Neurons and The Nervous System Neural Communication Biological

* Neurons and The Nervous System

*Neural Communication § Biological Psychology § branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior § some biological psychologists call themselves behavioral neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, behavior geneticists, physiological psychologists, or biopsychologists § Neuron § a nerve cell § the basic building block of the nervous system

*Neural Communication §Dendrite § the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body §Axon § the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages are sent to other neurons or to muscles or glands §Myelin [MY-uh-lin] Sheath § a layer of fatty cells segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons § enables vastly greater transmission speed of neutral impulses

*Neural Communication http: //youtu. be/Wy. Qb. ME 6 il. V 4

*Neural Communication § Action Potential § a neural impulse; axon a brief electrical charge that travels down an § generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axon’s membrane § Threshold § the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse § http: //youtu. be/R 0 Td. Xkx. BOk. E

*Neurons §Motor (Efferent) Neurons §carry outgoing information from the CNS to muscles and glands §Sensory (Afferent) Neurons §neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system §Interneurons §CNS neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

NEURONS Motor Sensory Inter

*Neural Communication §Synapse junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron §tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or cleft The average neuron has 1, 000 synapses with other neurons.

What does a synapse look like? Electron Micrograph Microscopy with Fluorescent Proteins http: //youtu. be/LT 3 VKAr 4 roo

Neurotransmitters *

* Using the definition of a neurotransmitter and your knowledge of a neuron, draw a picture that you could use to explain a neurotransmitter to a 10 -year-old

*Neural Communication

*There are dozens of different neurotransmitters (NT) in the neurons of the body. *NTs can be either excitatory or inhibitory *Each neuron generally synthesizes and releases a single type of neurotransmitter *http: //youtu. be/ha. Noq 8 Ub. Syc * *

*Neural Communication

* Heroin is an agonist for endorphins Alcohol is an antagonist for glutumate (excitatory)

*Neural Communication: Agonists/Antagonists Neurotransmitter molecule Receptor site on receiving neuron Receiving cell membrane Agonist mimics neurotransmitter Antagonist blocks neurotransmitter

Nicotine and Dopamine transmission • Nicotine binds to the presynaptic receptors exciting the neuron to fire more action potentials causing an increase in dopamine release. • Nicotine also affects neurons by increasing the number of synaptic vesicles released. Is nicotine an agonist or antagonist for dopamine?

*Neural Communication Serotonin Pathways Dopamine Pathways

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) affect the level of serotonin in the brain. What would this look like as it relates to your neurotransmitter diagram?

*The Nervous System §Nervous System http: //youtu. be/cqvo. V 4 R 7 T 2 g §the body’s speedy, electrochemical communication system §consists of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central § nervous systems Nerves §neural “cables” containing many axons §part of the peripheral nervous system §connect the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs §http: //youtu. be/v. Gxho 71 t. Sc. M

*Central Nervous System (CNS)

*The Nervous System Nervous system Central (brain and spinal cord) Peripheral Autonomic (controls self-regulated action of internal organs and glands) Somatic Skeletal (controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles) Sympathetic (arousing) Parasympathetic (calming)

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) §Autonomic Nervous System §the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart) Ø Sympathetic Ø Parasympathetic §Somatic Nervous System §the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles

* The Autonomic Nervous System http: //youtu. be/YFYRosjc. Vu. U ØSympathetic Nervous System §division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations ØParasympathetic Nervous System §division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

Peripheral Nervous System Label the chart above to include the parts and functions of the peripheral nervous system

Peripheral Autonomic: controls glands and muscles Sympathetic: arouses the body Somatic: controls skeleton Parasympathetic: calms the body

*The Nervous System

*The Nervous System §Reflex §a simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus Brain Sensory neuron (incoming information) Muscle Skin receptors Motor neuron (outgoing information) Interneuron Spinal cord

Parasympathetic Nervous System

*The Nervous System Neurons in the brain connect with one another to form networks §Neural Networks §interconnected neural cells §with experience, networks can learn, as feedback strengthens or Outputs inhibits connections that produce certain results §computer simulations of neural networks show analogous learning Inputs The brain learns by modifying certain connections in response to feedback

Nervous System Central Nervous System Peripheral Nervous System Brain Spinal cord Autonomic Sympathetic Somatic Parasympathetic