Idc - Biological Psychology 1 - Book - Chapter 3

Front 1

absolute refractory period

Back 1

The period in which an action potential will not occur in a particular location of an axon regardless of input

Front 2

action potential

Back 2

The nerve impoulse arising in an axon

Front 3

anterograde transport

Back 3

Movement of materials from the cell body of a neuron to the axon terminal along the microtubules

Front 4

astrocyte

Back 4

A large, star shaped glial cell of the central nervous system, responsible for structural support, isolation of the synapse, control of the extracellular chemical environment at the synapse, and possibly communication

Front 5

autoreceptor

Back 5

Receptor site located on the presynaptic neuron that provides information about the cell's own activity levels

Front 6

axo-axonic synapse

Back 6

A synapse in which both the presynaptic and postsynaptic elements are axons

Front 7

axon

Back 7

The branch of a neuron usually responsible for carrying signals to other neurons

Front 8

axon hillock

Back 8

The cone-shaped segment of axon located at the junction of the axon and cell body that is specialized for the generation of action potentials

Front 9

axon terminal

Back 9

The swelling at the tip of an axon collateral specialized for the release of neurotransmitter substances

Front 10

bipolar neuron

Back 10

A neuron with two branches: one axon and one dendrite

Front 11

calcium pump

Back 11

A protein structure embedded in the neural membrane that uses energy to move calcium ions out of the cell

Front 12

cell body

Back 12

The main mass of a neuron, containing the nucleus and many organelles

Front 13

collateral

Back 13

One of the branches near the end of the axon closest to its targets

Front 14

concentration gradient

Back 14

An unequal distribution in the concentration of molecules across a cell membrane

Front 15

cytoskeleton

Back 15

A network of filaments that provides the internal structure of a neuron

Front 16

dendrite

Back 16

The branch of a neuron that generally recieves information from other neurons

Front 17

dendritic spine

Back 17

A knob on the dendrite that provides additional membrane area for the formation of synapses with other neurons

Front 18

depolarization

Back 18

The movement of an electrical charge within a cell in a more positive direction

Front 19

diffusion

Back 19

The force that moves molecules from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration

Front 20

electrical force

Back 20

The force that moves molecules with like electrical charges apart and molecules with opposite electrical charges together

Front 21

endoplasmic reticulum

Back 21

An organelle in the cell body that participates in protein synthesis

Front 22

Excitation

Back 22

Excitation means that one cell can tell the next cell to produce an action potential

Front 23

excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP)

Back 23

A small depolarization produced in the postsynaptic cell as a result of input from the presynaptic cell

Front 24

exocytosis

Back 24

The process in which vesicles fuse with the membrane of the axon terminal and release neurotransmitter molecules into the synaptic gap

Front 25

extracellular fluid

Back 25

The fluid surrounding a cell

Front 26

G protein

Back 26

A protein found on the intracellular side of a metabotropic receptor that separates in response to the binding of neurotransmitter substance and travels to adjacent areas of the cell to affect ion channels or second messegners

Front 27

glia

Back 27

Cells in the nervous system that support the activities of neurons

Front 28

Golgi apparatus

Back 28

An organelle in the cell body that packages proteins in vesicles

Front 29

graded potential

Back 29

An electrical signal that can vary in size and shape

Front 30

hyperpolarization

Back 30

The movement of the electrical charge within a cell in a more negative direction

Front 31

inhibition

Back 31

In inhibition, the next cell is told not to produce an action potential

Front 32

inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP)

Back 32

A small hyperpolarization produced in the postynaptic cell as a result of input from a presynaptic cell

Front 33

interneuron

Back 33

A neuron that serves as a bridge between sensory and motor neurons

Front 34

intracellular fluid

Back 34

The fluid inside a cell

Front 35

ion

Back 35

An electrically charged particle in solution

Front 36

ion channel

Back 36

A protein structure embedded in a cell membrane that allows ions to pass without the use of additional energy

Front 37

ion pump

Back 37

A protein structure embedded in a cell membrane that uses energy to move ions across the membrance

Front 38

ionotropic receptor

Back 38

A receptor protein in the postsynaptic membrne in which the recognition site is located in the same structure as the ion channel

Front 39

ligand-gated channel

Back 39

An ion channel in the neural membrane that responds to chemical messengers

Front 40

local circuit neoron

Back 40

A neuron that communicates with neurons in its immediate vicinity

Front 41

macroglia

Back 41

Large glial cells, including astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and Schwann cells

Front 42

metabotropic receptor

Back 42

A protein structure embedded in the postsynaptic membrane containing a recognition site and a G protein. Neurotransmitters binding to these receptors do not directly open ion channels.

