PSYCH 212 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Motor Coordination, Sagittal Plane, Basal Ganglia

• School: Northwestern University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH 212
• Professor: Robin Nusslock

Document Summary

Communication with a neuron along the xon is electrical and between neurons in chemical via neurotransmitters synapse - cellular location where information is transmitted from one neuron to another. Some neurons have up to 100,000 synaptic contacts, but more common number is 5,000 - 10,000. The space between two synapses is the synaptic cleft. Information is transmitted from presynaptic neuron to postsynaptic neuron. Synapses have 3 components: presynaptic membrane, postsynaptic membrane, synaptic cleft synaptic vesicles - small spheres in presynaptic axon terminals that contain neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters released in response to electrical activity in the axon neurotransmitter receptors - in postsynaptic membrane there are specialized proteins that react to neurotransmitter. Can either increase (depolarize) or decrease (hyper polarize) the likelihood of the postsynaptic neuron ring glial cells - non neuronal cells that provide structure, nutritional, and other types of support to the brain.