3A Neural Processing and Endocrine System Flashcards
Neuron
A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system
Biological Psychology
A branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior
Sensory neurons
Neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord
Motor neurons
Neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands
Interneurons
Neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs
Dendrite
The bushy, branching extensions of a Neuron that receive messages 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 or glands
Myelin sheath
A layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmittion speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next
Action potential
A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
Threshold
The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
Synapse
The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or a cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the Synaptic gap or synaptic cleft
Neurotransmitters
Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse
Reuptake
The neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron
Endorphins
“Morphine within” natural, opiatelike neurotransmitter’s linked to pain control and to pleasure
Nervous system
The body’s speedy, electromechanical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous system
Central Nervous System (CNS)
The brain and spinal cord
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
The sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body
Nerves
Bundled axons that form neural “cables” connecting the CNS with muscles, glands, and sense organs
Somatic nervous system
The division of the PNS that controls the body’s skeletal muscles AKA the skeletal nervous system
Autonomic nervous system
The part of the PNS that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). It’s sympathetic division arouses; it’s parasympathetic division calms the
Sympathetic nervous system
The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations
Parasympathetic nervous system
The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy
Reflex
A simple, autonomic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee jerk response
Endocrine system
The body’s “slow” chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
