AP Psychology Quiz Unit 1

Central nervous system (CNS)

The brain and spinal cord.

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Nerves that connect the CNS to the rest of the body.

Somatic nervous system

Division of the PNS that controls voluntary movement and carries sensory information.

Autonomic nervous system

Division of the PNS that controls involuntary functions such as heartbeat, digestion, and breathing.

Sympathetic nervous system

Division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body for action.

Parasympathetic nervous system

Division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body and conserves energy.

Neuron

A nerve cell that processes and transmits information.

Dendrites

Branching structures that receive signals from other neurons.

Cell body (soma)

Contains the nucleus and keeps the neuron functioning.

Axon

The long fiber that carries neural impulses away from the cell body.

Axon terminals

Branches at the end of an axon that communicate with other cells.

Myelin sheath

A fatty insulating layer surrounding parts of the axon that speeds up neural impulses.

Resting potential

The stable, negatively charged state of a neuron when it is not firing.

Action potential

A brief electrical impulse that travels down the axon.

Threshold

The level of stimulation needed to trigger an action potential.

All-or-none response

A neuron either fires completely or does not fire at all.

Depolarization

The inside of the neuron becomes less negative as it fires.

Repolarization

The neuron returns toward its negatively charged resting state after firing.

Refractory period

The brief resting pause after a neuron has fired when it cannot fire normally again.

Multiple sclerosis (MS)

A disease in which the immune system damages myelin in the central nervous system.

Effect of myelin damage

Neural impulses can slow down or become disrupted.

Neurotransmitter

A chemical messenger that travels across the synapse between neurons.

Reuptake

The process in which the sending neuron reabsorbs neurotransmitters from the synapse.

Synaptic vesicles

Tiny sacs in the axon terminals that store neurotransmitters.

Synapse

The junction or gap where a neuron communicates with another cell using neurotransmitters.

What is another name for a nerve cell?

A neuron.

What is the part of the neuron that takes information away from the cell body?

The axon.

What is the insulating membrane surrounding parts of the axon called?

The myelin sheath.

What are the nerves throughout the body other than the brain and spinal cord?

The peripheral nervous system (PNS).

Where are neurotransmitters stored within the transmitting neuron?

In synaptic vesicles at the axon terminals.

What is a neuron's reaction of firing or not firing called?

The all-or-none response.

What is the brief resting pause that occurs after a neuron has fired?

The refractory period.

What is the location where a neuron transfers an impulse to another cell using neurotransmitters?

The synapse (synaptic gap).

What is the function of neurotransmitters?

They carry chemical messages across the synapse from one neuron to another cell.

What happens when a neuron reaches its threshold?

It fires an action potential.