PSYCH101 Lecture Notes - Electric Charge, Neurotransmitter, Endorphins

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH101
• Professor: Richard Ennis

Document Summary

A single cell that is responsible for much of what happens in our brain (thoughts, feelings, and actions). 1) soma the nucleus of the cell body. 2) dendrites branch-like fibres that come out of the cell body and between neurons. 3) axon elongated part that comes out of cell body; varies in size. Information comes into the neuron from the dendrites (this process is called afferent). Information leaves the neuron through the axon (this process is called efferent). Three kinds: sensory neurons carry messages from tissues/sensory organs inwards to brain and spinal cord. Sensation process (taking the environment in) is an afferent process. Its dendrites are outside the central nervous system while axons are inside it: motor neurons efferent process information leaves the neuron through the axon. Allows us to perform actions by sending message to muscles. Dendrites are in the central nervous system while axons are in the muscles and glands.