PSYCH 1101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Occipital Lobe, Methyl Group, Parietal Lobe

• School: Cornell University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH 1101
• Professor: David Pizarro

Document Summary

There are about 86 billion neurons in the brain. Neurons are cells in the nervous system that communicate with each other to process and transmit information. Cell body (soma): keeps the cell alive by performing protein synthesis and energy production and contains the nucleus. Dendrites: receive information from other neurons and transmit it to the cell body. Axon: transmits information to other neurons, muscles, or glands. Often covered by a myelin sheath, which forms a layer of fatty insulation. Glial cells (support cells) form the myelin sheath. Demyelinating diseases (multiple sclerosis, etc. ) slow the transfer of information between neurons. Synapse: the small gap between the dendrites of one neuron and the axon of another. Sensory neurons transmit sensory information from sensory organs and transmit it to the central nervous system. Motor neurons transmit signals from the spinal cord to muscles. Interneurons transmit signals between all types of neurons. Conduction is the movement of electrons within neurons.