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Biological Psychology: a branch of psychology concerned with thelinks between biology and behavior.

Neuron: a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system.

Dendrite: the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receivemessages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.

Axon: the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers,through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles orglands.

Myelin Sheath: a layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibersof many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neuralimpulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next.

Action Potential: a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge thattravels down an axon. The action potential is generated by themovement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in theaxons membrane.

Threshold: the level of stimulation required to trigger a neuralimpulse.

Synapse: the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron andthe dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at thisjunction is called the synaptic gap or cleft.

Neurotransmitters: chemical messengers that traverse the synapticgaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron,neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor siteson the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron willgenerate a neural impulse.

Acetylcholine (ACh): a neurotransmitter that, among its functions,triggers muscle contraction.

Endorphins: morphine within natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters

linked to pain control and to pleasure.

Nervous System: the bodys speedy, electrochemical communicationsystem, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and centralnervous systems.

Central Nervous System (CNS): the brain and spinal cord.

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Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): the sensory and motor neuronsthat connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body.

Nerves: neural cables containing many axons. These bundled axons,which are part of the peripheral nervous system, connect the central

nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs.

Sensory Neurons: neurons that carry incoming information from thesense receptors to the central nervous system.

Interneurons: central nervous system neurons that internallycommunicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motoroutputs.

Motor Neurons: neurons that carry outgoing information from thecentral nervous system to the muscles and glands.

Somatic Nervous System: the division of the peripheral nervoussystem that controls the bodys skeletal muscles.

Autonomic Nervous System: the part of the peripheral nervoussystem that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs(such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; itsparasympathetic division calms.

Sympathetic Nervous System: the division of the autonomicnervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in

stressful situations.

Parasympathetic Nervous System: the division of the autonomicnervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy.

Reflex: a simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus,such as the knee-jerk response.

Neural Networks: interconnected neural cells. With experience,networks can learn, as feedback strengthens or inhibits connectionsthat produce certain results. Computer simulations of neural networks

show analogous learning.

Lesion: tissue destruction. A brain lesion is a naturally orexperimentally caused destruction of brain tissue.

Electroencephalogram (EEG): an amplified recording of the wavesof electrical activity that sweep across the brains surface. Electrodesplaced on the scalp measure these waves.

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CT (Computed Tomography) Scan: a series of x-ray photographstaken from different angles and combined by computer into acomposite representation of a slice through the body. Also called a CATScan

PET (Positron Emission Tomography) Scan: a visual display ofbrain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goeswhile the brain performs a given task.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging): a technique that usesmagnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generatedimages that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows usto see structures within the brain.

Brainstem: the oldest part of the central core of the brain, beginning

where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem isresponsible for automatic survival functions.

Medulla: the base of the brainstem; controls hearbeat and breathing.

Reticular Formation: a nerve network in the brainstem that plays animportant role in controlling arousal.

Thalamus: the brains sensory switchboard, located on top of thebrainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in thecortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.

Cerebellum: the little brain attached to the rear of the brainstem; ithelps coordinate voluntary movement and balance.

Limbic System: a doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at theborder of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated withemotions such as fear and aggression and drives such as those forfood and sex. Includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and thehypothalamus.

Amygdala: two almond-shaped neural clusters that are components

of the limbic system and are linked to emotion.

Hypothalamus: a neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus; itdirects several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, bodytemperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitarygland, and is linked to emotion.

Cerebral Cortex: the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells

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that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the bodys ultimate control andinformation-processing center.

Glial Cells: cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, andprotect neurons.

Frontal Lobes: the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind theforehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in makingplans and judgments.

Parietal Lobes: the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top ofthe head and toward the rear; includes the sensory cortex.

Occipital Lobes: the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back ofthe head; includes the visual areas, which receive visual informationfrom the opposite visual field.

Temporal Lobes: the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughlyabove the ears; includes the auditory areas, each of which receivesauditory information primarily from the opposite ear.

Motor Cortex: an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controlsvoluntary movements.

Sensory Cortex: the area at the front of the parietal lobes thatregisters and processes body sensations.

Association Areas: areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involvedin primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved inhigher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, andspeaking.

Aphasia: impairment of language, usually caused by left hemispheredamage either to Brocas area (impairing speaking) or to Wernickesarea (impairing understanding).

Brocas Area: controls language expressionan area of the frontallobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle

movements involved in speech.

Wernickes Area: controls language receptiona brain area involvedin language comprehension and expression; usually in the lefttemporal lobe.

Plasticity: the brains capacity for modification, as evident in brainreorganization following damage (especially in children) and in

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experiments on the effects of experience on brain development.

Corpus Callosum: the large band of neural fibers connecting the twobrain hemispheres and carrying messages between them.

Split Brain: a condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain areisolated by cutting the connecting fibers (mainly those of the corpuscallosum) between them.

Endocrine System: the bodys slow chemical communicationsystem; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.

Hormones: Chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by theendocrine glands, athat are produced in one tissue and affect another.

Adrenal Glands: a pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys.

The adrenals secrete the hormones epinephrine (adrenaline) andnorepinephrine (noradrenalin), which help to arouse the body in timesof stress.

Pituitary Gland: the endocrine systems most influential gland. Underthe influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth andcontrols other endocrine glands.