Mod 3 Flashcards
the scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes.
bioloagical psychology
a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system.
neuron
a neuron’s bushy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body
dendrites
the neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to other muscles or glands
axon
sheath a fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next.
myelin [MY-uh-lin]
cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons, they may also play a role in learning and thinking
gilal cells
the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse.
threshold
a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon.
action potential
chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron,
___________ travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse.
Neurotransmitters
the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synapse gap or synaptic cleft.
Synapse - SIN-aps
Neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs
Interneurons
Neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands
Motor (efferent) neurons
Neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord
Sensory (afferent) neurons
a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response.
reflex
” the body’s “slow” chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.
Endocrine system [EN-duh-krin]
chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect Adrenal glands [ah-DREEN-el]other tissues.
Hormones
a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress.
adrenal glands
the endocrine systems most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the _______ regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands
pituitary glands
the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles. Also called the skeletal nervous system.
somatic nervous system
the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.
autonomic [aw-tuh-NAHM-ik] nervous system (ANS)
the division of the autonomic nervous that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy stressful situations.
sympatnetic nervous system
The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its evergy
Parasympathetic nervous system
“morphine within”-natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.
endorphins[en-DOR-fins]
nerve the body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems.
Nervous system
the brain and spinal cord.
central nervous system (CNS)
the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body.
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
bundled axons that form neural “cables” connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs.
nerves
