PSYCH 111 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Medial Forebrain Bundle, Central Nervous System, Zygosity
Document Summary
Paradox: learning may depend more on the elimination of relatively inactive neural pathways than the formation of new neural pathways. The nervous system is a complex communication network in which signals are constantly being transmitted, received, and integrated; information travels immediately from your eye to your brain, from your brain to the muscles of your body. Neurons: individual cells in the nervous system that receive, integrate, and transmit information (soma, axon, myelin sheath, dendrites, terminal buttons, neurotransmitters, synapses. Glia: cells that are found throughout the nervous system that provide various types of support for neurons - supply nourishment to neurons, help remove neuron"s waste products, and provide insulation around many axons. The resting potential of a neuron is its stable, negative charge when the cell is inactive. A very brief shift in a neuron"s electrical charge that travels along an axon. Absolute refractory period: the minimum length of time after an action potential during which another potential cannot begin.
