organelles inside cells that provide energy for that cell by convertins sugar and oxygen into adenosine triphosphate

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monoamine oxidase

answer

the brain and liver enzyme that normally breaks down norepinephrine, dopamine, epiniephrine, and serotonin

question

motor neuron

answer

neuron that carries information from the central nervouas system to muscle

question

myasthenia gravis

answer

disease wher acetycholine receptors on muscle cells are destroyed, causes weakness and fatigue

question

myelin

answer

compact fatty material that insulates the axons of some neurons

question

nmda receptors

answer

n-methyl-d-aspartate receptors active in learning and memory to developing nerve contacts

question

necrosis

answer

cell death due to external factors, like lack of oxygen or physical damage

question

nerve growth factor

answer

substance whose role is to guide neuronal growth during embryonic development

question

neuron

answer

nerve cell specialized for the transmission of information

question

neuroplasticity

answer

used to describe the adaptive changes in the structure or function of nerve cells in response to injuries

question

neurotransmitter

answer

a chemical released by neurons for the purpose of relaying information

question

nociceptors

answer

in animals nerve endings that signal the sensation of pain, in humans called pain receptors

question

norepinephrine

answer

a catecholamine involved in the arousal and regulation of sleep, mood and blood pressure

question

occipital lobe

answer

one of four subdivisions in the cerebral cortex, processing visual information

question

olfactory bulb

answer

a round, knoblike structure that processes the sense of smell

question

organelles

answer

small structures within a cell that maitain the cell

question

parasympathetic nervous system

answer

a branch of the autonomic nervous system concerned with the conservation of the body's energy and resources

question

parietal lobe

answer

one of the four subdivisions of the cerebral cortex, plays a role in the sensory processes, attention, and language

question

parkinson's disease

answer

a movement disorder caused by death of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra, symptoms include tremors, shuffling gait, and reduction in movement

question

peptides

answer

chains of amino acids that can function as neurotransmitters of hormones

question

peripheral nervous system

answer

a division of the nervous system consisting of all nerves that aren't part of the brain or spinal cord

question

phosphorylation

answer

transfer of a phosphate molecule from adenosine triphophate to a protein resulting in the activation or inactivation of the protein

question

photoreceptor

answer

a nerve ending, cell, of group of cells specialized to sense of receive light

question

pituitary gland

answer

endorcrine organ that is closely related to the hypothalmus and secretes hormones that regulate other endocrine organs

question

pons

answer

parts of the hindbrain that control respiration, and heart rhythm

question

psychosis

answer

a servere sypmptom of mental disorders characterized by an inability to perceive reality, like schizophrenia, monia, depression, and drug induced states

question

receptor cell

answer

specialized sensory cell designed to pick up and transmit sensory information

question

receptor molecule

answer

specific protein on the surface of inside a cell with a characteristic chemical and physical structure

question

retina

answer

a multilayered sensory tissue thatcontains the receptor cells to detect light

question

reuptake

answer

a process by which released neurotransmitters are absorbed for later reuse

question

rod

answer

a sensory neuron located in the periphery of the retina

question

schizophrenia

answer

mental disorder characterized by psychosis, flattened emotions, and impaired cognitive function

question

second messengers

answer

substances that trigger communications among different parts of a neuron

question

serotonin

answer

a monoamine neurotransmitter that plays the role of tempurature regulation, sensory perception, and the onset of sleep

question

short-term memory

answer

a phase of memory in which a limited amount of information may be held for several second or minutes

question

stem cells

answer

unspecialized cells that renew themselves for long periods through cell division

question

stimulus

answer

an environmental event capable of being detected by sensory receptors

question

stroke

answer

a block of the brain's supply caused by a ruptured blood vessel, a clot, or pressure on a blood vessel (tumor)

question

sympathetic nervous system

answer

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

question

synapse

answer

a gap between two neurons that functions as the site of information transfer form one neuron to another

question

taste bud

answer

a sensory organ found on the tongue

question

temperal lobe

answer

one of the four major subdivisions of the cerebral cortex, controling auditory function, speech, and complex visual perceptions

question

thalamus

answer

structure consisting of two egg-shaped masses of nerve tissue deep within the brain, filters out information of particular importance from the mass of signals entering the brain

question

ventricles

answer

large spaces filled with cerebrospinal fluid

question

wernicke's area

answer

a brain region responsible for the comprehension of language and the production of meaningful speech

question

white matter

answer

part of the brain that contains myelinated nerve fibers

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