PSYC 101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Behavioral Neuroscience, Medulla Oblongata, Locus Coeruleus
Document Summary
Biological psychology: the psychological specialty focused on the physical and chemical changes that cause and occur in response to, behavior and mental processes. Nervous system: a complex combination of cells whose primary function is to allow an organism to gain information about what is going on inside and outside the body and to respond appropriately. Cells of the nervous system: the three functions of the nervous system. Neurons (or nerve cells): fundamental units of the nervous system. Glial cells: cells in the nervous system that hold neurons together and help them communicate with one another. Axons: fibers that carry signals from the body of a neuron out to where communication occurs with other neurons. Dendrites: neuron fibers that receive signals from the axons of other neurons and carry those signals to the cell body. Action potential: an abrupt wave of electrochemical changes traveling down an axon when a neuron becomes depolarized. Refractory period: a short rest period between action potentials.
