Unit 3.1 Pyschology Flashcards
(15 cards)
Threshold
The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
Biological psychologists
The scientific study of the links between biological and psychological processes
All or none response
A neuron’s reaction of either firing (with a full strength response) or not firing
Neuron
A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system
Dendrites
A neuron’s bushy branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses towards the cell body
Axon
The neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or to glands
Myelin sheath
A fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons, enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one sausage like node to the next
Action potential
A neural impulse, a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
Synapse
The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. Synaptic gap or synaptic cleft
Neurotransmitters
Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse
Reuptake
A neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by sending the neuron
Endorphins
“Morphine within” natural opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure
Agonist
A molecule that, by binding to a receptor site, stimulates a response
Antagonist
A molecule that, by binding to a receptor site, inhibits or blocks a response
Refractory period
A period of inactivity after a neuron has fired
