PSYC62H3 Chapter 2: Drugs & Brain Ch. 2 Nervous System
Document Summary
The study of psychoactive drugs requires knowledge about how drugs act on the nervous system. Each structure of the brain contains a dense ensemble of neurons and glia cells. Neurons: cells in the nervous system that receive and transmit information to other neurons. Neurons serve as the principle players for behaviour and have many unique characteristics that set them apart from other cells in the body. Glia cells (or glial cells): cells that support the function of neurons. The brain approximately has 100 billion neurons, but 10 times as many glial cells (much more glial cells). Neurons comprise dense communication networks in the brain these networks support the function of individual brain structures and facilitate communication between brain structures. Like other cells in the body, neurons have basic characteristics such a membrane, nucleus, ribosomes, and an endoplasmic reticulum, but they also have many unique characteristics for neuron communication. Plasma membrane control of material exchanges, mediation of cell- environment interactions.
