Neurons
Neurons are cells "specialized to receive and process information and transmit it to other cells" (Zimbardo et al., 2017). They are the fundamental processing units in the brain. There are three major types of neurons, sensory, motor, and interneurons. Sensory transport messages from the sense organs to the brain, and motor neurons transport messages away from the brain to the other body parts. Interneurons move messages from neurons to other neurons.
Parts of a neuron
Dendrites are fibers that extend out of the neurons in order to collect messages from other neurons. When a message is received, it passes the information to the soma, the command center of the neuron. Some messages are excitatory, and some are inhibitory, depending on the amount of messages it receives. When they are excitatory, a message is passed on to an axon then to the terminal buttons. From there, neurotransmitters are released into the synapse.
Pictured Below: A close up of the neurotransmitter process
Pictured Above: A neuron and some of its structures
Neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters "attempt to ferry the neural messages across the gap (the synapse) to the next neuron in the chain" (Zimbardo et al., 2017). Unfortunately, some neurotransmitters do not make it to or fit in their intended target, i.e., the receptor site. The lost neurotransmitters can be broken down by enzymes or drawn back into vesicles by the process of reuptake.
A few types of neurotransmitters are dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, each providing a response in the person. Dopamine involves sensations of pleasure and serotonin regulates things like mood, aggression, and appetite. Norepinephrine is associated with the reaction of fight or flight.
An imbalance of neurotransmitters can cause a variety of disorders such as depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, and schizophrenia. Luckily, there are medications that can improve the actions and/or slow the reuptake process.
Page/Photo References:
CrashCourse. (2014). The Chemical Mind: Crash Course Psychology #3 [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4N-7AlzK7s
Good Therapy. (2022). Genetics. GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog. https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/genetics#:~:text=Genetics%20plays%20a%20significant%20role
Zimbardo, P., Johnson, R., & McCann, V. (2017). Psychology: Core concepts (8th Ed.) Prentice Hall.
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