Chapter 29 Vocab

Front 1

Nervous System

Back 1

Body system that controls sensation, interpretation, and response; includes brain, spinal cord, and nerves

Front 2

Endocrine System

Back 2

Body system that controls growth, development, and responses to the environment by releasing chemical signals into the bloodstream

Front 3

Stimulus

Back 3

Something that causes a psychological response

Front 4

Central Nervous System

Back 4

Part of the nervous system that interprets messages from other nerves in the body; includes brain and spinal cord

Front 5

Peripheral Nervous System

Back 5

Division of the nervous system that transmits impulses between the central nervous system and other organs in the body

Front 6

Neuron

Back 6

Cell of the nervous system that transmits impulses between the body systems as well as interprets and stores some messages in the brain

Front 7

Dendrite

Back 7

Branchlike extension of the neuron that receives impulses from neighboring neurons

Front 8

Axon

Back 8

Long extension of the neuron membrane that carries impulses from one neuron to another

Front 9

Resting Potential

Back 9

Difference in electrical charge between the inside and outside of a neuron; contains potential energy needed to transmit the impulse

Front 10

Sodium-Potassium Pump

Back 10

Active transport protein in neurons that varies sodium (Na+) ions out of the cell and brings potassium (K+) ions into the cell

Front 11

Active Potential

Back 11

Fast, moving change in electrical charge across a neuron's membrane; also called an impulse

Front 12

Synapse

Back 12

Tiny gap between neuron's through which chemical signals are sent

Front 13

Terminal

Back 13

End of the neuron's axon from which neurotransmitters are released to stimulate an adjacent cell

Front 14

Neurotransmitter

Back 14

Chemical that transmits a nervous system's signal across a synapse

Front 15

Rod Cell

Back 15

Photoreceptor in the eye that detects light intensity and contributes to black and white vision

Front 16

Cone Cell

Back 16

Sensory neuron in the eye that detects color

Front 17

Hair Cell

Back 17

Mechanoreceptor in the inner ear that detects sound waves when bent

Front 18

Cerebrum

Back 18

Largest part of the brain, coordinating movement, thought, reasoning, and memory; includes the cerebral cortex and the white matter between it

Front 19

Cerebral Cortex

Back 19

Layer of gray matter on the surface of the cerebrum that receives information and generates responses

Front 20

Cerebellum

Back 20

Part of the brain that coordinates and regulates all voluntary muscle movement and maintains posture and balance

Front 21

Brain Stem

Back 21

Structure that connects the brain to the spinal cord and controls breathing and heartbeat

Front 22

Reflex Arc

Back 22

Nerve pathway in which an impulse crosses only two synapses before producing a response

Front 23

Somatic Nervous System

Back 23

Division of the peripheral nervous system that transports signals from the brain to the muscles that produce voluntary movements

Front 24

Autonomic Nervous System

Back 24

Division of the peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary functions

Front 25

Sympathetic Nervous System

Back 25

Part of the autonomic nervous system that prepares the body for action and stress

Front 26

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Back 26

Division of the peripheral nervous system that calms the body and helps the body to conserve energy

Front 27

Addiction

Back 27

Uncontrollable physical and mental need for something

Front 28

Desensitization

Back 28

Process by which neurons in the brain break down neurotransmitter receptors in response to a larger amount of neurotransmitters in the synapse than usual

Front 29

Tolerance

Back 29

Drug resistance that occurs when cells adapt, requiring larger doses of the drug to produce the same effect

Front 30

Sensitization

Back 30

Process by which a neuron adds more receptors to its surface in response to consistently lower amounts of a neurotransmitter in the synapse

Front 31

Stimulant

Back 31

Drug that increases the number of impulses that neuron generates

Front 32

Depressant

Back 32

Drug that causes fewer signals to be transmitted between neurons

Front 33

Hormone

Back 33

Chemical signal that is produced in one part of an organization and affects cell activity in another part

Front 34

Gland

Back 34

Organ that produces and releases chemicals that affect the activities of other tissues

Front 35

Hypothalamus

Back 35

Small area of the midbrain that plays a role in the nervous and endocrine systems

Front 36

Pituitary Gland

Back 36

Area in the middle of the brain that makes and releases hormones that control cell growth and osmoregulation, water levels in the blood

Front 37

Releasing Hormone

Back 37

Chemical that stimulates other glands to release their hormones