Ap psych Unit 1

• The central nervous system is made up of the brain and the spinal cord. - encased in bone for protection
• The peripheral nervous system connects the central nervous system with the rest of the body.
• The somatic nervous system is part of the peripheral nervous system and controls skeletal muscles or voluntary movement.
• The autonomic nervous system is part of the peripheral nervous system and controls glands, heart, lungs or involuntary movement.
• Parasympathetic nervous system calms the body, conserving energy

  (rest and digest)
• Natural selection ▪ The process by which individuals with inherited traits that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce
• Sensory neurons carry incoming information from the body’s tissues and sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord
• Motor neurons carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands
• interneurons are within the brain and spinal cord: they communicate internally and process information between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.
• hormones are chemical messengers that are produced by glands and travel in the blood
• The pituitary gland regulates growth and controls other glands and is under the influence of the hypothalamus
• A neuron is a nerve cell is that is the basic building block of the nervous system
• Glial cells are cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons, they also play a role in learning, thinking, and memory
• threshold: a level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
• a refractory period is a brief resting pause that occurs after a neuron has fired;subsequent action potentials cannot occur until the axon returns to its resting potential
• the all or nothing principle states a neurons reaction of either firing with full strength response or not firing at all
• reuptake: a neurotransmitters reabsorbtion by the sending neuron
• endorphins : a neurotransmitter linked to pain control and pleasure
• a molecule that increases a neurotransmitter’s action is an agonist
• a molecule that inhibits/blocks a neurotransmitters action is an antagonist.
• Tolerence is the effect of requiring larger and larger doses to experience the drugs effect
• withdrawal is the discomfort and distress that follow after quitting drugs
• depressants reduce neural activity and slow body functions (ex. alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates)
• alcohol slows the sympathetic nervous system and neural processing and can disrupt memory formating. Blackouts happen because it suppresses sleep. it also reduces self awareness and increased “mind wandering”
• opioids depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety and after continuous use the brain stops producing its own endorphins
• stimulants excite neural activity and speed up body functions that are used to feel alert, lose weight, or boost athletic/academic performance
• cocaine: an addictive drug derived from coca or prepared synthetically, used as a powerful/addictive stimulant that produces temporarily increased alertness and euphoria
• hallucinogens cause hallucinations and experiences that cause the visual cortex to become hypersensitive- psychedelic drugs that disort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input
• marijuana is a mild hallucinogen that relaxes and can produce a euphoric high
• the cereberal cortex is interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body’s control and info-processing center
• frontal lobes are behind the forehead and involved in speaking, muscle movements, making plans, and judgement
• the parietal lobes are at the top of the head and receives sensory input for tough and body position
• the occipital lobes are at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields
• the temporal lobes are right above the ears and receive info from the opposite ear (includes the auditory cortex)
• the motor cortex is an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movement
• the somatosensory cortex is located at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body movement and touch sensations
• the brains ability to change is known as neuroplasticity
• lesion - tissue destruction
• the brainstem controls automatic survival functions such as breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure
• the medulla is located at the base of the brain stem and controls heartbeat and breathing