Biological Psych Flashcards
Biopsychology
The specialty in psychology that studies the interaction of biology, behavior and mental processes
Neuroscience
newer field of study in psychology focusing on the brain and our behavior.
Neurons
cells specialized to receive, process and transmit information to other cells.
Bundles of neurons are called nerves.
3 main tasks of neurons
1.) Receive information from the neurons that feed it.
2.) Carry information down its length.
3.) Pass the information on to the next neuron
3 Types of Neurons
Sensory Neurons
Motor Neurons
Interneurons
Sensory Neurons
act like one-way streets that carry traffic from the sense organs toward the brain
communicate all of your sensory experience to the brain, including vision, hearing, taste, touch, smell, pain and balance.
Interneurons
Sensory and motor neurons do not communicate directly with each other. Instead, they rely on a middle-man.
make up the majority of our neurons, relay messages from sensory neurons to other interneurons or motor neurons in complex pathways.
Motor Neurons/ efferent neurons
form the one-way routes that transport messages away from the brain to the muscles, organs and glands.
dendrite
“receiver” part of the neuron, which accepts most of the incoming messages.
Consists of finely branched fibers.
Selectively permeable
Dendrites complete their job by passing the incoming message on to the central part of the neuron called the soma
soma (cell body)
contains the cell’s nucleus and life-support machinery.
The function of the soma is to assess all messages the cell receives and pass on the appropriate information, at the appropriate time.
axon
single, larger “transmitter” fiber that extends from the soma.
This is a one way street
extension of the neuron through which the neural impulses are sent.
order of neuron travel
dendrites, soma, axon, Myelin Sheath, nodes of ranvier
Myelin Sheath
protects the axon and the electric signal that it is carrying much like the orange plastic coating does on an electrical cord.
made up of Schwann cells, which is just a specific type of glial cells
Nodes of Ranvier
microscopic spaces between the myelin cells that cover the axon. These spaces are important because they keep the action potential going through the long axon.
Without the spaces, the charge might lose its intensity before reaching the end of the cell.
Think of the nodes as the turbo button in a race car game
synapse
gap between neurons
Action Potential
Information travels along the axon in the form of an electrical charge
the “fire” signal of the neuron and causes neurotransmitters to be released by the terminal buttons
resting potential
axon gets its energy from charged chemicals called ions. In its normal state, the ions have a small negative charge, (resting potential)
action potential
reverses the charge and causes the electrical signal to race along the axon.
all-or-none principle
Once the action potential is released, there is no going back. The axon either “fires” or it does not
Depolarization
initial movement of the action potential where the action passes from the resting potential in the cell body into the action potential in the axon.
Absolute Threshold
if the excitatory signals, minus the inhibitory signals exceed a minimum intensity, called the absolute threshold, then action potential is realized or crossed.
Refractory Period
Each action potential is followed by a brief recharging period known as the refractory period.
After the refractory period, the neuron is capable of another action potential (a period of rest needs to occur between action potentials).
synaptic vesicles
In the terminal buttons are small sacs called synaptic vesicles
neurotransmitters
chemicals used in neural communication.
