PSYC 1010 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Peripheral Nervous System, Somatic Nervous System, Central Nervous System

• School: York University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 1010
• Professor: Myriam Mongrain

Document Summary

Your nervous system is living tissue composed of cells. The cells in the nervous system fall into two major categories: glia and neurons. Neurons: individual cells in the nervous system that receive, integrate, and transmit information. They are the basic links that permit communication within the nervous system. Soma/cell body: contains the cell nucleus and much of the chemical machinery common to most cells. Dendrites: the parts of a neutron that are specialized to receive information. Most neutrons receive information from many other cells - sometimes thousands of others - and so have extensive dendritic trees. Axon: a long, thin bre that transmits signals away from the soma to other neutrons or to muscles or glands. Myelin sheath: insulating material, derived from glial cells, that encase some axons. Terminal buttons: small knobs that secrete chemicals called neurotransmitters. The chemicals serve as messengers that may activate neighbouring neurons. Synapse: a junction where information is transmitted from one neutron to another.