PSYCO239 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Psychoactive Drug, Models Of Abnormality, Mood Disorder
Document Summary
The brain is composed of ~100 billion nerve cells (called neurons) and thousands of billions of support cells (called glia) Within the brain, large groups of neurons form distinct areas called brain regions. Towards the top of the brain is the cerebrum which has: Corpus callosum: connects the brains two cerebral hemispheres. Basal ganglia: crucial role in planning and producing movement. Clinical researchers have discovered connections between certain psychological disorders and problems in specific brain areas. Example: huntington"s disease (causes emotional outbursts, memory loss, suicidal thinking, involuntary body movements, and absurd beliefs) caused by a loss of cells in the basal ganglia (forebrain) Psychological disorders can be related to problems in the transmission of messages from neuron to neuron. Information is communicated throughout the brain in the form of electrical impulses. Goes from dendrites to the axon and is transmitted through the nerve ending at the end of the axon to the dendrites of other neurons.
