PSYCH EXAM 1 Chapter 2 part 1

neuroplasticity

ability to change by reorganizing after damage or building enw pathways

damage pathway

how to brain reorganizes itself after injury (more during childhood)

do you know parts of a motor neuron and their function?

yes

neurons communicate via two ways

electrical and chemical signals

what’s the path of neurons: synapse, dendrites (postsynaptic neuron), down axon, dendrites, terminals

Dendrites → Down Axon → Terminals → Synapse → Dendrites (postsynaptic neuron)

action potential

electric signal that travels down axon when excitatory signals exceed threshold; all or none response

refractory period

brief resting pause after a neuron’s fired

neurotransmission

how neurons communicate

do you knew the steps of neurotransmission?

yes

acetylcholine (ach)

enable muscle action + learning + memory

dopamine

influence movement + learning + attention + emotion

serotonin

mood, hunger, sleep, arousal

norepinephrine

controls alterness + arousal

GABA

major inhibitory neurotransmitter

Glutamate

major excitatory neurotransmitter involved in learning + memory

endorphins

neurotransmitters influence perception of pain/pleasure

CNS

body’s main command center - brain + spinal cord

peripheral

connects nervous system to rest of body

autonomic nervous system is part of ______and controls ______ functions

peripheral; involuntary

sympathetic nervous system

fight or flight

parasympathetic nervous system

returns body to resting state

somatic nervous system

voluntary + controls conscious movements - skeletal muscles

sensory neurons

carries incoming msgs from body’s tissues and sensory receptors to the spinal cord and brain

motor neurons

carry outgoing instructions from CNS to body’s muscles

interneurons: location and function

brain and spinal cord; communicate internally + process info between sensory and motor outputs

brain

128 billion neurons → work groups → neural networks

spinal cord

connects the PNS + brain + governs reflexes

Do you know the components of a reflex arc?

yes

endocrine system

a network of glands and organs that produce and release hormones directly into the bloodstream to regulate vital bodily functions

do effects of endocrine messages last longer than those of neural messages? is the endocrine system slower or faster?

longer; slower

do you know the endocrine system’s primary control loop?

yes