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nerves for bio psych

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Answer
Absolute refractory period   time immediately after an action potential, when the sodium gates close and the membrane cannot produce an action potential in response to stimulation of any intensity  
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Action potential   rapid depolarization and slight reversal of the usual polarization caused by stimulation beyond the threshold  
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Active transport   protein-mediated process that expends energy to pump chemicals from the blood into the brain  
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Afferent axon   neuron that brings information into a structure  
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All-or-none law   principle stating that the size, amplitude, and velocity of the action potential are independent of the intensity of the stimulus that initiated it  
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Astrocyte (astroglia)   relatively large, star-shaped glia cell  
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Axon   single thin fiber of constant diameter that extends from a neuron  
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Axon hillock   swelling of the soma, the point where the axon begins  
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Blood-brain barrier   mechanism that keeps many chemicals out of the brain  
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Cell body (soma)   structure of a cell that contains the nucleus  
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Concentration gradient   difference in distribution of ions across a membrane  
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Dendritic spine   short outgrowth along the dendrites  
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Depolarization   reduction in the level of polarization across a membrane  
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Efferent axon   neuron that carries information away from a structure  
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Electrical gradient   difference in positive and negative charges across a membrane  
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Endoplasmic reticulum   network of thin tubes within a cell that transports newly synthesized proteins to other locations  
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Glia   type of cell in the nervous system that, in contrast to neurons, does not conduct impulses to other cells  
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Glucose   a simple sugar, the main fuel of vertebrate neurons  
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Graded potential   membrane potential that varies in magnitude and does not follow the all-or-none law  
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Hyperpolarization   increased polarization across a membrane  
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Interneuron   neuron whose axons and dendrites are entirely contained within a given structure  
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Intrinsic neuron   neuron whose axons and dendrites are all confined within a given structure  
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Local anesthetic   drug that attaches to the sodium channels of the membrane, preventing sodium ions from entering and thereby blocking action potentials  
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Local neuron   small neuron with no axon or a very short one  
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Membrane   structure that separates the inside of a cell from the outside  
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Microglia   very small neurons that remove waste materials and microorganisms from the central nervous system  
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Mitochondrion (pl.: mitochondria)   structure where the cell performs the metabolic activities that provide energy  
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Motor neuron   neuron that receives excitation from other neurons and conducts impulses from its soma in the spinal cord to muscle or gland cells  
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Myelin   insulating material composed of fats and proteins  
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Myelin sheath   insulating material that covers many vertebrate axons  
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Myelinated axon   axon covered with a myelin sheath  
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Neuron   cell that receives information and transmits it to other cells by conducting electrochemical impulses  
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Node of Ranvier   short unmyelinated section of axon between segments of myelin  
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Nucleus   structure within a cell that contains the chromosomes; also a cluster of neuron cell bodies within the CNS  
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Oligodendrocytes   glia cells that surround and insulate certain axons in the vertebrate brain and spinal cord  
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Polarization   electrical gradient across a membrane  
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Presynaptic terminal   tip of an axon, the point from which the axon releases chemicals  
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Propagation of the action potential   transmission of an action potential down an axon  
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Radial glia   type of glia cells that guides the migration of neurons and the growth of their axons and dendrites during embryological development  
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Refractory period   brief period following an action potential, when the cell resists the production of further action potentials  
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Relative refractory period   time after the absolute refractory period, when potassium gates remain open wider than usual, requiring a stronger than usual stimulus to initiate an action potential  
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Resting potential   electrical potential across a membrane when a neuron is not being stimulated  
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Ribosome   site at which the cell synthesizes new protein molecules  
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Saltatory conduction   jumping of action potentials from one node to another by the flow of positive ions  
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Schwann cell   glia cell that surrounds and insulates certain axons in the periphery of the vertebrate body  
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Selective permeability   ability of certain chemicals to pass more freely than others through a membrane  
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Sensory neuron   neuron specialized to be highly sensitive to a specific type of stimulation  
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Sodium-potassium pump   mechanism that actively transports three sodium ions out of the cell while simultaneously drawing in two potassium ions  
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Thiamine (vitamin B1)   chemical necessary for the metabolism of glucose  
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Threshold of excitation   level of depolarization at which a brief stimulation triggers a rapid, massive electrical change by the membrane  
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Voltage-gated channel   membrane channel whose permeability to sodium (or some other ion) depends on the voltage difference across the membrane  
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