PSYCH 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Acetylcholine, Resting Potential, Electric Current

• School: UW
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH 101
• Professor: Mc Laughlin Judith

Document Summary

Neurons: basic building blocks of the nervous system, there are billions of them in the nervous system. 100 billion in the brain alone: serve to convey information to different parts of the nervous system, activate muscles and glands, neurons differ in function and come in different shapes/sizes but all have the same basic parts. Dendrites: very top of the neuron, branchlike fibers that receive signals from neighboring neurons and send them to the cell body. Cell-body (soma: cell"s life support system, contains nucleus (includes chromosomes, receives messages from dendrites and other neurons. Axon: extended fiber that conducts information from cell body to the axon terminals. Information travel down the axon in form of an electrical charge: can be several feet long (spinal cord to foot) or can be a fraction of an inch (like in the brain) Axon terminals: end of the axon, contain neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) Carry neuron"s message to receptors to muscles, glands, or other neurons.