Unit 3, Module 9 (Biological Psych)

Question 1

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

Answer 1

Biological psychology

Question 2

The anatomy of the nervous system

Answer 2

Neuroanatomy

Question 3

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

Answer 3

Neuron

Question 4

The bulbous end of a neuron, containing the cell nucleus

Answer 4

Cell body (Soma)

Question 5

A neuron’s bushy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body

Answer 5

Dendrites

Question 6

The neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands

Answer 6

Axon

Question 7

A fatty tissue layer segment ally encasing the axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one sausage-like node to the next

Answer 7

Myelin sheath

Question 8

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

Answer 8

Action potential

Question 9

A period of inactivity after a neuron has fired

Answer 9

Refractory period

Question 10

Moves sodium and potassium ions in opposite directions across the plasma membrane

Answer 10

Sodium-Potassium Pump

Question 11

A gap in the myelin sheath of a nerve, between adjacent Schwann cells

Answer 11

Nodes of Ranvier

Question 12

Intense, typically intermittent pain along the course of a nerve, especially in the head or face

Answer 12

Neuralgia

Question 13

AA

Answer 13

Oligodendroglia

Question 14

A cell of the peripheral nervous system that wraps around a nerve fiber, jelly-roll fashion, forming the myelin sheath

Answer 14

Schwann Cells

Question 15

A star-shaped glial cell of the central nervous system

Answer 15

Astrocytes

Question 16

The junction between the axon tip of the 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

Answer 16

Synapse

Question 17

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

Answer 17

Neurotransmitters

Question 18

A neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron

Answer 18

Reuptake

Question 19

The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

Answer 19

Threshold

Question 20

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

Answer 20

All-or-none response

Question 21

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

Answer 21

Endorphins

Question 22

A compound that occurs throughout the nervous system, in which it functions as a neurotransmitter

Answer 22

Acetylcholine

Question 23

A compound present in the body as a neurotransmitter and a precursor of other substances including epinephrine

Answer 23

Dopamine

Question 24

A compound present in blood platelets and serum that constricts the blood vessels and acts as a neurotransmitter

Answer 24

Serotonin

Question 25

A class of receptors that respond to the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid, the chief inhibitory compound in the mature vertebrate central nervous system

Answer 25

GABA

Question 26

A salt or ester of glutamic acid

Answer 26

Glutamate

Question 27

A hormone that is released by the adrenal medulla and by the sympathetic nerves and functions as a neurotransmitter. It is also used as a drug to raise blood pressure

Answer 27

Norepinephrine

Question 28

A molecule that, by binding to a receptor site, stimulates a response

Answer 28

Agonist

Question 29

A molecule that, by binding to a receptor site, inhibits or blocks a response

Answer 29

Antagonist

Question 30

A filtering mechanism of the capillaries that carry blood to the brain and spinal cord tissue, blocking the passage of certain substances

Answer 30

Blood-Brain Barrier

Question 31

Tiny bulblike structures at the end of the dendrites, which contain neurotransmitters that carry the neuron’s message into the synapse. One of the four parts of the neuron along with the soma, dendrites, and the axon

Answer 31

Terminal Buttons (end buttons, axon terminal, terminal branches of axon, synaptic knobs)

Question 32

A molecular site or the docking port on the surface of, or within, a cell, usually involving proteins that are capable of recognizing and binding with specific molecules

Answer 32

Receptor Sites

Question 33

The response of a neuron when it is stimulated

Answer 33

Neural firing

Question 34

AA

Answer 34

Excitatory Neurotransmitters

Question 35

AA

Answer 35

Inhibitory Neurotransmitters

Question 36

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

Answer 36

Afferent Neurons (sensory neurons)

Question 37

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

Answer 37

Efferent Neurons (motor neurons)