PSYCH 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Cranial Nerves, Vitreous Body, Retina
Document Summary
Past theories to explain functions of the mind. Communicate with each other through microscopic gaps between cells. Neurons: specialized cells that receive/transmit information throughout the body and brain. Roughly 80-100 billion neurons in our body by adulthood. Throughout the body but highest concentrations in the brain. Synapse: small space that separates the terminal buttons of one neuron from the dendrites of another. Neurotransmitters: chemicals released by pores in the terminal buttons. Excitatory: increase the chances of/cause the second neutron to release its neurotransmitters. Inhibitory: reduce the likelihood that the second neuron releases its neurotransmitters. Action potential: an all-or-none signal that is propagated along the axon of the neuron when excited (distance doesn"t matter- same signal strength) Starts at the axon hillock (where the axon meets the cell body) and ends at the terminal buttons. Involves a flow of positive and negatively charged ions along the length of the axon.
