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Biological Psychology
Everything psychological is simultaneously biological.
Franz Gall: early explanations of the brain-mind connection
Phrenology: believed that examining bumps on the skull reveal our mental abilities and character traits.
Biological Psychology
branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior
some biological psychologists call themselves behavior neuroscientists, neuropyschologists, behavior geneticists, psychological psychologist, or biopsychologists.
Neuron
a nerve cell
the basic building block of the nervous system
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 Sheath
a layer of fatty cells segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons enables vastly greater transmission speed of neutral impulses.
(Diagram showing each of the above terms)
Action potential
a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axonʼs membrane
Threshold
the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse.
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
neurotransmitters
chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons
when released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether it will generate a neural impulse.
Various neurotransmitters: acetylcholine, dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), Glutamate.
A table with all of the neurotransmitters along with their functions is in the book.