Neuroscience Flashcards
What is neural plasticity?
The brain physically changes and develops throughout the lifespan. Experiences and genetics continually influence brain development.
What factors negatively affect neural plasticity?
Chronic stress and chronic substance abuse
What factors positively affect neural plasticity?
Psychotherapy, psychopharmacotherapy, enjoyable activities (i.e., social, intellectual), exercise, and meditation
What is synaptic pruning?
Through adolescence, the brain continually refines its efficiency by retaining relevant/useful synapses while “pruning” or eliminating non-relevant/non-useful synapses.
What is neurotransmission?
The transfer of information from one neuron to another
Where does neurotransmission occur?
Synapse or synaptic cleft
Neurotransmitters are released at the synaptic cleft as a result of ____________.
Electrical activity (action potential)
What is the first phase of an action potential?
Depolarization is an excitatory response. During this phase, sodium and calcium ions flow into the cell.
What is the second phase of an action potential?
Repolarization is an inhibitory response. During this phase, potassium leaves the cell or chloride enters the cell.
Describe the path of neurotransmission.
Stimulated by an action potential in the axon, neurotransmitters are released from the presynaptic neuron, cross the synapse, and then bind to a specific receptor on the post-synaptic neuron.
What happens to the neurotransmitters that do not bind to receptors?
Unbound neurotransmitters are removed from the synaptic cleft by reuptake pumps and reloaded into the presynaptic neuron to be recycled in a process called “reuptake.”
____________ within the neuron continue neurotransmission through chemical and electrical processes.
Second messengers
____________ maintains optimal function of the synapses.
Healthy lifestyle
What are the two classes of cells in the nervous system?
Glia and neurons
What are glia and what role do they play in the nervous system?
Structures that form the myelin sheath around axons and provide protection and support.
What are neurons and what role do they play in the nervous system?
Nerve cells responsible for conducting impulses from one part of the body to another.
What are the three components of a neuron?
Cell body/soma, dendrites, and axon
____________ receive information to conduct impulse toward the cell body.
Dendrites
____________ send or conduct information away from the cell body.
Axons
What role does the synapse play in neurotransmission?
The synapse converts an electrical signal (action potential) from the presynaptic neuron into a chemical signal (neurotransmitter) that is transferred to the post-synaptic neuron.
____________ are chemicals synthesized from dietary substrates that communicate information from one cell to another.
Neurotransmitters
What are the four categories of neurotransmitters?
Monoamines (a.k.a. “biogenic amines”)
Amino acids
Cholinergics
Neuropeptides
What are the four main monoamine neurotransmitters?
Dopamine
Norepinephrine
Epinephrine
Serotonin
What are the two main amino acid neurotransmitters?
Glutamine
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)