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• plasticity

  denotes the brains special capacity to change
• nervous system

  the body’s electrochemical communication circuitry. It is made up of billions of communicating cells.
• central nervous system

  is the brain & spinal cord, more than 99% of our nerve cells are located in the CNS.
• Peripheral Nervous system

   

  the network of nerves that connects the brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body It brings information to and from the brain and spinal cord and to carry out the commands of the CNS to execute various muscular and glandular activities
• somatic nervous system

  consists of sensory nerves whose function is to convey information from the skin & muscles to the CNS about conditions such as pain & temperature and motor nerves whose function is to tell muscles what to do
• automnic nervous system

  is to take messages to & from the bodys internal organs, monitoring such processes as breathing, heart rate,

  & digestion.

  • divided into two parts (Sympathetic Nervous System & Parasympathetic Nervous System)
• Sympathetic Nervous System

  arouses the body to mobilize it for action & is involved in the experience of stress.
• Parasympathetic Nervous System


  calms the body
• stress

  is the body's response to stressors. Has a fight or Flight reaction, which is part of the sympathetic nervous system.
• stressors

  The circumstances and events that threaten people & tax their coping abilities.
• neurons

  are the nerve cells that handle the information-processing function.
• cell body

  contains the nucleus, which directs the manufacture of substances that the neuron needs for growth and maintenance.
• dendrites

  are treelike fibers projecting from a neuron, they receive information & orient towards the cell body. Many neurons have many dendrites, which increase the surface area & allows each neuron to receive input from other neurons.
• axon

  the part of the neuron that carries information away from the cell body toward other cells
• myelin sheath

  consists of d layer of cells containing fat, encases & insulates most axons. Myelin Sheaths speed up transmission of nerve impulses. It is necessary for information to travel over long distances in the nervous sustem.
• resting potential

  The stable, negative charge of an inactive neuron
• action potential

  The brief wave of positive electrical charge that sweeps down the axon
• all or nothing principle

  once the electrical impulse reaches a certain revel of intensity known as a threshold, it fires & moves down an axon w/o losing its intensity
• synapse

  tiny spaces between neurons; the gap between neurons Is referred to as a synaptic gap. Before an impulse can be considered as crossed it must be converted to a chemical signal.
• neurotransmitters

  Chemical substances that are stored in very tiny sacs within the neuron's terminal buttons & involved in transmitting information across a synaptic gap to the next neuron
• acetylcholine

  usually stimulates the firing of neurons and is involved in the action of muscles, learning, and memory. It is found throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems.
• GABA

  fund throughout the central nervous system. it’s believed to be the neurotransmitter in as many as 1/3 of the brain's synapses. Is important b/c it keeps many neurons from firing & helps control the precsion of the signal being carried from one neuron to the next.
• glutamate

  has a key role in exciting many neurons to fire & is involved in learning & memory. Too much can overstimulate brain, main area of drug treatment
• norepinephrine

  inhibits the firing of neurons in the central nervous system but excited the heart, muscles, intestines, and urogenital tact. Stress stimulates the release of this, & this

  neurotransmitter nelps control alertness.
• dopamine


  helps to control voluntary movement & affects sleep, mood, attention, learning, & the ability to recognize & other important signals in the environment and it is related to the personality trait extroversion
• seratonin

  involved in the regulation of sleep, mood, attention, & learning. It is also key to maintaining the brain's neuroplasticity.

  (allowing

  the brain to change with experience)
• endorphins

   are natural optates that mainly stimulate the firing of neurons. Endorpnins shield the body from pain & elevate feelings of pleasure.
• oxytocin

  Is a hormone & neurotransmitter that plays an important role in the experience of love & special bonds.
• agonist

  a drug that mimics or increases a neurotransmitters effects. ex. morphine (mimics endorphins ≠ pain)
• antagonist

  a drug that blocks a neurotransmitters effects. (ex. drugs for scizophrenia block levels of dopamine).
• medulla

  begins where the spinal cord enters the skull. It controls many vitals functions, such as breathing & heart rate.

  It also regulates the reflexes
• cerebellum

   extends from the rear of the hindbrain above the medulla. It contains 2 stuctures that has an important role in motor coordination. It also nas a role in social thinking like mimicry
• brain stem

  includes much of the hindbrain (does not include cerebellum) & midbrain. It connects at its lower end with the Spinal cord & then extends upwards to encase reticular information in the midbrain, clumps of cells in the brain stem determine alertness regulate, basic survival functions such as breathing , heartbeat, & blood pressure.
• reticular formation

  A system in the midbrain comprising a diffuse collection of neurons involved instereotyped patterns of behavior such as walking, sleeping and turning to attend to a sudden noise.
• limbic system

  A network of structures under the.

  cerebellum cortex. It is important in both memory a emotion.
• amygdala

  An almond shaped structure located inside the brain toward the base. It’s on both sides of the brain & is involved in the discrimination of objects that are necessary for the organism's survival such as Food, mates, social rials, is also involved in emotional awareness & expression.
• hippocampus

  It plays a special role in the storage of memories.

  The memories are not stored in the limbic system, but it determines what should be printed as long-lasting.
• thalamus

  forebrain structure that sits at the top of the brain stem in the central core of the brain, it acts as an essential relay station & has the important function of sorting information & sending it to the appropriate place in the forebrain for further integration & interpretation
• basal ganglia

  It is above the thalmus & under the cerebral cortex, there are large clusters (ganglia) of neurons. It works with the cerebral cortex to control & coordinate voluntary movements, helps engage in habitual behaviors like riding a bike.
• hypothalamus

  a small forebrain structure below the thalmus.

  It monttors 3 pleasurable activities, eating, drinking, behavior. It also includes emotion, stress, & reward. It regulates the body's internal state & is sensitive to changes, blood, & neural input.