parts of the brain/NTs
a neurotransmitter that influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion. Some stimulant substances mimic its effects. Too much is linked to schizophrenia, too little is linked to Parkinson's disease.
what is Dopamine?
the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body.
what is the Peripheral Nervous System?
an increase in a synapse's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory.
what is Long-term potentiation (LTP)?
a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron.
what is Reuptake?
the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse.
what is a Threshold?
a neurotransmitter that enables muscle action, learning, and memory. With Alzheimer's disease, Ach-producing neurons deteriorate. Blocking of it causes paralyzes.
what is Acetylcholine?
the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy.
what is the Parasympathetic Nervous System?
foreign substance that blocks certain neurotransmitters, not allowing them to do their job.
what is Antagonist?
"the morphine within," natural, opiatelike neurotransmitter linked to pain control and to pleasure. Gives a "runner's high" feeling, released when injured or in pain.
what are endorphins?
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.
what is the Synapse?
a neurotransmitter that affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal. An undersupply is linked to depression.
what is Serotonin?
the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations; prepares the body for fight or flight response.
what is the Sympathetic Nervous System?
a neuron's resting period after firing, when it recharges and can not fire again until recharged.
what is the Refractory period?
a foreign substance that mimics certain neurotransmitters, having similar effects.
what is an Agonist?
a 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.
what is the Mylein sheath?
prevents materials (foreign substances, neurotransmitters, and hormones in the body) in the blood from entering the brain or spinal cord
what is the Blood-brain barrier?
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.
what are Neurotransmitters?
at the resting potential, a neuron is polarized. All sodium ions are on the outside of the neuron and all potassium ions are on the inside.
what is polarization?
a major excitatory neurotransmitter, involved in memory.
what is Glutamate?
cell body where the nucleus of the neuron is located.
what is the soma?
the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience.
what is Plasticity?
the vesicle that holds neurotransmitters at the synapse then releases them into the synaptic gap.
what is the Synaptic vesicle?
neurons will only fire at full power, either all the way or not at all.
what is the All-or-none principle?
a neurotransmitter that helps control alertness and arousal. An undersupply can cause a depressed mood.
what is Norepinephrine?
occurs when action potential travels down the axon, causing the sodium ions to rush in (mixing of different ions) causing depolarization and the energy to fire.
what is Depolarization?