AP Psych Unit 2 Vocab

The bushy branching extensions of a neuron that recieve messeges and conduct impulses toward the cell body

A layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons, enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations

Division of the autonotic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

Part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (heart)

Brain/spinal cord

Neurons that carry outgoing info from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands

The extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons to muscles or glands

A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

A branch of psychology that links b/t biology and behavior

Bodys speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems

Brain and spinal cord, neural networks

Bundled axons that form neural 'cables' connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs

A simple, autonomic response to a sensory such as the knee jerk response

Chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues

Pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones that help arouse the body in times of stress

The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the bodys skeletal muscles (AKA the skeletal nervous system)

Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps b/t neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the syna

A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

('morphine within') natural opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure

The junction b/t the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite of cell body of the recieving neuron. The tiny gap of the junction is c

A neurotransmitters reabsorption by the sending neuron

Neurons that carry incoming info from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

Neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicated internally and intervene b/t the sensory inputs and motor outputs

Sensory and motor reurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body

the endocrine system most influencial gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endo

A level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse