U3 Mind Map
The Brain
Neurons - a nerve cell
Nervous System - electrochemical communication network
Central Nervous System (CNS) - the brain and the spinal cord
Cerebral Cortex - a thin layer of neural cells outside the cerebrum to help process info
Dendrites - the "hairy" end, receives info
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) - sensory neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body
Synapse - the meeting point between neurons
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) - controls glands and muscles
Vocab
Gene - a unit of heredity transferred from parent to offspring
Sympathetic Nervous System - excites the fight or flight
Action Potential - an electrical charge fired down the axon
Little Chemical Things
Limbic System - controls moods and drives
Parasympathetic Nervous System - calms like a paramedic would
Chromosomes - carries DNA
Myelin Sheath - insulates axons for a faster signal. If it degenerates, you get MS
Endocrine System - glands that secrete hormones into the blood
Somatic Nervous System (SNS) - controls skeletal muscles
Cell Body (Soma) - the body of the cell
Lobes
Frontal Lobes - speaking, muscle movement, planning
Glial Cells - surround neurons and support and insulate them
Scans
PET Scan - uses radioactive glucose to show activity
EEG - brain waves measure by electrodes
Neurotransmitters - cross the synapse and make the brain do Stuff
Hormone - chemical messengers
Endorphins - response to pain, makes the "runners high"
MRI - uses magnetic fields to show soft tissue
Occipital Lobes - seeing
Parietal Lobes - sensory, body position
Temporal Lobes - hearing and speaking
Heritability - how much variation is between genes
Reflex - quick reaction
Brain Stem - where the spine comes up into the brain, automatic survival functions
Medulla - controls heartbeat and breathing
Pituitary Gland - the "master gland", influences growth
Amygdala - aggression and fear
Thalamus - relay center for sensory info
Hypothalamus - controls pituitary glands and sleep, temp, thirst, and hunger
Cerebellum - helps with balance
Hippocampus - processes memories
Axon - passes the message on
Interneurons - passes the message on
Adrenal Glands - glands that release epinephrine
Brain "Fixes"
Lesion - cutting out part of the brain to fix seizures or something similar
fMRI - magnetic fields seconds apart to see where the blood is and see functions
Reticular
Reticular Formation - pain signals
Pons - basic functions like sleep and heartbeat
Resting Potential - electrical potential of a neuron
Midbrain - part of the brainstem
Types of Neurons
Motor Neurons - send instructions
Reuptake - the process of absorbing neurotransmitters back into the neuron
Receptors - able to pick up heat or light
Association Areas - brain areas not directly involved in sensory/motor
Identical Twins - twins that are identical
All-or-None Law - the strength of the response does not equal that of the stimulus
CT - x-rays that reveal brain damage
DNA - instructions for building
Fraternal Twins - not identical twins
Genotype - genetic constitution of an organism
Hindbrain - cerebellum, pons, and medulla
Acetylcholine - muscle action, learning, memory
Forebrain - cerebral hemispheres, thalamus, and hypothalamus
Motor Cortex - moving muscles
Sensory Cortex - responsible for 6 senses
Sensory Neurons - carry messages to the brain
Aphasia - loss of ability to express or understand speech
Broca's Area - speaking
Wernicke's Area - understanding speech
Plasticity - how easy it is to shape your brain (your neural connections)
Angular Gyrus - reading aloud, receives visual input and sends it to wernicke's area
Split Brain! - when the corpus callosum is severed and the two halves of the brain can't communicate with each other
Dual Processing - conscious and unconscious at the same time
Neurogenesis - the growth of nervous tissue
Corpus Callosum - the web between the two brain hemispheres
Cognitive Neuroscience - the study of the connections in the brain
Behavior Genetics - the study of pros and cons of genetic and environmental influences of behavior
Environment - non-genetic influences
Interaction - genes and experience depend on each other
Molecular Genetics - studies genes at a molecular level
Evolutionary Psychology - looks at how our ancestors influence us now
Natural Selection - survival of the fittest
Mutation - something going wrong with the DNA
Biopsychology - concerned with biologic aspects
Genome - complete instructions for an organism
Threshold - intensity that must be exceeded for a certain reaction
Nerve - sensation
Consciousness - awareness of ourselves and our environment