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41 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Def: Neurons |
Nerve cells, the basic elements of the nervous system |
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How many neurons are there? |
perhaps as many as 1 trillion neurons throughout the body are involved in the control of behavior |
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What are neurons physically held in place by? |
Glial cells |
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Glial cells |
provide nourishment to neurons, insulate them, help repair damage, and generally support neural functioning |
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Neurons distinctive feature from other cells? |
the ability to communicate with other cells and transmit information across relatively long distances |
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Def: Dendrite |
a cluster of fibers at one end of a neuron that receives messages from other neurons |
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Def: Axon |
The part of the neuron that carries messages from other neurons |
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Def: terminal buttons |
small bulges at the end of axons that send messages to other neurons |
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_____ detect messages from other neurons; _______ carry signals away from the cell body |
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Def: Myelin sheath |
a protective coat of fat and protein that wraps around the axon |
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Messages that travel through a neuron are _______ in nature |
electrical |
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Electrical messages that move through a neuron (impulses) generally move across the neuron how? |
in one direction |
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The impulses through a neuron follow which route? |
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What prevents messages from short circuiting one another? |
myelin sheath |
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Myelin sheath also serves to increase what? |
the velocity with which electrical impulses travel through axons |
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Def: all or none law |
the rule that neurons are either on or off |
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Def: resting state |
the state in which there is a negative electrical charge of about -70 millivolts within a neuron |
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Def: Action potential |
an electric nerve impulse that travels through a neuron's axon when it is set off by a "trigger," changing the neuron's charge from negative to positive |
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Def: Mirror neurons |
Specialized neurons that fire not only when a person enacts a particular behavior, but also when a person simply observes another individual carrying out the same behavior |
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How do mirror neurons affect children? |
They suggest that the capacity of young children to imitate others may be an inborn behavior |
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Def: Synapse |
the space between two neurons where the axon of a sending neuron communicates with the dendrites of a receiving neuron by using chemical messages |
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Chemical process between a synapse (the junction between an axon and dendrite) |
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Def: Neurotransmitters |
chemicals that carry messages across the synapse to the dendrite (and sometimes the cell body) of a receiver neuron |
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Messages inside neurons are transmitted in _____ form, whereas messages traveling between neurons travel via ______ means |
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Def: Excitatory message |
a chemical message that makes it more likely that a receiving neuron will fire and an action potential will travel down its axon |
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Def: Inhibitory message |
a chemical message that prevents or decreases the likelihood that a receiving neuron will fire |
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Def: Reuptake |
the reabsorption of neurotransmitters by a terminal button |
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The dendrite or a neuron receives both excitatory and inhibitory messages simultaneously.... |
the neuron must integrate the messages by using a kind of chemical calculator. If the excitatory messages (FIRE!) outnumber the inhibitory ones (DONT FIRE!) the neuron fires and vise-versa |
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SSRI's - acronym |
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors |
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What do SSRI's do? |
they permit certain neurotransmitters to remain active for a longer period at certain synapses in the brain, thereby reducing the symptoms of depression |
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Acetylcholine (neurotransmitter):
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Glutamate (neurotransmitter):
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Gamma-amino butyric acid (Neurotransmitter):
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Dopamine (Neurotransmitter):
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Serotonin (Neurotransmitter):
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Endorphins (Neurotransmitter):
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Diminished production of what neurotransmitter may be related to Alzheimer's disease? |
Acetylcholine |
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Diminished production of what neurotransmitter may be related to Parkinson's disease? |
Dopamine |
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Drugs that block the reception of dopamine reduce symptoms of what? |
schizophrenia |
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Serotonin may also be associated with? |
alcoholism, depression, suicide, impulsivity, agression, and coping with stress |
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Endorphins are similar to what family of drugs? |
pain-killing drugs such as morphine |