PSYCH 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Autonomic Nervous System, Homeostasis, Fluoxetine

• School: UW
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH 101
• Professor: Jacqueline Spector

Document Summary

Neuron is separated from surrounding fluid by a cell membrane: substances pass through ion channels. Inner ions are more negatively charged than outer ions. All or none law: action potentials occur either at a uniform intensity, or they do not occur. Absolute refractory period: period immediately following the action potential, membrane is not excitable and cannot discharge another impulse. Myelin sheath: a layer of fatty insulation that surrounds the axon, improves the efficiency of neural transmissions, damage to myelin sheath can be tragic and severe, multiple sclerosis = degeneration of myelin sheath. Synaptic space: a tiny gap between the axon terminal and the next neuron. Neurotransmitter: chemical substances that carry messages across the synaptic space to other neurons, muscles, or glands. Acetylcholine (ach: too much ach = violent muscle contractions, convulsions, and death, drugs that block ach -> paralysis, excitatory neurotransmitter, muscle activity and memory, under production = alzheimer"s disease.