Unit 3A Neural Processing And The Endocrine System

Question 1

Biological Psychology

Answer 1

A branch of psych concerned w the links between biology and behavior

Question 2

Neurons

Answer 2

Nerve cells; the basic building blocks of the nervous system

Question 3

Sensory neurons

Answer 3

Neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

Question 4

Motor neurons

Answer 4

Neurons that carry outgoing info from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands

Question 5

Interneurons

Answer 5

Neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

Question 6

Dendrite

Answer 6

The bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.

Question 7

Axon

Answer 7

The extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands.

Question 8

Myelin Sheath

Answer 8

A layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next.

Question 9

How is the myelin sheath related to multiple sclerosis?

Answer 9

If the myelin sheath degenerates then it could cause multiple sclerosis.

Question 10

Action potential

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Threshold

Answer 11

The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse.

Question 12

Synapse

Answer 12

The junction between the axon tip of sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or synaptic cleft.

Question 13

Neurotransmitters

Answer 13

Chemical messengers

Question 14

Reuptake

Answer 14

The process of the sending neuron re-absorbing the excess neurotransmitters.

Question 15

Endorphins

Answer 15

They are natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.

Question 16

How do drugs and other chemicals affect brain chemistry?

Answer 16

They do so by either amplifying or blocking a neurotransmitter’s activity.

Question 17

What is the difference between an agonist and an antagonist molecule?

Answer 17

An agonist molecule will bind to a neurotransmitter’s receptor and mimic its effects. However, an antagonist will bind to a receptor and block the neurotransmitter’s function.

Question 18

Nervous System

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Peripheral nervous system

Answer 19

The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body.

Question 20

Somatic Nervous System

Answer 20

The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles.

Question 21

Autonomic nervous system

Answer 21

The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internals organs.

Question 22

Sympathetic nervous system

Answer 22

The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing it’s energy in stressful situations.

Question 23

Parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 23

The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving it’s energy.

Question 24

Central nervous system

Answer 24

It is the brain and spinal cord

Question 25

Neural networks

Answer 25

The brains neurons clustered together in work groups.

Question 26

Spinal Cord

Answer 26

It is an information highway connecting the peripheral nervous system to the brain. Pathways in the spinal cord allow for neurons to send messages up into the brain and neurons out of the brain.

Question 27

Endocrine System

Answer 27

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

Question 28

Hormones

Answer 28

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

Question 29

How is the endocrine system different from the nervous system?

Answer 29

The nervous system is able to send messages quickly whereas the endocrine system takes longer because it goes through the bloodstream.

Question 30

Adrenal glands

Answer 30

A pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones that help arouse the body in times of stress.

Question 31

Pituitary Gland

Answer 31

The pea-shaped structure located in the core of the brain and it’s the endocrine systems most influential gland because it regulates growth and controls the endocrine glands.