How Neurotransmission Works
The ProfessorTed. (2011). The brain lesson 2 how neurotransmission works [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/p5zFgT4aofA
Structure and Function of Neurons
- The nervous system. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sparknotes.com/psychology/psych101/thebrain/section1.rhtml
The nervous system is a complex, highly coordinated network of tissues that communicate via electro chemical signals. It is responsible for receiving and processing information in the body and is divided into two main branches: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. - Heffner, C. L. (n.d.). Neurotransmitters. Retrieved from http://allpsych.com/psychology101/neurotransmitters/#.VgITkJ2qqkoA Neuron is a specialized nerve cell that receives, processes, and transmits information to other cells in the body. We have a fixed number of neurons, which means they do not regenerate. About 10,000 neurons die everyday, but since we start out with between ten and 100 billion (Hooper & Teresi, 1987), we only lose about 2% over our lifetime.
- Health & Wellness Resource Center. (2007). The Nervous System.Body by Design: From the Digestive System to the Skeleton. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com.db.plcscotch.wa.edu.au/apps/doc/CV2644900700/HWRC?u=61wa_scotch&sid=HWRC&xid=ed3547c6. Access
The nervous system is the master control system of the body. Each thought, each emotion, each action--all result from the activity of this system. - Neurons. (2013). Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health, 3rd ed., Detroit: Gale, 2013, pp. 2333-2335. Retrieved from the Gale health and wellness resource centreA neuron is a specialized cell of the nervous system designed to rapidly communicate with other neurons and organs by sending chemical and electrical signals.
- Nervous system. (2015). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://school.eb.com.au.db.plcscotch.wa.edu.au/levels/middle/article/276055The nervous system in humans has two main parts: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system.
- An introduction to neurons, brains and biological psychology. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://catalogue. pearsoned.co.uk/assets/hip/gb/hip_gb_pearsonhighered/ samplechapter/NEW%20Wickens%20Ch1.pdfTo understand what is meant by biological psychology it is helpful first to put the word ‘psychology’ under the spotlight. The term derives from the Greek words psyche meaning.
- Nervous system. (2015). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://school.eb.com.au.db.plcscotch.wa.edu.au/levels/high/article/110703
Nervous system, organized group of cells specialized for the conduction of electrochemical stimuli from sensory receptors through a network to the site at which a response occurs.
Neurotransmitters
- Bergland, C. 2012. The neurochemicals of happiness. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201211/the-neurochemicals-happinessLife in the human body is designed to be a blissful experience. Our evolutionary biology insures that everything necessary for our survival makes us feel good. All animals seek pleasure and avoid pain. Therefore, our brain has a wellspring of self-produced neurochemicals that turn the pursuits and struggles of life into pleasure and make us feel happy when we achieve them. This biological design is generous, but lays dormant in many.
- Boundless. (2015). Types of Neurotransmitters by Function Source: Boundless. “Types of Neurotransmitters by Function.” Boundless Anatomy and Physiology. Boundless, 21 Jul. 2015. Retrieved 13 Oct. 2015 from https://www.boundless.com/physiology/textbooks/bNeurotransmitters are endogenous chemicals that transmit signals from a neuron to a target cell across a synapse.
- Biological Psychology. (n.d.). Dopamine neurotransmitter. Retrieved from http://www.psychologistworld.com/biological/neurotransmitters/dopamine.phpDopamine is commonly associated with the 'pleasure system' of the brain, providing feelings of enjoyment and reinforcement to motivate us to do, or continue doing, certain activities.
Neurons - Key Terms
- axon noun - the appendage of the neuron that transmits impulses away from the cell body.
- cell body noun - the compact area of a nerve cell that constitutes the nucleus and surrounding cytoplasm, excluding the axons and dendrites.
- dendrites noun - the branching process of a neuron that conducts impulses toward the cell.
- myelin sheath noun - a wrapping of myelin around certain nerve axons, serving as an electrical insulator that speeds nerve impulses to muscles and other effectors.
- neuron noun - a specialized, impulse-conducting cell that is the functional unit of the nervous system, consisting of the cell body and its processes, the axon and dendrites.
- neurotransmitter noun - any of several chemical substances, as epinephrine or acetylcholine, that transmit nerve impulses across a synapse to a postsynaptic element, as another nerve, muscle, or gland.
- receptors noun - Cell Biology. any of various specific protein molecules in surface membranes of cells and organelles to which complementary molecules, as hormones, neurotransmitters, antigens, or antibodies, may become bound.
- quizletTest your knowledge of key terms.
Neurotransmitters - Key Terms
- dopamine noun - Biochemistry. a catecholamine neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, retina, and sympathetic ganglia, acting within the brain to help regulate movement and emotion: its depletion may cause Parkinson's disease.
- endorphin noun - any of a group of peptides occurring in the brain and other tissues of vertebrates, and resembling opiates, that react with the brain's opiate receptors to raise the pain threshold.
- GABA noun - Biochemistry a neurotransmitter of the central nervous system that inhibits excitatory responses.
- norepinephrine noun - also called noradrenaline. Physiology. a neurotransmitter, released by adrenergic nerve terminals in the autonomic and possibly the central nervous system, that has such effects as constricting blood vessels, raising blood pressure, and dilating bronchi.
- opioid noun - Biochemistry any of a group of natural substances, as the endorphins, produced by the body in increased amounts in response to stress and pain.
- serotonin noun - Biochemistry a neurotransmitter, derived from tryptophan, that is involved in sleep, depression, memory, and other neurological processes.
- quizletTest your knowledge of key terms.
