AP Psych quiz 2

Acetylcholine

Acetylcholine

Function: Enables muscle action, learning, and memory

Malfunction: With Alzheimer’s disease, ***************-producing neurons deteriorate.

Dopamine

Function: Influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion

Malfunction: Oversupply linked to schizophrenia. Undersupply linked to tremors and decreased mobility in Parkinson’s disease.

Serotonin

Function: Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal

Malfunction: Undersupply linked to depression. Some drugs that raise *********** levels are used to treat depression.

Norepinephrine

Function: Helps control alertness and arousal

Malfunction: Undersupply can depress mood.

GABA

Function: A major inhibitory neurotransmitter

Malfunction: Undersupply linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia.

Glutamate

Function: A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory

Malfunction: Oversupply can overstimulate the brain, producing migraines or seizures.

Endorphins

Function: Neurotransmitters that influence the perception of pain or pleasure

Malfunction: Oversupply with opioid drugs can suppress the body’s natural ********** supply.

Substance P

Function: Involved in pain perception and immune response

Malfunction: Oversupply can lead to chronic pain.

Cell Body

Definition: The central part of the neuron that contains the nucleus and organelles.
Function: It integrates signals received from dendrites and generates outgoing signals to the axon.

Dendrites

Definition: Branched extensions of the neuron that receive signals from other neurons.
Function: They collect information from other neurons and transmit that information to the cell body.

Myelin Sheath

Definition: A fatty layer that surrounds the axon of some neurons, formed by glial cells.
Function: It insulates the axon and speeds up the transmission of electrical signals along the neuron.

Terminal Buttons

Definition: Small structures at the end of the axon that release neurotransmitters.
Function: They transmit signals to other neurons by releasing chemicals into the synapse.

Axon

Definition: A long, thin projection that conducts electrical impulses away from the cell body.
Function: It carries signals (action potentials) from the cell body to the terminal buttons.

Nucleus

Definition: The control center of the cell located within the cell body.
Function: It contains the cell’s genetic material (DNA) and regulates cellular activities, including growth and metabolism.

Glial Cells

Definition: Supportive cells in the nervous system that do not conduct electrical impulses.
Function: They provide structural support, nourishment, and protection for neurons, and play a role in the repair and maintenance of the nervous system.

Action Potential

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon.

Refractory Period

in neural processing, a brief resting pause that occurs after a neuron has fired; subsequent action potentials cannot occur until the axon returns to its resting state.

Resting Potential

refers to the electrical charge difference across the neuron's membrane when it is not actively transmitting a signal. Typically, the inside of the neuron is negatively charged compared to the outside, with a typical value around -70 millivolts (mV). This state is maintained by the selective permeability of the cell membrane and the action of ion channels and pumps, particularly the sodium-potassium pump, which helps regulate the concentration of sodium and potassium ions inside and outside the cell.

Synapse

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or synaptic cleft.