Module #4 Vocab

Question 1

Biological psychology

Answer 1

the scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes

Question 2

Neuroplasticity

Answer 2

the brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

Question 3

Neuron

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Cell body

Answer 4

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

Question 5

Dendrites

Answer 5

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

Question 6

Axon

Answer 6

the segmented neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons, muscles, or glands

Question 7

Myelin Sheath

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Glial cells

Answer 8

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

Question 9

Action potential

Answer 9

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

Question 10

Threshold

Answer 10

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

Question 11

Refractory period

Answer 11

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

Question 12

All-or-none response

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Synapse

Answer 13

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron

Question 14

Neurotransmitters

Answer 14

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gap between neurons

Question 15

Reuptake

Answer 15

a neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron

Question 16

Endorphins

Answer 16

“morphine within”—natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure

Question 17

Agonist

Answer 17

a molecule that increases a neurotransmitter’s action

Question 18

Antagonist

Answer 18

a molecule that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter’s action

Question 19

Nervous system

Answer 19

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

Question 20

Central nervous system (CNS)

Answer 20

the brain and spinal cord

Question 21

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Answer 21

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body

Question 22

Nerves

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Sensory (afferent) neurons

Answer 23

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

Question 24

Motor (efferent) neurons

Answer 24

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

Question 25

Interneurons

Answer 25

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

Question 26

Somatic nervous system

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Autonomic nervous system

Answer 27

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs

Question 28

Sympathetic nervous system

Answer 28

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

Question 29

Parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 29

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

Question 30

Reflex

Answer 30

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

Question 31

Endocrine system

Answer 31

the body’s “slow” chemical communication system; glands and fat tissue that secrete hormones into the bloodstream

Question 32

Hormones

Answer 32

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

Question 33

Adrenal glands

Answer 33

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

Question 34

Pituitary gland

Answer 34

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