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| a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system |
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neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord
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neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands
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| neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs |
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| bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body |
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| the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscle or glands |
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| 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 |
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| a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. |
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| The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse |
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| chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. when released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse |
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| the juncion 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 shynaptic gap |
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morphine within-natural opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure
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| a neurotransmitter's re-absorption by the sending neuron |
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Neurotransmitter that influences muscle action, learning, and memory
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| Neurotransmitter that affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal |
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| agonist molecule produce temporary "high" by amplifying normal sensations of arousal/pleasure. Antagonists also bind to receptors but effect is to block neurotransmitter's functioning. |
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| body's speedy electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the periphieral and central nervous systems |
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| Central nervous system (CNS) |
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| Peripheral nervous system |
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sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body
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| bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs |
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| division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles |
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| Controls glands and the muscles of our internal organs, influencing such functions as glandular activity, heartbeat, and digestion |
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| Sympathetic nervous system |
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| division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations |
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| Parasympathetic nervous system |
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| Division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body conserving its energy |
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| body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream |
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| chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues. |
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| pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones that help arouse body in times of stress |
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endocrine system's most influential gland, regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands
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| Electroencephaltogram (EEG) |
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| amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface |
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| CT (computed tomography) scan/ CAT scan |
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| series of X-ray photos taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body |
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| PET (position emission tomography) scan |
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| visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive from of glucose goes while brain performs given task |
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| MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) |
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| technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue, MRI scans show brain anatomy. |
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| technique for revealing bloodflow and therefore brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. fMRI scans show brain function |
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| oldest part and central core of brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; responsible for automatic survival functions |
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| base of brain stem; controls heartbeat and breathing |
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| Inner level brain structures |
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| inner most levels of brain, this part develops first |
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| nerve network in brain stem that plays an important role in controlling arousal. |
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| brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of brainstem; directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla. |
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| "little brain" at rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and ballance |
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doughnut-shaped neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives, helps regulate functions such as memory, fear, aggression, hunger, thirst
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| controls emotions such as fear and anger; linked to emotion |
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| regulates important functions such as hunger, thirst, reaction to stress and body temperature; plays a role in experience of emotion pleasure and sexual function |
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| interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; ultimate control and info processing center |
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| Cells in the nervous system support, nourish, and protect neurons. |
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| portion of cerebral cortex behind forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements |
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| portion of cerebral cortext lying at top of head receives sensory input for touch and body posistion |
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| portion of cerebral cortex lying at back; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields |
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| portion of cerebral cortex lying roughly above ears; includes the auditory areas; each receiving info primarily from opposite ear. |
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| area at the rear of frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements |
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| area at front of parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations |
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| impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to broca's area or to wernicke's area |
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| controls language expression, usually in left frontal lobe that directs muscle movement involved in speech |
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| controls language reception- a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in left temporal lobe |
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| ability to modify itself after some type of damage |
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| wide band of axon fibers connecting the two hemispheres and carrying messages between them |
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