psych chapter 3 last minute study guiderino Flashcards
What is a neuron?
Nerve cell specialized for communication.
What is a dendrite?
portion of neuron that receives signals.
What is an axon?
Portion of neuron that sends signals.
What is a synaptic vesicle?
Spherical sac containing NTs.
What is a neurotransmitter?
Chemical messenger specialized for communication from neuron to neuron.
What is a synapse?
Space between two connecting neurons through which messages are transmitter chemically.
What is a synaptic cleft?
A gap into which NTs are releases from the axon terminal.
What are glial cells?
Cell in nervous system that plays a role in the formation of myelin and the blood-brain barrier, responds to injury, removes debris, and enhances learning and memory
What is a myelin sheath?
glial cells wrapped around axons that act as insulators of the neuron’s signal.
What is resting potential?
electrical charge difference across the neuronal membrane, when the neuron is not being stimulated or inhibited.
What is threshold potential?
;membrane potential necessary to trigger an action potential.
What is an action potential?
Electrical impulse that travels down the axon, triggering the release of neurotransmitters.
What is the absolute refractory period?
time during which another action potential is impossible; limits maximal firing rate.
What are graded potentials?
postsynatpic potentials that can be excitatory or inhibitory depending on whether positively or negatively charged particles flow across the neuronal membrane and in which direction they flow.
What is an EPSP?
graded potential in a dendrite that is caused by excitatory synaptic transmission.
What is an IPSP?
graded potential in a dendrite that is cased by inhibitory synaptic transmission.
What is a receptor site?
location that uniquely recognizes a NT.
What is reuptake?
means of recycling NTs.
What is plasticity?
ability of nervous system to change.
What is a stem cell?
a cell, often originating in embryos, having the capacity to differentiate into a more specialized cell.
What is neurogenesis?
creation of new neurons in the adult brain.
What is the CNS?
part of the nervous system containing the brain and spinal cord that controls the mind and behaviour
What is the PNS?
nerves in the body that extend outside the CNS
What are cerebral ventricles?
pockets in the brain that contain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which provides the brain with nutrients and cushions against injury.
What is the forebrain (cerebellum)?
forward part of the brain that allows advanced intellectual activities.
What are the cerebral hemispheres?
two halves of the cerebral cortex, each of which serves distinct yet highly integrated functions.
What is the corpus callosum?
Large band of fibres connecting the two cerebral hemispheres.
What is the cerebral cortex?
outermost part of the forebrain, responsible for analyzing sensory processing and higher brain functions.
What is the frontal lobe?
Forward part of cerebral cortex responsible for motor function, language, memory and planning.