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Psychology Module 6
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Neuron | A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system. |
| dendrite | The branching of a neuron that receive information and conduct impulses toward the cell body. |
| soma | The cell body of a neuron, which contains the nucleus and other parts that keep the cell healthy. |
| axon | The extension of a neuron through which neural impulses are sent |
| axon terminal | The endpoint of a neuron where neurotransmitters are stored. |
| action potential | A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down the axon of a neuron |
| refractory period | The "recharging phase" during which a neuron, after firing, cannot generate another action potential. |
| resting potential | The state of a neuron when it is at rest and capable of generating an action potential. |
| all-or-none principle | The principle stating that if a neuron fires, it always fires at the same intensity; all action potentials have the same strength. |
| synapse | The tiny, fluid-filled gap between the axon terminal of one neuron and the dendrite of another. |
| neurotransmitter | A chemical messenger that travels across the synapse from one neuron to the next and influences whether a neuron will generate an action potential. |
| excitatory effect | A neurotransmitter effect that makes it more likely that the receiving neuron will generate an action potential or "fire" |
| inhibitory effect | A neurotransmitter effect that makes it less likely that a receiving neuron will generate an action potential or "fire" |
| receptor cells | Specialized cells in every sensory system of the body that an turn other kinds of energy into action potentials (neural impulses) that the brain can process. |
| sensory nerves | Nerves that can carry information from the sense receptors to the spinal cord and the brain |
| interneurons | Nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord responsible for processing information. |
| acetylcholine (ACh) | A neurotransmitter that triggers muscle contraction and affects learning and memory. |
| antagonist | A drug that blocks the effect of a neurotransmitter |
| agonist | Drug that boosts the effect of a neurotransmitter |
| dopamine | A neurotransmitter that affects learning, attention, and emotion. |
| serotonin | A neurotransmitter that affects hunger, sleep, arousal, and mood |
| motor nerves | Nerves that carry information away from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands. |
| central nervous system (CNS) | The brain and the spinal cord |
| peripheral nervous system (PNS) | The sensory and motor nerves that connect the brain and the spinal cord to the rest of the body. |
| somatic nervous system | The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles. |
| autonomic nervous system | The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and muscles of the internal organs. Its subdivisions are the sympathetic (arousing) division and the parasympathetic (calming) division |
| sympathetic division | The part of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body to deal with the perceived threat |
| parasympathetic division | The part of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body |
| endocrine system | One of the body's two communication systems, a set of glands that produce hormones, chemical messengers that circulate in the blood |
| hormone | A chemical messenger produced by the endocrine glands and circulated in the blood. |
| pituitary gland | The endocrine system's "master gland" that, in conjunction with the brain controls the other endocrine glands |
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