Neurotransmitters
An undersupply of this neurotransmitter—essential for muscle action, learning, and memory—is strongly linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
Acetylcholine (ACh)
The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it (commonly known as the "I knew it all along" phenomenon).
Hindsight Bias
These two main components make up the Central Nervous System (CNS)
Brain and Spinal Cord
These branching extensions of a neuron receive incoming chemical signals from neighboring cells.
Dendrites
Often referred to as the body's "master gland," it receives instructions from the hypothalamus to secrete Growth Hormone and Oxytocin.
Pituitary Gland
The brain’s main inhibitory neurotransmitter acts as a natural tranquilizer; a deficit can trigger seizures, tremors, and insomnia.
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)
In an experiment, this procedure ensures that every participant has an equal chance of being placed in either the experimental or control group.
Random Assignment
This division of the autonomic nervous system is responsible for the "fight-or-flight" emergency response.
Sympathetic Nervous System
The fatty tissue layer that insulates the axon and speeds up the transmission of electrical impulses.
Myelin Sheath
Produced by fat cells to signal fullness, this hormone works in opposition to stomach-produced Ghrelin to regulate hunger.
Leptin
Popularly prescribed SSRI antidepressants like Prozac work by blocking the reuptake of this mood- and sleep-regulating neurotransmitter in the synaptic gap.
Serotonin
This ethical requirement ensures that research subjects voluntarily agree to participate after being fully informed of the study's procedures and potential risks.
Informed Consent
These specific neurons carry incoming sensory information from sensory receptors toward the brain and spinal cord
Sensory (or Afferent) Neurons
This principle states that a neuron will either fire completely at full strength or not fire at all once its threshold is reached[
All-or-None Principle
Secreted by the adrenal glands during stress, this hormone stimulates the release of glucose for energy while temporarily suppressing the immune system.
Cortisol
An oversupply of this excitatory neurotransmitter can overstimulate the brain and induce migraines, while a surplus of Dopamine is linked to schizophrenia.
Glutamate (Also accepts Dopamine)
What is a placebo?
An inert substance or fake treatment (like a sugar pill) is given to a control group to test whether participant expectations alone influence the outcome.
Neurons located entirely within the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) that communicate internally and intervene between sensory inputs and motor outputs.
Interneurons
The process by which excess neurotransmitters in the synaptic gap are reabsorbed back into the sending neuron
Reuptake
In response to darkness, the pineal gland secretes this chemical messenger to regulate our circadian sleep-wake cycles.
Melatonin
While morphine acts as an agonist for pain-relieving endorphins, curare paralyzes muscles by blocking ACh receptor sites, making it this type of molecule.
Antagonist
What is Hawthorne Effect?
When participants alter their behavior simply because they know they are being observed in a study.
Explain the reflex arc.
A reflex arc is the neural pathway that controls an involuntary, rapid response to a stimulus.
Because speed is essential for survival, the signal bypasses the brain entirely at first—the response is processed directly within the spinal cord before the conscious brain registers what happened.
Describe refractory period.
The brief recovery phase after a neuron fires, during which it resets its ion balance and cannot fire another action potential.
Unlike neurotransmitters which deliver fast, millisecond messages via neurons, hormones travel through this medium, causing slower but longer-lasting effects.
Bloodstream