Psychology ll Ch P 136
Terms
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- neuron
- a nerve cell , the basic building block of the nervous system
- dendrite
- the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body (soma)
- soma
- the cell body of a neuron, which contains the nucleus and other parts that keep the cell healthy
- axon
- the extension of a neuron through which nwural impulses are sent
- axon terminal
- the endpoint of a neuron there neurotransmitters are stored
- action potential
- a neural impulse a brief electrical charge that travels down the axon of a neuron
- refractory period
- the recharging phase when a neuron after firing cannot generate another action potential
- resting potential
- the state of a neuron when it is at test and capable of generating an action potential
- all or none principle
- states that if a neuron fires, it always fires at the same intensity, all action potentials are the same strength
- synapse
- tiny, fluid filled gap between the axon terminals of one neuron and the dendrite of another
- neurotransmitter
- a chemical messenger that travels across the synapse from one neuron to the next,and influences whether a neuron will generate on action potential ( impulse)
- excitatory effect
- a neurotransmistter effect that makes it more likely that the receiving neuron will generate an action potential (impulse)
- inhibitory
- a neurotransmitter effect that makes it less likely that the receiving neuron will generate an action potential( impulse)
- receptor cells
- specialized cells in the sensory systems of the body that can turn other kinds of energy into action potentials (impulses) that the nervous system can process
- sensory nerve
- carry information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system
- interneurons
- nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord responsible for processing information related to sensory input and motor output
- motor nerves
- carry information to the muscles and glands from the central nervous system
- acetylcholine
- a neurotransmitter that triggers muscle contraction and affects learning and memory
- antagonist
- a drug that blocks the effect of a neurotransmitter
- agonist
- a drug that boost the effects of a neurotransmitter
- dopamine
- a neurotransmitter that affects learning , attention,and emotion, excess dopamine activity is associated will schizophrenia
- seratonin
- a neurotransmitter that affects hunger, sleep, arousal and mood,seratonin appears in lower than normal levels in depressed people
- central nervous system (cns)
- the brain and spinal cord
- peripheral nervous system (PNS)
- sensory and motor nerves that connect the (cns )to the rest of the body
- somatic nervous system
- the division of the PNS that controls the body's skeletal muscles
- autonomic
- division of the PNS that controls the glands and muscles of the internal organs.Its subdivisions are the sympathetic (arousing) and parasympathetic (calming)
- sympathetic division
- part of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body to deal with perceived threats
- parasympathetic division
- part of the autonomonic nervous system that calms the body
- endocrine system
- one of the body's two communication systems a set of gland that produce hormones chemical messengers that circulate in the bloos
- hormone
- chemical messengers produced by the endocrine glands and cirulated in the blood
- pituitary glands
- the endocrine sytems "master gland" that in conjuction with the brain controls the other endocrine glands
- thyroid gland
- endocrine gland that helps regulate the energy level in the body
- adrenal glands
- endocrine glands that help to arouse the body in times of stress