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Pysch > Psych Unit 3 > Flashcards

Psych Unit 3 Flashcards

1
Q

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

A

Neurons

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2
Q

the part of the neuron that contains the nucleus; the cell’s life support center

A

Cell body

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3
Q

a neuron’s often bushy, branching extensions that receive and integrate messages, conducting impulses towards the cell body

A

Dendrite

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4
Q

the neuron extensions that pass messages through its branches to other neurons or muscles or glands

A

Axon

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5
Q

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

A

Myelin Sheath

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6
Q

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons; they also play a role in learning, thinking, and memory

A

Glial cells (glia)

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7
Q

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

A

Action potential

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8
Q

level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

A

Threshold

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9
Q

in neural processing, a brief resting pause that occurs after a neuron has fired; subsequent action potentials cannot occur until the axon returns to its resting state

A

Refractory period

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10
Q

a neuron’s reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not firing

A

All-or-none response

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11
Q

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 synaptic gap/ synaptic cleft

A

Synapse

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12
Q

Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse

A

Neurotransmitters

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13
Q

a neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by sending neuron

A

Reuptake

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14
Q

“the morphine within” - a natural opiate-like neurotransmitter linked to pain control and pleasure

A

Endorphins

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15
Q

A molecule that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter’s action

A

Antagonist

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16
Q

the body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems

A

Nervous system

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17
Q

the brain and spinal cord

A

Central nervous system (CNS)

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18
Q

the sensory/ motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body

A

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

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19
Q

bundled axons that form neural cable connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs

A

Nerves

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20
Q

neurons that carry incoming info from the body’s tissues/ sensory receptors to the brain/ spinal cord

A

Sensory (afferent) neurons

21
Q

neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles/ glands

A

Motor (efferent) neurons

22
Q

neurons within the brain/spinal cord; they communicate internally/ process information between the sensory inputs/ motor outputs

A

Interneurons

23
Q

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles (Skeletal nervous system)

A

Somatic nervous system

24
Q

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands/ muscles of the internal organs. Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms

A

Autonomic nervous system (ANS)

25
Q

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy

A

Sympathetic nervous system

26
Q

the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

A

Parasympathetic nervous system

27
Q

a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus (knee-jerk response)

A

Reflex

28
Q

the body’s “slow” chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream

A

Endocrine system

29
Q

a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys/ secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress

A

Adrenal glands

30
Q

chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream and affect other tissues

A

Hormones

31
Q

the endocrine system’s most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth/ controls other endocrine glands

A

Pituitary gland

32
Q

is an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain’s surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp

A

EEG (electroencephalogram)

33
Q

tissue destruction. A brain lesion is a naturally/ experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue

A

Lesion

34
Q

a brain imaging technique that measures magnetic fields from the brain’s natural electrical activity

A

MEG (magnetoencephalography)

35
Q

a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task

A

PET (positron emission tomography) scan

36
Q

a series of X-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice of the brain structure (CAT scan)

A

CT (computed tomography) scan

37
Q

a technique that uses magnetic field/ radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue, show brain anatomy

A

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

38
Q

a technique for revealing blood flow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans, shows how brain function as well as structure

A

fMRI (functional MRI)

39
Q

the oldest part/ central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions

A

Brainstem

40
Q

the base of the brainstem; control heartbeat/breathing

A

Medulla

41
Q

the brain’s sensory control center, located at the top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum/ medulla

A

Thalamus

42
Q

a nerve network that travels through the brainstem into the thalamus, plays an important role in controlling arousal

A

Reticular formation

43
Q

the “little brain” at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input, coordinating movement output/ balance, and enabling nonverbal learning/ memory

A

Cerebellum

44
Q

neural system (amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotion/drives

A

Limbic system

45
Q

2 lima-bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion

A

Amygdala

46
Q

a neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, linked to emotion/reward

A

Hypothalamus

47
Q

a neural center located in the limbic system helps process for storage of explicit (conscious) memories of facts/ events

A

Hippocampus

48
Q

a molecule that increases a neurotransmitter’s action

A

Agonist

Pysch (4 decks)

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