Gleitman Chapter Three - The Brain and the Nervous System

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  • Created on: 23-10-16 17:38
Define: Neuron
A specialized cell in the nervous system that accumulates and transmits information.
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Define: Dendrites
The branched part of a neuron that receives impulses and conducts them toward the cell body.
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Define: Cell Body
The portion of the neuron containing the metabolic machinery that keeps the cell alive and functional.
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Define: Axon
The part of a neuron that transmits impulses to glands, muscles, or other neurons.
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Define: Efferent Neurons
Nerves that carry messages outward from the central nervous system.
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Define: Afferent Neurons
Nerves that carry messages inward toward the central nervous system.
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Define: Interneurons
Neurons that are neither afferent nor efferent, but instead carry information from one neuron to another.
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Define: Glia
A type of cell in the nervous system long believed to provide a 'support' function for neurons; recent research indicates that glia provide many other functions as well.
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Define: Myelin
A fatty substance that makes up some types of glial cells; these cells wrap around the axon of some neurons, providing an insulating 'myelin sheath' around these neurons.
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Define: Action Potential
A brief change in the electrical charge of a neuronal membrane; the physical basis of the signal that travels the length of the neuron.
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Define: Resting Potential
The voltage difference between the inside and the outside of a neuronal membrane when the neuron is not firing.
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Define: Excitation Threshold
The voltage difference between a neuron's interior and exterior that, if exceeded, causes the neuron to fire.
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Define: Refractory Period
The time after an action potential during which a neuron's cell membrane is unprepared for the next action potential.
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Define: Depolarize
In the nervous system, to lose the charge that normally exists across the neuronal membrane.
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Define: Propagation
The spread of the action potential down an axon, caused by successive changes in electrical charge along the length of the axon's membrane.
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Define: All-Or-None Law
The law that all action potentials have the same strength and speed regardless of the triggering stimulus.
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Define: Synapse
The small gap between two adjacent neurons, consisting of the presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons' membranes and the space between them.
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Define: Neurotransmitters
Chemicals released by one neuron (usually the presynaptic neuron), which trigger a response in another neuron (usually the postsynaptic neuron); the chief means of communication among neurons.
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Define: Synaptic Reuptake
The presynaptic neuron's process of reabsorbing its own neurotransmitters after signaling so that they can be released again the next time the neuron fires.
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Define: Agonists
Drugs that enhance a neurotransmitter's activity.
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Define: Antagonists
Drugs that impede the activity of a neurotransmitter.
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Define: Blood-Brain Barrier
Specialized membranes that surround the blood vessels within the brain and filter harmful chemicals out of the brains blood supply.
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Define: Endocrine System
The system of glands that release secretions directly into the bloodstream and affects organs elsewhere in the body.
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Define: Hormone
A chemical released by a gland. Hormones travel through the bloodstream and influence functions such as metabolic rate, arousal level, and the liver's sugar output.
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Define: TMS
Transcranial magnetic stimulation. The technique of applying repeated magnetic stimulation at the surface of the skull to temporarily stimulate or disable a target brain region.
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Define: EEG
Electroencephalogram. A record of the brain's electrical activity recorded by placing electrodes on the scalp.
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Define: ERP
Event-Related Potential. Electrical changes in the brain that correspond to the brain's response to a specific event; measured with EEG.
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Define: CT Scan
Computerized Tomography Scan. A technique for examining brain structure by constructing a composite of X-ray images taken from many different angles.
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Define: MRI
Magnetic Resonance Imaging. A neuroimaging technique that documents the effects of strong magnetic pulses on the molecules that make up brain tissue. A computer then assembles this information into a picture of brain structure.
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Define: PET
Positron Emission Tomography. A technique for examining brain function by observing the amount of metabolic activity in different brain regions.
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Define: fMRI Scan
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scan. A technique for examining brain function by measuring blood flow and oxygen use within the brain.
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Define: CNS
Central Nervous System. The brain and the spinal cord.
