AcaDeca Science 2026

sponges; aquatic worms

All animals, except _________ and some _________, have a nervous system.

behavioral responses

The brain uses information to dictate _________________.

peripheral

The _______________ nervous system includes everything except the brain and the spinal cord, has neurons that have connective tissues along their endings, and has nerves that can regrow.

central

The ____________ nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord, has neurons that have no physical connection, use branchlike neurotransmitters that can amplify or reduce electric signals, and has nerves that usually cannot regrow (but become stronger and more efficient over time)

sensation

the detection of stimuli; a raw signal

tetrachromats

humans that can see additional colors due to a genetic mutation

perception

the interpretation of sensory information; only after this step can an animal settle on a response; the interpretation of a raw signal

learning; subjective

What comes after perception, and is it subjective or objective?

life experience; neuron variety; emotions

Perception relies entirely on ______________, ________________, and _________________.

yes

Are sensation and perception fundamental?

no

Are sensation and perception guaranteed?

somatic; autonomic

The peripheral nervous system can be divided into the _____________ and _____________ systems.

somatosensory neurons, nocireceptors, proprioception

The somatic system of the peripheral nervous system includes ______________, _____________ and _____________.

sympathetic (fight-or-flight); parasympathetic (rest-and-digest)

The autonomic system of the peripheral nervous system can be further subdivided into the _______________ system and the _________________ system.

sea slug

__________ neurons are large enough to see without a microscope.

jellyfish; neural net

____________ don’t have a central nervous system; instead, they have a ____________.

cephalopods

_____________ have the most complex nervous system out of all the invertebrates

saturation; length of binding

the impact of hormones depends on ___________ and ______________ (sponge analogy)

pituitary gland; reproductive organs; adrenal glands

the major endocrine glands across most of the animal kingdom are the ______________ (in the brain), the _________________, and the ________________ (atop the kidneys).

longer

hormonal impacts last much (longer/shorter) than the signal

endogenous

________ hormones come from endocrine glands

exogenous

____________ hormones come from food and medication

miniscule gaps between neurons

neurotransmitters emerge in ____________________

any endocrine gland

hormones come from ________________

steroid

___________ hormones (such as cortisol and testosterone) are built from lipids and can slip through a cell’s fatty membrane and bind to receptors inside the cell

peptide

_____________ hormones (such as insulin and oxytocin) are built from short chains of amino acids that cannot cross the cellular membrane, so they bind to receptors on the outside of the cell.

sympathetic

The stress response starts when the ________ nervous system detects a threat.

hypothalamus; pituitary gland; adrenal glands

After the threat/stressor is detected, the _________ is activated, which releases hormones to activate the ____________, which releases hormones to activate the ______________.

adrenal glands; cortisol; hypothalamus

In the stress response, the ___________ receive a message and then release ___________, which deactivates the ___________ and results in a negative feedback loop.

decreases; more; lengthened

Constant stress (increases/decreases) the hypothalamus’s sensitivity to cortisol, which means (more/less) cortisol is required and stress behaviors are (lengthened/shortened).