Neural Processing & The Endocrine System Flashcards
A branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior
Biological psychology
A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system
Neuron
Neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord
Sensory neurons
Neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscle and glands
Motor neurons
Neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs
Inter-neurons
The bushy branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body
Dendrite
The extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or two muscles or glands
Axon
A layer of fatty tissue segmental he encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next
Myelin sheath
A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
Action potential
The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
Threshold
The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron
Synapse
Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gap is between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neuron transmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptors sites on the receiving neuron, there by influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse
Neurotransmitters
A neurotransmitters reabsorption by the sending neuron
Reuptake
Morphine within – natural, opiate like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure
Endorphins
The bodies speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous system
Nervous system
The brain and the spinal cord
Central nervous system
The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body
Peripheral Nervous System
Bundled axons that form neural cables connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs
Nerves
The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body skeletal muscles
Somatic nervous system
The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands in the muscles of the internal organs. It’s sympathetic division arouses; it’s parasympathetic division calms.
Automatic nervous system
The division of the autonomicnervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations
Sympathetic nervous system
The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving it’s energy
Parasympathetic nervous system
A simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response
Reflex
The bodies slow chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the blood stream
Endocrine system
