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| Biological Psychology | a branch of psychology concerned with the links between the study of the functions of living organisms and their behavior. |
| Neuron | a nerve cell; the basic building block |
| Sensory Neurons | carry incoming information from the tissues and sensory organs (eyes, ears, taste buds, nose, nerve endings/touch) to the brain and spinal cord. |
| Motor Neurons | Motor Neuronscarry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands. |
| Interneurons | nerve cells within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs. |
| Dendrite | the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive (take in) messages (listen) and conduct impulses toward the cell body. |
| Axon | the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass (go out) to other neurons or to muscles or glands. |
| Myelin Sheath | a layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing axon (the fibers) of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next. |
| Action Potential | a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. |
| Threshold | a level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse. |
| Synapse | the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. |
| Neurotransmitters | chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. |
| Reuptake | a neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron. |
| Endorphins | natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure. |
| Nervous System | the body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells; divided into 2 parts: peripheral and central. |
| Central Nervous System | the brain and spinal cord. |
| Peripheral Nervous System | the sensory and motor neurons that connect the brain and spinal to the rest of the body. |
| Nerves | bundled axons that form neural “cables” connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs. |
| Somatic Nervous System | the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls voluntary movements of the body’s skeletal muscles. |
| Autonomic Nervous System | the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). |
| Sympathetic Nervous System | the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations. |
| Parasympathetic Nervous System | the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy. |
| Reflex | a simple, autonomic response to a sensory stimulus such as the knee-jerk response. |
| Endocrine System | the body’s “slow” chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream. |
| Hormones | chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues. |
| Adrenal Glands | a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress. |
| Pituitary Gland | the endocrine system’s most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, it regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands. |
