| action potential | An electric nerve impulse that travels through a neuron when it is set off by a "trigger," changing the neuron's charge from negative to positive
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| all-or-none law | The rule that neurons are either on or off
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| association areas | One of the major areas of the brain, the site of the higher mental processes such as thought, language, memory, and speech
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| autonomic division | The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary movement (the actions of the heart, glands, lungs, and other organs)
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| axon | The part of the neuron that carries messages destined for other neurons
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| behavioral genetics | The study of the effects of heredity on behavior
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| behavioral neuroscientists (or biopsychologists) | Psychologists who specialize in considering the ways that biological structures and functions of the body affect behavior
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| biofeedback | A procedure in which a person learns to control through conscious thought internal physiological processes such as blood pressure, heart and respiration rate, skin temperature, sweating, and constriction of particular muscles
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| central nervous system (CNS) | The part of the nervous system that includes the brain and spinal cord
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| cerebellum (ser ub BELL um) | The part of the brain that controls bodily balance
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| cerebral cortex | The "new brain," responsible for the most sophisticated information processing in the brain; contains the lobes
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| dendrites | A cluster of fibers at one end of a neuron that receive messages from other neurons
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| endocrine system | A chemical communication network that sends messages throughout the body via the bloodstream
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| evolutionary psychology | The branch of psychology that seeks to identify behavior patterns that are a result of our genetic inheritance from our ancestors
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| excitatory message | A chemical message that makes it more likely that a receiving neuron will fire and an action potential will travel down its axon
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| hemispheres | Two symmetrical left and right halves of the brain that control the side of the body opposite to their location
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| hormones | Chemicals that circulate through the blood and affect the functioning or growth of other parts of the body
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| hypothalamus | A tiny part of the brain, located below the thalamus of the brain, that maintains homostasis and produces and regulates vital, basic behavior such as eating, drinking, and sexual behavior
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| inhibitory message | A chemical message that prevents or decreases the likelihood that a receiving neuron will fire
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| interneurons | Neurons that connect sensory and motor neurons, carrying messages between the two
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| limbic system | The part of the brain located outside the "new brain" that controls eating, aggression, and reproduction
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| lobes | The four major sections of the cerebral cortex: frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital
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| motor (efferent) neurons | Neurons that communicate information from the nervous system to muscles and glands of the body
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| motor area | The part of the cortex that is largely responsible for the voluntary movement of particular parts of the body
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| myelin sheath | A protective coat of fat and protein that wraps around the axon
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| neurons | Nerve cells, the basic elements of the nervous system
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| neuroplasticity | Changes in the brain that occur throughout the life span relating to the addition of new neurons, more interconnections between neurons, and reorganization of information-processing areas
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| neurotransmitters | Chemicals that carry messages across the synapse to the dendrite (and sometimes the cell body) of a receiver neuron
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| parasympathetic division | The part of the autonomic division of the nervous system that acts to calm the body after the emergency situation is resolved
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| peripheral nervous system | The part of the nervous system that includes the autonomic and somatic subdivisions; made up of long axons and dendrites, it branches out from the spinal cord and brain and reaches the extremities of the body
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| pituitary gland | The "master gland," the major component of the endocrine system, which secretes hormones that control growth
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| reflexes | Automatic, involuntary response to an incoming stimulus
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| resting state | The state in which there is a negative electrical charge of about -70 millivolts within the neuro
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| reticular formation | The part of the brainfrom the medulla through the pons made up of groups of nerve cells that can immediately activate other parts of the brain to produce general bodily arousal
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| reuptake | The reabsorption of neurotransmitters by a terminal button
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| sensory (afferent) neurons | Neurons that transmit information from the perimeter of the body to the central nervous system
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| sensory area | The site in the brain of the tissue that corresponds to each of the senses, with the degree of sensitivity relating to the amount of tissue
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| somatic division | The part of the peripheral nervous system that specializes in the control of voluntary movements and the communication of information to and from the sense organs
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| spinal cord | A bundle of nerves that leaves the brain and runs down the length of the back and is the main means for transmitting messages between the brain and the body
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| split-brain patient | A person who suffers from independent functioning of the two halves of the brain, as a result of which the sides of the body work in disharmony
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| sympathetic division | The part of the autonomic division of the nervous system that acts to prepare the body in stressful emergency situations, engaging all the organism's resources to respond to a threat
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| synapse | The space between two neurons where the axon of a sending neuron communicates with the dendrites of a receiving neuron using chemical messages
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| terminal buttons | Small bulges at the end of axons that send messages to other neurons
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| thalamus | The part of the brain located in the middle of the central core that acts primarily as a busy relay station, mostly for information concerning the senses
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