PSYC100: Neurons and Neural Communication. slides 4

Neurons

Cells that communicate with one another to facilitate information processing and perception.

Glial Cells

Support cells for neurons that provide nutrients, clean waste, and comprise myelin.

Axon

Transmits information to other neurons, muscles, or glands.

Myelin Sheath

Fatty insulating layer that surrounds the axon.

Dendrite

Receives information from other neurons and relays it to the cell body.

Cell Body

Coordinates information-processing tasks and keeps the cell alive.

Synapse

The gap between the axon of one neuron and the dendrites or cell body of another.

Terminal Buttons

Knoblike structures that branch out from an axon.

Resting Potential

The normal difference in electric charge between the inside and outside of a neuron's cell membrane.

Action Potential

Electric signal conducted from a cell body, along an axon to a synapse.

Refractory Period

Recovery period where the neuron works to return to its resting potential state.

All-or-None Principle

The rule that a stimulus must reach a certain threshold for a neuron to fire.

Saltatory Conduction

Action potentials jumping from node to node along a myelinated axon.

Acetylcholine (ACh)

Neurotransmitter involved in muscle contraction, memory, and learning.

Dopamine (DA)

Neurotransmitter heavily involved in the brain's reward system and movement control.

Norepinephrine (NE)

Neurotransmitter that plays a key role in the fight-or-flight response and attention.

Serotonin (5-HT)

Neurotransmitter that plays a major role in regulating mood, sleep, and appetite.

GABA

The main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain that reduces neuronal activity.

Neural Transmission

electrochemical communication within and between neurons and the final destination

Axon collateral

Action potential impacts all terminal branches equally

Myelination

the process by which myelin grows around the axon