PSY 1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Amygdala, Endocrine System, Prefrontal Cortex
Document Summary
Your brain consists of an enormous number of separate cells called neurons. The nervous system also contains other kinds of cells called glia that support the neurons in many ways such as by insulating them, synchronizing activity among neighboring neurons, and removing waste products. The cell body contains the nucleus of the cell. The dendrites are widely branching structures that receive input from other neurons. The axon is a single, long, thin, straight fiber with branches near its tip. Some vertebrate axons are covered with myelin, an insulating sheath that speeds up the transmission of impulses along an axon. An excitation that travels along an axon at a constant strength, no matter how far it travels. Reaches your brain at full strength unlike simple electrical conduction. When the axon is not stimulated, its membrane has a resting potential, an electrical polarization across the membrane (or covering) of an axon. An action potential starts in either of two ways:
