Aaron Jennings Chapter 3A Vocab

Question 1

A nerve cell; the basic building blocks of the nervous system

Answer 1

Neuron

Question 2

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

Answer 2

Sensory neurons

Question 3

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

Answer 3

Motor neurons

Question 4

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

Answer 4

Interneurons

Question 5

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

Answer 5

Dendrite

Question 6

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

Answer 6

Axon

Question 7

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

Answer 7

Myelin sheath

Question 8

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

Answer 8

Action potential

Question 9

The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

Answer 9

Threshold

Question 10

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

Answer 10

Synapse

Question 11

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

Answer 11

Neurotransmitters

Question 12

A neurotransmitters reabsorption by the sending neuron

Answer 12

Reuptake

Question 13

Morphine within natural opiate like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure

Answer 13

Endorphins

Question 14

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

Answer 14

Nervous system

Question 15

The brain and spinal cord

Answer 15

Central nervous system

Question 16

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

Answer 16

Peripheral nervous system

Question 17

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

Answer 17

Nerves

Question 18

The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body skeletal muscles also called the skeletal nervous system

Answer 18

Somatic nervous system

Question 19

The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs. It’s sympathetic division arouses; it’s parasympathetic division calms

Answer 19

Autonomic nervous system

Question 20

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

Answer 20

The sympathetic nervous system

Question 21

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

Answer 21

Parasympathetic nervous system

Question 22

A simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response

Answer 22

Reflex

Question 23

The bodies slow chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the blood stream

Answer 23

Endocrine system

Question 24

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

Answer 24

Hormones

Question 25

A pair of endocrine glands that’s it just above the kidneys and secrete hormones that help arouse the body in times of stress

Answer 25

Adrenal gland’s

Question 26

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

Answer 26

Pituitary gland

Question 27

A branch of psychology concerned with the link between Biology and behavior. (Some biological psychologist call themselves behavioral neuroscientist, neuropsychologist, behavior geneticist, physiological psychologist, or biopsychologist.)

Answer 27

Biological psychology