Untitled Flashcard Set

Central nervous system (CNS)

The brain and spinal cord that process information and coordinate responses.

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

All nerves outside the brain and spinal cord that carry information between the CNS and the body.

Somatic nervous system

The division of the PNS involved in voluntary skeletal muscle movement and sensory information.

Autonomic nervous system (ANS)

The division of the PNS that controls involuntary functions like heart rate and digestion.

Sympathetic nervous system

The division of the ANS that prepares the body for action during stress, associated with fight-or-flight response.

Parasympathetic nervous system

The division of the ANS that calms the body and supports rest and digestion.

Sensory neurons

Afferent neurons that carry information from sensory receptors to the CNS.

Motor neurons

Efferent neurons that carry instructions away from the CNS to muscles and glands.

Interneurons

Neurons that process and relay information within the CNS.

Dendrites

Branch-like structures of a neuron that receive signals from other neurons.

Axon

The part of a neuron that carries electrical impulses away from the cell body.

Myelin sheath

A fatty insulating layer around axons that speeds up neural communication.

Action potential

A brief electrical impulse that travels down an axon when the neuron reaches threshold.

Reuptake

The process by which the sending neuron takes back neurotransmitters from the synaptic cleft.

Agonists

Substances that mimic a neurotransmitter or increase its effects.

Antagonists

Substances that block or reduce a neurotransmitter's effects.

Neuroplasticity

The brain's ability to change and reorganize its connections in response to experience.

Frontal lobe

Part of the brain involved in planning, decision-making, and voluntary movement.

Hippocampus

Brain structure important for forming new explicit memories.

Pituitary gland

A gland regulated by the hypothalamus that releases hormones involved in growth and the control of other endocrine glands.

Heritability

A statistical estimate of variation in a trait associated with genetic differences.

Identical twins

Twins who develop from the same fertilized egg and share nearly all genetic variation.

Fraternal twins

Twins who develop from different fertilized eggs and share about half their genetic variation.