PSY 1001 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Electroencephalography, Frontal Lobe, Temporal Lobe
Document Summary
Neurons: nerve cells specialized for communication, about 85 billion in the brain. Soma: cell body, central region of the neuron. Nucleus: part of cell body where proteins are manufactured. Neurotransmitter: chemical messenger specialized for communication from neuron to neuron. Synapse: space between two connecting neurons through which messages are transmitted chemically. Synaptic cleft: a gap into which neurotransmitters are released from the axon terminal. Glial cells: cell in nervous system that plays a role in the formation of myelin and the blood-brain barrier, responds to injury, removes debris, and enhances learning and memory. Astrocytes: type of glial cell shaped like a star, involved in thought, memory, and immune system. Blood-brain barrier: protective shield that insulates the brain from infection by bacteria, poisons, and other nasty intruders. Myelin sheath: glial cells wrapped around axons that act as insulators of the neuron"s signal, produced by oligodendrocytes.
