| A | B |
|---|
| a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior | biological psychology |
| a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system | neuron |
| 3. ________________________________________ the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body | dendrite |
| the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands | axon |
| a layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next | myelin sheath |
| a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. Generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axon’s membrane | action potential |
| the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse | threshold |
| the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. | synapse |
| chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons. | neurotransmitters |
| a neurotransmitter that among its functions, triggers muscle contraction | acetylcholine |
| morphine within”—natural opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure | endorphins |
| the body’s speedy, electrochemical communication system, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems | nervous system |
| the brain and spinal cord | central nervous system |
| the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body | peripheral nervous system |
| neural “cables” containing many axons. These bundled axons, which are part of the peripheral nervous system, connect the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs | nerves |
| neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system | sensory neurons |
| central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs | interneurons |
| neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands | motor neurons |
| the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles. Also called the skeletal nervous system | somatic nervous system |
| the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). | autonomic nervous system |
| the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body; mobilizing its energy in stressful situations | sympathetic nervous system |
| the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy | parasympathetic nervous system |
| a simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response | reflex |
| the body’s “slow” chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream | endocrine system |
| chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect another | hormones |
| a pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys. They secrete hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine, which help arouse the body in times of stress. | adrenal glands |
| the endocrine system’s most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, it regulates growth and controls other endocrine gland | pituitary gland |
| interconnected neural cells. With experience, networks can learn, as feedback strengthens or inhibits connections that produce certain results. | neural networks |
