PSYC 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Hypothalamus, Endocrine System, Pituitary Gland
2 Jun 2018
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PSYC 100 – Lecture 6
Nervous System: Cells and Neurotransmitters
Neural Communication
• Neurons: one of the major types of cells found in the nervous system, that are
responsible for sending and receiving messages throughout the body
• Neurotransmitters: the chemicals that function as messengers allowing neurons
to communicate with each other
• Glial cells: specialized cells of the nervous system that are involved in mounting
immune responses in the brain, removing waste, and synchronizing the activity of
the billions of neurons that constitute the nervous system
o Myelin: a fatty sheath that insulates axons from one another, resulting in
increased speed and efficiency of neural communication
• Resting potential: the relatively stable state during which the cell is not
transmitting messages
o Action potential: a wave of electricity that originates at the base of the
axon and rapidly travels down its length
o Refractory period: brief period in which a neuron cannot fire
o Synapses: the microscopically small spaces that separate individual nerve
cells
o All-or-none principle: individual nerve cells fire at the same strength every
time an action potential occurs
Neurotransmitters & hormones
• Synaptic cleft: the minute space between the axon terminal and the dendrite
• Reuptake: a process whereby neurotransmitter molecules that have been
released into the synapse are reabsorbed into the axon terminals of the
presynaptic neuron
• Types of neurotransmitters
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