Psychology 1000 Lecture Notes - Brainstem, Thalamus, Action Potential

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 1000

Document Summary

De nitions: blood-brain barrier - a specialized barrier that prevents many substances, including a wide range of toxins from entering the brain, action potential - sudden reversal in the neuron"s membrane voltage from -70 millivolts (inside) to +40 millivolts(outside). They have a specially shaped surface that ts a speci c transmitter molecule. Specialized cells called neurons are the basic building blocks of the nervous system. They generate electricity and release chemicals that allow them to communicate with other neurons, muscles and glands. Nerve cells are linked together like circuits. Contains the structures needed to keep the cell alive. Its nucleus contains genetic information that determines how the neutron develops and functions. The surface of the cell body also has receptor areas that can be directly stimulated by other neurons. Specialized receiving units are like antennas that collect messages from neighbouring neurons and send the to the cell body, this information is then combined and processed in the soma.