Abigail Lewis September 17th 2014 2 Types of Brain Cell tures tant as a Neurons as Information Units Brain Cells most interested in these total amount to the brain is 2 of body weight but has access to 20 of blood supply the body dedicates disproportionate brain b c body knows brain is important Glial Cell glue cell glue things together support struc allow other cells to do other functions not as impor Neurons very small structure 1 100 microns 1 1000 of Their length varies from a few microns to a few feet A neuron is an information unit All must accomplish receiving info process info transmit info Dendrites branchlike structures Receive information Number varies Soma body of the cell Processes information Axon one comes off body of cell Transmits information Vary greatly in length depends on what they connect Such as spinal cord damage cut in axon makes further axon die but can recon nect after if tubes are in line Ex Radio It receives signals from broadcast sent to radio and processed then transmits information over the speakers mm Information within a neuron is an electrical event Electricity in nervous system is NOT like the stream of electrons in a wall plug Electricity in the nervous system is charged particles floating in water called ions Ions atoms or molecules that have gained lost electrons Ions salt NaCl Na and Cl 3 Kinds of Potentials inside is different than outside have power that could be used Resting Potential the electric charge of neuron when its neither receiving nor transmitting a message Negative Positive side like a battery Pumps are proteins inside the axon making the inside more negative embedded in membrane wall Each can have millions of pumps b c they need to function like batteries Graded Potential the electric charge when a neuron receives a message Inside soma gets either more negative or more pos itive The slow gradual change in charge Abigail Lewis September 17th 2014 Action Potential the electric charge that a neuron uses when it transmits information Pressure builds up and triggers jump from 70milibolt to 50 then after falling gradually recovers Also called a spike of electricity Axon Hillock little hill connecting soma and axon like trigger to re volver that can shoot spikes of electricity The pressure on trigger is electrical There is a general rhythm across time of it being fired Excitation postitive faster more pressure speed up Inhibition negative less pressure slower rate of spikes slow down All or None Law the spike of electricity no matter what pressure the spike still looks the same Once you fire action potential the potential jumps and dances to the end of the axon towards another neuron communication between neurons is NOT electrical Best though of as a chemical event On average what percentage of the body weight is made up by brain tissue What per centage of the circulating blood supply is typically made available to the brain What does this disparity in percentages suggest the brain makes up only 2 of the body weight but it has access to 20 of the body s blood supply This suggests that the body knows that the brain is very important What are glial cells What do eliminative reductionists assume about the role of glial cells in the mind and body problem they are glue cells they glue things together support structures they re important but not as important as the neurons Which cells do eliminative reductionists believe to be most important in trying to under stand the relationship between mind and body the neurons Why can a neuron be characterized as an information unit What three basic structures of neurons are associated with the functioning of these biological information units What are the functions of each of these three basic structures because it receives processes and transmits information dendrites receive soma process axon transmit If information within a neuron is an electrical event what are we referring to when we discuss electricity in this context electricity is charged particles floating in water ions What three potentials describe the electrical information within a neuron and in what structures of the neuron are some of these three potentials most typically located Inci dentally in very general terms what do we mean when we talk about potentials as they relate to neurons resting potential occur throughout the neuron mostly the soma graded potential on dendrite action potential only on the axon Abigail Lewis September 17th 2014 potential is when the inside is different from the outside has potential power to use Where is an action potential first triggered in a neuron What other name is used to desig nate the action potential the action potential is first triggered in the axon hillock the action potential is also called a spike of energy What is the all or none law the spike of energy will always be the same not depending on the amount of pressure Origins of Biological Psychology Biological Psychology part of neurosciences attempt to define per sons by their inborn nature more involved in philosophy than biology Mind Body Problem What is the relationship between the mind the body cared about it just as we do today When we die what happens to us Neurosciences merge directly from philosophy they took this philosophical issue and made it into a biological problem Divide Conquer Components of the Mind anger try to relate to body amygdala Components of the Body amygdala almond shaped structure Ultimately hope to be solved by Reductionism The belief that higher levels of functioning will be explained by lower levels of functioning then explain sons explain chemicals to explain plain chemicals by chemistry about mind entific talk about body biology The whole the sum of the parts a basic theme of all modern science Groups explain persons within group can explain group all cells within person to explain per cells use matter to ex Think sociology will be explained psychology by biology by physics Eliminative Reductionism the belief that all scientific talk can be eliminated and reduced to sci Psychology will disappear and be replaced by only A person can be explained by understanding cells If you are an ER you are just a body Language is transformed more accurate scientific When you re dead you re dead Must understand the cell to understand the person Metaphor A cell is a factory biological tool fac talk tory Abigail Lewis September 17th 2014 material coming in ing process constantly allowing the factory to get its Nucleus the