Ch 3 - Neuron shiz

Question 1

glial cells

Answer 1

provide scaffolding on which the nervous system is built, help neurons line up closely with each other to allow neuronal communication, provide insulation to neurons, transport nutrients and waste products, and mediate immune responses

Question 2

neuron

Answer 2

central building block of nervous system

Question 3

soma

Answer 3

cell body

Question 4

dendrite

Answer 4

short branched extension of a nerve cell, impulses received from other cells at synapses are transmitted to the cell body

Question 5

axon

Answer 5

the long threadlike part of a nerve cell along which impulses are conducted from the cell body to other cells

Question 6

terminal buttons

Answer 6

small knobs at the end of an axon that release chemicals called neurotransmitters

Question 7

neurotransmitter

Answer 7

a chemical substance that is released at the end of a nerve fiber by the arrival of a nerve impulse and, by diffusing across the synapse or junction, causes the transfer of the impulse to another nerve fiber, a muscle fiber, or some other structure

Question 8

synapse

Answer 8

small space between two neurons and is an important site where communication between neurons occur

Question 9

receptors

Answer 9

proteins on the cell surface where neurotransmitters attach, with different shapes “matching” different neurotransmitters

Question 10

myelin sheath

Answer 10

fatty coating, coats the axon and acts as an insulator, increasing the speed at which the signal travels

Question 11

action potential

Answer 11

electrical signal that moves down the neuron’s axon

Question 12

agonist

Answer 12

drug that mimics or strengthens the effects of a neurotransmitter

Question 13

all or none

Answer 13

phenomenon that incoming signal from another neuron is either sufficient or insufficient to reach the threshold of excitation

Question 14

antagonist

Answer 14

drug that blocks or impedes the normal activity of a given neurotransmitter

Question 15

biological perspective

Answer 15

view that psychological disorders like depression and schizophrenia are associated with imbalances in one or more neurotransmitter systems

Question 16

neuron

Answer 16

cells in the nervous system that act as interconnected information processors, which are essential for all of the tasks of the nervous system

Question 17

psychotropic medication

Answer 17

drugs that treat psychiatric symptoms by restoring neurotransmitter balance

Question 18

reuptake

Answer 18

neurotransmitter is pumped back into the neuron that released it

Question 19

threshold of excitation

Answer 19

level of charge in the membrane that causes the neuron to become active