PSYC30020 Lecture 1: PSYC30020 Lecture 1+2
10 May 2018
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Lecture 1
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- Nervous system: CNS (brain and spinal cord); Peripheral nervous system (nerves
outside spinal cord)
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- Neurons: individual cells that signal the electrical messages from one neuron to the next
- Communication between neurons is achieved through synapses with chemical signals
being released and impacting the other neuron
- Neurotransmitters/neuromodulators: all neurons in the CNS, PNS and ENS
communicate through chemical signals (neurotransmitters and neuromodulators);
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without these chemical signals the action of one neuron would not influence any other
neuron in the nervous system (no brain integration and no useful brain function); these
chemicals also modulate neural activity and a range of other functions in the brain such
as synaptic plasticity (that is building new synapses or altering the function of old
synapses)
- Neurotransmission: either excitatory or inhibitory and serves rapid (millisecond), precise,
point to point communication
- Neuromodulation: describes slower (milliseconds to seconds) processes that alter the
subsequent responsiveness of neurons
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find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Nervous system: cns (brain and spinal cord); peripheral nervous system (nerves outside spinal cord) Neurons: individual cells that signal the electrical messages from one neuron to the next. Communication between neurons is achieved through synapses with chemical signals being released and impacting the other neuron. Neurotransmission: either excitatory or inhibitory and serves rapid (millisecond), precise, point to point communication. Neuromodulation: describes slower (milliseconds to seconds) processes that alter the subsequent responsiveness of neurons. Neurotransmitters belong to the nervous system, whereas hormones belong to the endocrine system. Transmissions of neurotransmitters is between neurons (across a synapse), whereas hormones travel by blood. Target cells of neurotransmitters can be specific neurons or other cells, whereas that of hormones can be some distance from endocrine gland. Action of neurotransmitters is generally extremely fast (milliseconds though sustained neurotransmitter release can lead to more sustained changes in the brain)
