PSYC 1020H Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Spinal Cord Injury, Neuroglia, Hypothalamus
20 Mar 2019
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Nervous system (ns: handles info processing, sending electrochemical signals throughout the body. Central (cns: spinal cord, relays info between brain and pns, controls spinal reflexes, spinal cord injury. Different spinal nerves connect different parts of the body to the brain. Above the injury intact paths and normal function. Below the injury severed paths and loss of function: brain, directs mental processes, maintains basic life functions. Neural communication: neurons, glial cells (110x more of these than neurons) Glial cells: supporting/helper cells, nutrition, maintenance, protection for neurons, the glue that holds our nervous system together, caretakers of the neurons. Neurons: specialized nerve cells, receive and transmit info, 3 basic parts, cell body, several dendrites, one axon. Soma: cell body, keeps the neuron alive. Dendrites: branching extensions off the soma, covered in synapse receptors receive info from other neurons, pass info to the soma and axon. Axon: elongated fiber off the soma transmits info away from the soma to other neurons, muscles, glands.
