Psychology 202 Lecture Jan 29, 2015- The machinery of the mind underlies psychological realities- what goes on in our brain affects how we perceive the world. - Neurons are cells. In psychology, mostly focus on brain neurons. - Myelin sheath is made of fatty glial cells; like an electrical wire protecting electrical signalmultiple sclerosis = damage to/ deterioration of the myelin sheath- Afferent (sensory) versus efferent (motor) nerves- Interneurons vastly outnumber sensory and motor neurons- Glial cells provide nourishment and protection and sped up neural transmission; outnumber neurons- Action potentials “jump” across the “nodes of Ranvier;” for electrical impulse to occur, you need to have gaps between myelin sheath sections; action potentials CAUSE neuronal communication- Depolarization- due to excitatory signal; sodium rushes into the neuron; inside of neuron more positively charged than outside causes action potential- Hyper polarization-due to inhibitory signal; less likely to fire; sodium channels are less likely to allow sodium into neuron- More negative inside neuron than outside of it (only slightly) during resting potential- Lithium helps eliminate manic symptoms (release of excess epinephrine)- Mirror neurons in frontal and parietal lobes and occur in species other than humans; recognizinganother person’s goals or intentions; activated when you see someone else engaging in a certain behavior- Agonist- increase neurotransmitter effects; antagonist- block neurotransmitter effects- Lower levels of dopamine to relieve psychotic symptoms in a person; use an antagonist- SSRI- serotonin selective reuptake inhibitor - MAOI- improve depression by increasing serotonin levels; enzyme inhibitor- Ach (Acetylcholine)- very important for memory and other bodily regulations- Adult brains can make new connections and synapses too- Exercise=density of blood vessels + learning=more connections- Scopolamine: antagonist- Physostigmine: agonist  facilitates learning- Monoamine: involved in affection, arousal, and motivation- Study the common neurotransmitters and their functions- Curare- acetylcholine antagonist; heart and lungs stop functioning- Epinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine: most common monoamines- Norepinephrine: increases arousal, but too much can cause mania- Serotonin: involved in sleep and wakefulness- Dopamine: experience reward, pleasure, motivation- In Parkinson’s disease, dopamine neurons degenerate in the basal ganglia- Excess dopamine= schizophrenia- Peptides: CCK (learning, memory, pain, can cause panic attack, related to the sense of being full),Endorphins (natural pain relievers-bind to same sites as heroin and morphine), Substance P (painperception)- Endorphin deficit: chronic pain or difficulty with