Iago
Name at least 3 neurotransmitters?
Acetylcholine, Dopamine, Serotonin, Norepinephrine, GABA, Glutamate, Endorphis
What is a nervous system?
The body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous
What is the motor cortex?
An area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements
What is consciousness?
Our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment
What is heredity?
The genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring
What is the function of Serotonin?
Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal
What are the two nervous systems?
Central nervous system, peripheral nervous system
What is the cerebral cortex?
The intricate fabric of the interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-porcessing center
In 1964 what did Sperry say about people who had split brain surgery?
"With two separate minds"
Define environment?
Every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us
What are neurotransmitters?
Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by sending the neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron
Explain how a pain reflex works?
A reflex is a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as knee-jerk response
What is plasticity?
The brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or building new pathways based on experience
What is cognitive neuroscience?
The interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition( including perception, thinking, memory, and language)
What effect does environment have on personality?
The environment shared by a family's children has virtually no discernible impact on their personalities
What are neurons?
A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system
What is the parasympathetic nervous system?
The division of the automatic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy
What is neurogenesis?
The formation of new neurons
What is dual processing?
The principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks
What is the different between genetic relatives and environmental relatives?
Genetic relatives are biological parents and siblings, whereas environmental relatives are adoptive parents and siblings
Examples of acetylcholine malfunctioning?
With Alzheimers, ACh producing neurons deteriorate
Explain why neurons cluster into work groups called neural networks?
Neurons network with nearby neurons with which they can have short, fast, connections: each layer's cells connect with various cells in the neutral networks next layer
What are the two hard-facts that most brain damage effects can be traced to?
1) servered brain and spinal cord neurons, do not regenerate (usually become permanently paralyzed)
2) brain functions seem reassigned to specific areas
What percentage (estimated) of what we do is unconscious?
80%-90%
Define epigenetics
"Above" or "in addition to" (epi) genetics; the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change