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Define: PNS
Peripheral Nervous System. The afferent and efferent nerves that extend from the brain and the spinal cord to connect them with the organs and muscles.
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Define: SNS
Somatic Nervous System. The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the skeletal muscles and transmits sensory information.
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Define: ANS
Autonomic Nervous System. The division of the peripheral nervous system that receives information from and controls the internal organs.
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Define: Sympathetic Branch
The division of the autonomic nervous system that mobilizes the organism for physical exertion.
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Define: Parasympathetic Branch
The division of the autonomic nervous system that restores the body's normal resting state and conserves energy.
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Define: Brain Stem
The brain region at the top of the spinal cord that includes the medulla and the pons.
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Define: Cerebellum
The part of the brain that controls muscular coordination and equilibrium.
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Define: Cerebral Cortex
The outermost layer of the forebrain.
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Define: Cerebral Hemisphere
One-half (left or right) of the cerebrum, the topmost part of the brain.
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Define: Frontal Lobe
The area at the front of each cerebral hemisphere; includes tissue crucial for many aspects of planning and controlling thoughts and behaviour.
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Define: Parietal Lobe
The area in each cerebral hemisphere that lies between the front and occipital lobes; includes tissue crucial for receiving information from the skin senses.
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Define: Temporal Lobe
The areas in each cerebral hemisphere lying below the temples; includes tissue crucial for hearing and many aspects of language use.
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Define: Occipital Lobe
The rearmost area of each cerebral hemisphere; includes tissue crucial for processing visual information.
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Define: Hypothalamus
A subcortical structure that plays a vital role in controlling many motivated behaviours, like eating, drinking and sexual activity.
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Define: Limbic System
A group of interconnected structures (including the hypothalamus, the amygdala, and others) that are crucial for emotion, motivation, and many aspects of learning and memory.
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Define: Amygdala
An almond shaped, temporal lobe structure that plays a central role in emotion and evaluating stimuli.
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Define: Hippocampus
A temporal lobe structure that plays a pivotal role in learning and forming new memories.
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Define: Lateralization
Functional differences between the two cerebral hemispheres. For example, in most right handers, the left hemisphere is specialised for language, while the right hemisphere is better at some visual and spatial tasks.
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Define: Corpus Callosum
The thick bundle of fibres connecting the cerebral hemispheres.
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Define: Projection Areas
Areas in which the brain tissue seems to form a 'map' of sensory information.
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Define: Contralateral Control
The typical pattern in vertebrates in which movements of the right side of the body are controlled by the left hemisphere, while movements of the left side are controlled by the right hemisphere.
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Define: Apraxia
A serious disturbance in beginning or carrying out voluntary movements.
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Define: Visual Agnosia
The inability to recognise a visual stimulus despite the ability to see and describe it.
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Define: Neglect Syndrome
The result of certain right parietal lobe lesions that leave a patient completely inattentive to stimuli to her left, including the left side of her own body.
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Define: Aphasia
Any of a number of linguistic disorders caused by injury to or malformation of the brain.
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Define: Prefrontal Area
The frontmost portion of the frontal lobes, involved in working memory, strategy formation, and response inhibition.
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Define: Executive Control
Processes such as making plans or overriding habitual responses that let the brain direct its own cognitive activities.
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Define: Perseveration
The tendency to repeat a response inappropriately; often a result of deficits in executive control caused by prefrontal lesions.
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Define: Perseveration
The tendency to repeat a response inappropriately; often a result of deficits in executive control caused by prefrontal lesions.
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Define: Brain Plasticity
The capacity for the brain to alter its structure and function.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

The branched part of a neuron that receives impulses and conducts them toward the cell body.

Back

Define: Dendrites

Card 3

Front

The portion of the neuron containing the metabolic machinery that keeps the cell alive and functional.

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

The part of a neuron that transmits impulses to glands, muscles, or other neurons.

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

Nerves that carry messages outward from the central nervous system.

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
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