PSYC 355 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Axon Terminal, Axoplasmic Transport, Wallerian Degeneration
4 Oct 2016
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Document Summary
In this chapter we focus on the structure of the different types of cells in the nervous system: neurons and glia. There are about 100 billion neurons in the human brain, but there are ten times more glia. It is the neurons that sense changes in the environment, communicate these changes to other neurons, and command the body"s responses to these sensations. Glia are thought to contribute to brain functions mainly by insulating, supporting, and nourishing neighboring neurons. Glia is derived from the greek word glue. Think of the main function of these cells being to keep the brain from running out of their ears. We are confident that the neurons perform the bulk of information processing in the brain, therefore we focus 90% of our attention on 10% of brain cells: the neurons. Most cells are in the range of 0. 01-0. 05mm in diameter.
