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Module 9
UNIT 2 Biological Psychology and Neurotransmission
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Neuron | a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system. |
| Cell Body | the part of a neuron that contains the nucleus; the cell's life-support center. |
| Dendrites | a neuron's often bushy, branching extensions that receive and integrate messages, conducting impulses toward the cell body. |
| Axon | the neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands. |
| Myelin Sheath | a fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next. |
| Glial Cells | cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons; they also play a role in learning, thinking, and memory. |
| Action Potential | a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. |
| Threshold | the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse |
| Refractory Period | in neural processing, a brief resting pause that occurs after a neuron has fired; subsequent action potentials cannot occur until the axon returns to its resting state. |
| All-Or-None Response | a neuron's reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not firing. |
| Synapse | the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or synaptic cleft. |
| Neurotransmitters | chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons |
| Reuptake | a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron. |
| Endorphins | "morphine within"--natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure. Neurotransmitters that influence the perception of pain or pleasure. (Oversupply with opiate drugs can suppress the body's natural endorphin supply.) |
| Agonist | a molecule that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter's action. |
| Acetylcholine (ACh) | Enables muscle action, learning, and memory. (With Alzheimer's disease, ACh-producing neurons deteriorate.) |
| Dopamine | Influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion. (Oversupply linked to schizophrenia. Undersupply linked to tremors and decreased mobility in Parkinson's disease. ) |
| Serotonin | Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal. (Undersupply linked to depression. Some drugs that raise serotonin levels are used to treat depression. |
| Norepinephrine | Helps control alertness and arousal. (Undersupply can depress mood.) |
| GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) | A major inhibitory neurotransmitter. (Undersupply linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia.) |
| Glutamate | A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory. (Oversupply can overstimulate the brain, producing migraines or seizures (which is why some people avoid MSG, monosodium glutamate, in food).) |
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chujacqueline
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