psycholodgy unit 3 Flashcards
(44 cards)
dendrites
receive signals from other neurons through specialised receptors
soma
cell body that contains the nuclues and maintains the neurons functions
myelin sheath
insulates the axon to speed up the transmission of electrical signals
axon
carries electrical impukses away from the cell body to other neurons or muscles
vesical
store and release neurotransmitters into the synapse
axon terminals
release neurotransmitters to communicate with neighbouring neurons or cells
synapse
neurons defention
specialised nervous system cells that are involved in receiving, integrating and responding to information
somatic nervous system
volunatry nervous sytem
afferent =incoming to the body
efferent - out going away from the brain
defenition of the spinal reflex
an automatic and rapid response to a stimulus, to immediatley reduce risk of danger
autonomic nervous system
involuntary
internal bodily fiunctions
sympathetic nervous sytem
dominates when under a threat
activates/increases responsivness/arousal activity
release adrenaline, increased heart rate, dilate pupils
body prepares for action
definition of a spinal reflex
an automatic and rapid response to a stimulus, to immediatly reduce the risk of danger
parasympathetic nervous system
dominates during normal day to day life
counterbalances the ssympathetic nervous system and maintain hormones
decreases responsivness to most muscles orgnas and glands there for conserves energy - check this
spinal reflex
- sensory stimulus detected by sensry receptors
- sensory neruons carry information via afferent pathway to the spinal cord
3.interneurons in the spinal cord initiate involuntary motor response - motor response travles back down the pathways through the motor neurons uvia efferent pathways
- the muscles perform the motor reaction with out the brains input
conscious pathway
LTP
relatively permanent stregnthening of synaptic connections as a result of repeated activation of a neural pathway
increased fiiring = long term change
increased glutamate
sprouting and rerouting
LTD
Relatively permanent weaking of synaptic connection as result of low level activation
decreased glutamate
pruning
synaptic plasticity
resulting from ltp and ltd which together act to modify connections between neurons. it is the fundamental mechanism of memory formation leading to learning
glutamate
increases liklihood of stregnthening neural connection associated with learning and memory - ltp
gaba
calms the nervous system by reducing neural activity. reduced llevels of gaba are associated with anxiety disorders and phobias
what does a neuromodulator do
strength = enhance nuerotransmitter
a subclass of neurotransmitters that alter the strength of neural transmission by increasing or decreasing the responsivness of large numbers of neurons to neurotransmitters signals
excitatory
primary = glutamate
stimulates or activates past synaptic neurons increasing there liklihood of firing
