Ch. 3 Psychology Vocabulary Words

the part of the nervous system that consist of the brain and spinal cord

• cell body

• Central nervous system

• Cerebral cortex

• autonomic nervous system

the neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body, including muscles and glands

• peripheral nervous system

• endocrine system

• heredity

• somatic nervous system

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

• thalamus

• medulla

• pons

• neurons

the part of a neuron that produces the energy needed for the activity of the cell

• cell body

• dendrite

• axon

• myelin

the branch like extensions that receive impulses and conduct them toward the cell body

• cell body

• dendrites

• axon

• myelin

a long tubelike structure attached to a neuron that transmits impulses away from the neuron cell body

• cell body

• neuron

• dendrites

• axon

a white, fatty substance that insulates axons and enables rapid transmission of neural impulses

• myelin

• axon

• spinal cord

• synapse

small fibers branching out from the axon

• myelin

• axon terminals

• dendrites

• neurotransmitters

the junction between the axon terminals of the sending neuron and the dendrites of the receiving neuron

• synapse

• axon terminal

• dendrites

• genes

a chemical messenger that carries impulses across the synaptic gaps between neurons

• dendrites

• axon terminal

• synapse

• neurotransmitters