Front 43

microfilament

Back 43

The smallest fiber found in the cell cytoskeleton that may participate in the changing of the length and shape of axons and dendrites

Front 44

microglia

Back 44

Tiny, mobile glial cells that migrate to area of damage and digest debris

Front 45

microtubule

Back 45

The largest fiber in the cell cytoskeleton, responsible for the transport of neurotransmitters and other products to and from the cell body

Front 46

mitochondria

Back 46

Organelles that provide energy to the cell by transforming pyruvic acid and oxygen into molecules of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)

Front 47

motor neuron

Back 47

A specialized neuron that communicates with muscles and glands

Front 48

multipolar neuron

Back 48

A neuron that has multiple branches, usually one axon and numerous dendrites

Front 49

myelin

Back 49

The fatty insulating material covering some axons that boosts the speed and efficiency of electrical signaling

Front 50

nucleolus

Back 50

A substructure within a cell nucleus where ribosomes are produced

Front 51

nucleus

Back 51

A substructure within a cell body that contains the cell's DNA

Front 52

neural integration

Back 52

The determination of whether to fire an action potential, based on the summation of inputs to a neuron

Front 53

neurofilament

Back 53

A neural fiber found in the cell cytoskeleton thatis responsible for structural suport

Front 54

neuron

Back 54

A cell of the nervous system that is specialized for information processing and communication

Front 55

neurotransmitter

Back 55

A chemical messenger that transfers information across a synapse

Front 56

node of Ranvier

Back 56

The uncovered section of axon membrane between two adjacent segments of myelin

Front 57

organelle

Back 57

A small structure within a cell that carries out a specific function

Front 58

oligodendrocyte

Back 58

A glial cell that forms the myelin on central nervous system axons

Front 59

passive conduction

Back 59

The movement of an action potential down the length of an unmyelinated axon

Front 60

permeability

Back 60

A property of a substance that determines the extent to which other substances may pass through it

Front 61

presynaptic facilitation

Back 61

At a synapse between two axons, the increase of neurotransmitter release by the postsynaptic axon as a result of input from the presynaptic axon

Front 62

presynpatic inhibition

Back 62

At a synapse between two axons, the decrease of neurotransmitter release by the postsynaptic axon as a result of input from the presynaptic axon

Front 63

projection neuron

Back 63

A neuron with a very long axon that communicates with neurons in distant areas of the nervous system

Front 64

propagation

Back 64

The transmission of a wave through a mediuml in neurons, it is the replication of the action potential down the length of the axon

Front 65

receptor site

Back 65

A special protein structure embedded in neural membrane that responds to chemical messengers

Front 66

recognition molecule

Back 66

A molecule within a receptor site that binds to specific chemical messengers

Front 67

relative refractory period

Back 67

The period following an action potential in which larger than normal input will produce a second action potential but in which normal input will be insufficient

Front 68

resting potential

Back 68

The measurement of the electrical charge across the nrual membrance when the cell is not processing information

Front 69

retrograde transport

Back 69

Movement of material from the axon terminal back to the cell body via the cell's system of microtubules

Front 70

reuptake

Back 70

A process for ending the action of neurotransmitters in the synapti gap in which the presynaptic membrance recaptures the transmitter molecules

Front 71

ribosome

Back 71

An organelle in the cell body involved with protein synthesis

Front 72

saltatory conduction

Back 72

The movement of an action potential from node of Ranvier to node of Ranvier, down the length of a myelinated axon

Front 73

Schwann cell

Back 73

A glial cell that forms the myelin on axons in the peripheral nervous system

Front 74

second messenger

Back 74

A chemical within the postsynaptic neuron that is indirectly activated by synaptic activity and interacts with intracellular enzymes or receptors

Front 75

sensory neuron

Back 75

A specialized neuron that translates incoming sensory information into electrical signals

Front 76

sodium-potassium pump

Back 76

An ion pump that uses energy to transfer three sodium ions to the extracellular fluid for every two potassium ions retrieved from the extracellular fluid

Front 77

soma

Back 77

The main mass of a neuron, containing the nucleus and many organelles

Front 78

spatial summation

Back 78

Neural integration in which the combined inputs from many synapses converge on the axon hillock, where an action potential will result if threshold is reahced

Front 79

synapse

Back 79

The junction between two neurons at which information is transferred from one to another

Front 80

synaptic gap

Back 80

The tiny fluid-filled space between neurons forming a synapse

Front 81

synaptic vesicle

Back 81

A small structure in the axon terminal that contains neurotransmitters

Front 82

temporal summation

Back 82

Neural integration in which excitation from one active synapse is sufficient to initiate the formation of an action potential

Front 83

threshold

Back 83

The level of depolarization at which an action potential is initiated

Front 84

transporter

Back 84

A receptor in the presynaptic membrane that recaptures released molecules of neurotransmitter in the process of reuptake

Front 85

unipolar neuron

Back 85

A neuron with one branch that extends a short distance from the cell body then splits into two brances

Front 86

voltage-dependent channel

Back 86

An ion channel that opens or closes in reposnse to the local electrical enviornment