Central Nervous System
Consists of the brain and the spinal cord, is the origin of all complex demands and decisions
Peripheral Nervous System
Transmits messages via millions of nerves to and from the CNS to muscles and glands
Somatic Nervous System
Governs muscle movement and receives information from sensory receptors
Autonomic Nervous System
Governs vital bodily functions (breathing, heart rate, digestion, sexual arousal, stress responses)
Sympathetic Nervous System
Prepares the body for stress-related emergencies by slowing down other bodily processes
Parasympathetic Nervous System
Conserves the body's natural activity and relaxes the individual once the emergency has passed
Neuron
The building blocks of the nervous system, transmit signals electrically and chemically around the body as primary means of communication
Sensory neuron
Carry nerve impulses from receptors to the spinal cord and brain,
Long dendrites short axons
Relay/Interconnecting Neuron
Allow sensory and motor neurons to communicate
Short dendrites and short axons.
Motor Neuron
Control muscle movements and glands by releasing neurotransmitters which bind to receptors on the target organ and trigger a response
Short dendrites and long axons.
Dendrites
carry impulses from neighbouring neurons to the cell body
Cell body (soma)
contains a nucleus containing genetic material.
Axons
carry impulses away from the cell body.
Myelin Sheath
Fatty layer covering the axon, protecting it and speeding up an electrical transmission impulse.
Nodes of Ranvier
speed up transmission by forcing it to 'jump' across gaps along the axon
Terminal buttons/axon terminals
the ends of axons which transmit messages to other cells via use of neurotransmitters at synapses
Receptor cells
A cell in the nervous system responsible for detecting a stimulus
Presynaptic neuron
transmits the signal toward a synapse
Postsynaptic neuron
transmits the signal away from the synapse
Vescicles
where neurotransmitters are stored before being released across nerve synapses
Neurotransmitters
Chemical messengers released from a synaptic vesicle into the synapse in order to carry an impulse from one nerve cell to another
Action Potential
the change in electric potential that propagates along the axon of a neuron during the transmission of a nerve impulse or the contraction of a muscle
Enzyme
a protein that acts as a biological catalyst
Receptor sites
Sites which take up neurotransmitters after they cross the synapse
Reuptake/reabsorption channels
Where the neurotransmitter is reabsorbed into the presynaptic neuron to be released again
Synapse
A small gap between 2 neurons in which neurotransmitters travel between to carry signals
Presynaptic membrance
The specialised membrane on the presynaptic neuron which is responsible for released neurotransmitters into the synapse
Chemical transmission
The release of neurotransmitters from the presynaptic neuron into the synapse via vesicles
Endocrine system
A collection of glands that produce hormones that regulate metabolism, growth and development, tissue function, sexual function, reproduction, sleep, mood etc.
Gland
An organ that secretes a substance (hormones) into the bloodstream
Hormone
Chemical messengers which bind to receptors to send signals
Pineal gland
Produces and regulates melatonin (controls sleep)
Pituitary gland
Controls the release of all other endocrine glands ('the master gland')
Thyroid gland
Produces and regulates thyroxine (control growth, metabolism and appetite)
Pancreas
Produces and regulates insulin (helps digestion and regulates blood sugar)
Adrenal gland
Produces and regulates adrenaline (prepares the body for fight or flight response)
Oestrogen
Produces and regulates oestrogen and progesterone
Testes
Produces and releases testosterone
Hypothalamus
Links the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland
ACTH
Stimulates the adrenal cortex to produce cortisol (during the stress response)
Fight or Flight
Automatic physiological response which occurs during stressful situations to aid survival
Rest and digest
Follows the fight or flight response and aims to return to body to its normal state
Stressor
A stimulus that causes a stress response
Acute stress
Short-term stress that typically results from immediate stressors or challenging situations
Chronic stress
Long-term stress which impacts the functioning of an individual's everyday life
Sympathomedullary pathway
The route to which the brain directs the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system to activate in response to short-term stress
Homeostasis
State of balance between all physical systems when the body is functioning 'normally'
Amygdala
Primary processor of memories and emotions associated with fear
Tend and befriend
A primarily female response to stress in which the individual tends to young and creates social connections
Beta bias
Theories that ignore or minimise sex differences
Deterministic
Belief that all events or behaviours are determined by pre-existing causes or conditions
Post mortem
Studying the physical brain of a person who displayed a particular behaviour while they were alive that suggested possible brain damage
FMRI
measures the small changes in blood flow that occur with brain activity
EEG
a recording of brain activity in which small sensors are attached to the scalp to pick up the electrical signals produced by the brain
ERP
The electrophysiological response of the brain to a specific sensory, cognitive or motor event can be isolated through statistical analysis of EEG data
PET
uses a radioactive substance called a tracer to look for disease or injury in the brain
Spatial resolution
the smallest feature (or measurement) that a scanner can detect
Temporal resolution
the accuracy of the scanner in relation of time: or how quickly the scanner can detect changes in brain activity