Psychology chapter 2
there are roughly_____ neurons in the human brain
100 billion
how does cocaine achieve its effects
It interferes with the reuptake of dopamine.
when a neuron is polarized
The interior of the neuron is more negatively charged than the exterior fluid surrounding the neuron
the action potential is best defined as
a brief electrical impulse that transmits info along the axon of a neuron
Phrenology refers to:
a pseudoscience that related personality characteristics to bumps on the skull.
periphrial nervous system is made up of
all nerves lying outside the central nervous system
In general, the sympathetic nervous system _____, while the parasympathetic nervous system _____.
arouses and mobilizes; maintains and conserves
the most abundant cells in the human brain
astrocytes
part of the neuron that carries messages to other cells in the body is the
axon
the branch of psychology that is focused on understanding the internal physical events and processes that correspond with our mental processes and behavior
biological psychology
the most common form of communication between neurons is
chemical
how does communication in the endocrine system differ from communication in the nervous system
communication in the endocrine system is slower than communication in the nervous system
substantia nigra
contains dopamine producing neurons and is involved in motor control
The primary communication link between the left and right cerebral hemispheres is called:
corpus callosum
part of neuron that receives messages from other neurons
dendrites
as a general rule, communication within a neuron progresses from the
dendrites to the cell body to the axon
a neuron may have thousands of _____, but can only have one ______
dendrites; axon
the "all-or-none" law refers to the fact that
either the neuron is sufficiently stimulated and an action potential occurs or it is not sufficiently stimulated and the action potential does not occur
hippocampus plays a key role in
forming new memories
along with neurons, the human nervous system is made up of _____ cells which greatly outnumber neurons by about 1-10
glial
which parts of your body have the greatest representation on the primary motor cortex
hands and facial muscles
neurons are
highly specialized cells that receive and transmit info from one area of the body to another
the endocrine system involves communication by chemical messengers called ____, which circulate through the _____
hormones; bloodstream
info is transmitted along the axon
in the form of a brief electrical impulse
the primary function of the myelin sheath is to
insulate the axon and increase the speed at which neurons convey their message.
the type of specialized cell whose main function is to communicate between neurons is an
interneuron
most of the neurons in the human nervous system are
interneurons
function of cerebrospinal fluid
it protects the central nervous system from being jarred
surrounding and protecting the brain and the spinal cord are three layers of membranous tissues called the
meninges
the stimulus threshold of the neuron refers to the
minimum level of stimulation requires to activate a particular neuron
a drug chemically similar to the endorphins
morphine
which of the following signals muscles to relax or contract
motor neurons
The phrase white matter in the brain refers to:
myelinated axons
brains ability to change function and structure
neuroplasticity
the scientific study of the nervous system is called
neuroscience
Like a key in a lock, the shape of the _____ must fit the _____ to affect the postsynaptic neuron.
neurotransmitter; receptor site
synaptic vesicles contain
neurotransmitters
which best describes the surface of the cerebral cortex
numerous folds, wrinkles, bulges, ridges, and valleys
visual info is processed by your
occipital lobe
axons........
often have branches near their tips called axon terminals
which of the following is true regarding action potentials
once an action potential is started, it is self-sustaining and continues to the end of the axon
awareness of where your arms and legs are is relayed to your
parietal lobe
The two main divisions of the nervous system are the ________ and ________.
peripheral nervous system; central nervous system
info from specialized cells in the sense organs in conveyed to the brain by
sensory neurons
___ convery info about the environment from the sense organs to the brain, and ___ communicate info to the muscles and glands
sensory neurons; motor neurons
the 3 basic types of neurons are
sensory, motor, and interneurons
which of the following represents the sequence of ion movements that causes an action potential
sodium ions move into the axon and then potassium ions move out of the axon
The two main subdivisions of the peripheral nervous system are the _____ nervous system and the _____ nervous system.
somatic; autonomic
tap below the knee cap which cause leg to jerk forward is testing of the
spinal reflexes
communication between two neurons occurs at the
synapse
the presynaptic neuron and the postsynaptic neuron are separated by a tiny, fluid-filled space called the:
synaptic gap
auditory information (hearing) is processed by your
temporal lobe
neurogenesis
the development of new neurons
The popularity of phrenology triggered scientific interest in which of the following
the idea that specific psychological and mental functions are located in specific brain areas
Which gland directly regulates the production of hormones in other endocrine glands?
the pituitary gland