PSY 214 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Axon Terminal, Neuropeptide, Neuromodulation
23 Jan 2014
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Chapter 3: chemical signaling by neurotransmitters and hormones. Neurotransmitter: chemical substance released by a neuron to communicate with another cell, which may be a different neuron, a muscle cell, or a hormone-producing cell in an endocrine gland. Synapse: structural unit of information transmission between two nerve cells. It consists of the presynaptic nerve terminal, the synaptic cleft, and a small area of the postsynaptic cell (typically associated with a dendrite or region of the cell body) that receives incoming signal). Presynaptic cell: neuron at a synapse that transmits a signal to the postsynaptic cell. Postsynaptic cell: neuron at a synapse that receives a signal from the presynaptic cell. Axodendritic synapses: the most common synapses in the brain; in these synapses, an axon terminal from the presynaptic neuron communicates with a dendrite of the postsynaptic cell. Synaptic cleft: small gap between the presynaptic and postsynaptic cells.
