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23 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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neurons
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The cells in the nervous system that receive, integrate, and transmit information by generating an electrochemical signal; neurons are the basic building blocks of the nervous system
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neuroscience
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An interdisciplinary field of study directed at understanding the brain and its relation to experience and behaviour
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neurotransmitters
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Chemical messengers that relay information from one neuron to the next; they are released from the terminal buttons into the synapse, where they interact chemically with the cell membrane of the next neuron; the result is either an excitatory or an inhibitory influence on the recipient neuron
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nodes of Ranvier
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Spaces separating the segments of the myelin covering of the neuron; they help speed the nerve impulse along the axon
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norepinephrine and epinephrine
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Hormones that cause a surge of energy that increases the heart rate, directing blood to areas that require it (and away from the stomach and intestine) and making glucose available to the muscles
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occipital lobes
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One of four anatomical regions of each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex, located at the back of the brain; visual processing is controlled here
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parasympathetic system
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The division of the autonomic nervous system that helps the body calm down
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parietal lobes
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One of four anatomical regions of each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex, located roughly on the top middle portion of the brain; contain the somatosensory cortex, which controls the sense of touch
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peripheral nervous system
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The network of nerves that link the central nervous system with the rest of the body
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phenotype
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A person’s observable characteristics, such as hair colour; controlled partly by the genotype and partly by the environment
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pituitary gland
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A kind of master gland that controls the release of hormones from other glands in response to signals from the hypothalamus
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positron emission tomography (PET)
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A method for measuring how radioactive substances are absorbed in the brain; it can be used to detect how different tasks activate different areas of the living brain
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reflex
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A largely automatic body movement, such as the knee jerk, that is controlled by a simple network of sensory neurons, interneurons in the spinal cord, and motor neurons
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refractory period
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The period of time following an action potential during which more action potentials cannot be generated
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resting potential
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The tiny electrical charge in place between the inside and outside of the resting neuron
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sensory neurons
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Neurons that make initial contact with the environment and carry the message inward toward the spinal cord and brain
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serotonin
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A neurotransmitter that has been linked to sleep, dreaming, and general arousal and may also be involved in some psychological disorders, such as depression and schizophrenia
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soma
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The cell body of a neuron
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somatic system
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Nerves that transmit information from sensory organs to the brain, and from the brain to the skeletal muscles; part of the peripheral nervous system
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sympathetic system
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The division of the autonomic nervous system that helps the body respond to emergencies
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synapse
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The junction, or small gap, between a terminal button of one neuron and a dendrite of another neuron
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temporal lobes
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One of four anatomical regions of each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex, located roughly on the sides of the brain; involved in certain aspects of speech and language perception
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terminal buttons
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The tiny swellings at the end of a neuron’s axon that contain chemicals that, when released into the synapse, are taken up by the dendrites of other neurons, thereby stimulating them
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