PSYC 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Central Nervous System, Stretch Reflex, Afferent Nerve Fiber

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 100
• Professor: Jordan Poppenk

Document Summary

Central nervous system (cns: brain tract nerves entirely within brain and spinal cord, spinal cord communicates with all sensory organs and muscles, excludes the head. Peripheral nervous system (pns) cranial and spinal nerves, transmits sensory information (body to cns + transmit motor and other commands to outside. [cns to muscles, glands, internal organs]: skeletal ns, muscles, relay motor commands from the brain, sensory or afferent, motor or efferent. Pns, receives information from and sends commands to heart and other organs: controls involuntary muscles. Neurons = cells that are specialized in transmitting information. Controlled by spinal cord: receptor, afferent nerve, integrating center, efferent nerve, effector. Synaptic cleft/ gap space between post and presynaptic neuron. Two types of synapses: excitatory synapses activation of transmitter substance from terminal bottom to postsynaptic neurons, increases firing of postsynaptic neuron, inhibitory synapses lowers firing rate of postsynaptic neuron when activated. Graded potentials electrical potentials generated at the postsynaptic membrane.