WELCOME!

1. Did you volunteer candy?

**First off, thank you! Second, pile your
loot on the back table
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2
W8XKK-3Rk&feature=youtu.be

AGONISTS

ANTAGONISTS

EFFECTS OF DRUGS ON N.S.

Block actions of
Mimic actions of
neurotransmitters
neurotransmitters
Occupy receptor site &
Bind to receptors
prevent action.
& generate PSPs
A molecule, that by
A molecule that,
binding to a receptor
by binding to a
site, inhibits or blocks a
receptor site,
response
stimulates a
Botulin (poison found in
response
improperly canned food
causes paralysis by blocking
Opiate drugs can
ACh release
produce a
We call it Botox and inject it
temporary high

into our faces to paralyze

GOALS FOR TODAY:

Complete Lecture on Neurons and
Neurotransmitters while completing
handout (as needed)

Candy Neurons activity (as a group)

Begin Neural Transmission handout

AP PSYCH OBJECTIVES
Identify basic processes and systems
in the biological bases of behavior,
including parts of the neuron and the
process of transmission of a signal
between neurons.
Discuss the infl uence of drugs on
neurotransmitters (e.g., reuptake
mechanisms, agonists, antagonists).

BIOLOGICAL
PSYCHOLOGY AND
NEUROTRANSMISSIO
N

WHY STUDY BIOLOGY IF THIS CLASS

IS CALLED PSYCHOLOGY??
Everything psychological is simultaneously biological.
To think, feel or act without a body would be like running
without legs.
-We are bio-psycho-social systems. To understand our
behavior, we need to study how biological, psychological and
social systems interact.

The human brain is the most complex system, natural

or man made, in the world.
About 3 lbs.
About the size of a grapefruit
Pinkish/gray in color
About 100 billion nerve cells
At a loss rate of 200,000 per day during our adult lives we
still end up with over 98% of or brain cells.

 Biopsychology: The specialty in psychology that

studies the interaction of biology, behavior and
mental processes.
-The mind thinking about the mind.
some biological psychologists call themselves
behavioral neuroscientists, neuropsychologists,
behavior geneticists, physiological psychologists, or
biopsychologists
Neuroscience is a newer fi eld of study in psychology
focusing on the brain and our behavior.

PHRENOLOGY
Back in the olden days, we
believed many very stupid
and silly things about
humans and our minds
(coughhindsight bias..)

One of those things was

phrenology- the believed
that studying bumps on the
skull could reveal your
mental abilities and skills.

BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS
Today, we now rely on biological
psychologists (people who study
the links between biological
[genetic, neural, hormonal] and
psychological processes)

NEURONS

NEURONS ARE SUPER COOL

A specialized cell that receives information and transmits it to other
cells
Individual nerve cells that receive, integrate, and transmit
information
The basic elements of communication in the nervous system,
but only the majority communicate with other neurons.
However, there are some exceptions

Approx. 100 billion neurons make up the brain

Millions of neurons are involved in producing a single
thought

A TYPICAL NEURON

GLIA
Cells found throughout the nervous system that
provide various types of support for neurons

Outnumber neurons 10-1, 50% of the brains volume

Nourish neurons
Remove waste products
Insulation
The heroes of the nervous system

THE NEURAL IMPULSE-WHAT

HAPPENS WHEN A NEURON GETS
STIMULATED
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SHBnExxub8

THE CHARGE INSIDE THE NEURON IS

NEGATIVE
Resting potential
The imbalanced electrical charge of the axon
in its inactive state (when the neuron is ready
to fire)
o The inside of cell is negative relative to the outside of the
axon

POLARIZATION
DURING RESTING POTENTIAL the
neuron is polarized = opposites of each
other.
inside of a neurons charge is all
NEGATIVE
Outside of a neuron, the charge is
POSITIVE
Negatives w/negatives, positives
w/positives. Happy homeostasis
prefers to be this way.

NEURON AT REST
Inside and outside the neuron are fl uids containing
electrically charged atoms and molecules called
ions
Positively charged potassium and sodium and
negatively charged chloride ions fl ow back and forth
across the cell membrane, but do NOT cross at the
same rate
HIGHER CONCENTRATION of negatively charged ions
inside the cell------ resulting voltage/potential
energy
RESTING POTENTIAL- stable, negative charge when
the cell is inactive (-70 million volts)

How Does it
Work?

Neurotransmission is
a fancy name for two or
more neurons
communicating with
each other.
There are 4 neurons
communicating in the
picture to the right or
you could say that
neurotransmission is

3
4
2

Neurons stay at rest with their

sodium ions on the outside of
the cell body (or soma)
and potassium ions on the inside.

Neurons are no longer

at rest when the
sodium ions on the
outside of the cell body
rush in
and potassium ions on
the inside rush out.

The typical neuron receives hundreds of messagessome

of these messages are excitatory (saying FIRE) while
others are inhibitory (saying DONT FIRE)
e
e
i
e

e e e

e
i

e
e

i
i

When there are more

excitatory than inhibitory
messages, the cell body
exceeds its threshold (level
of stimulation required to
trigger the impulses) and
creates an electric
impulse
This is called ACTION
POTENTIAL

Action potential
An electrical impulse is
caused from the rushing in
and out of the ions
(depolarization)
Most basic electrical charge
that travels through the axon of
the neuron; the message that
travels through the axon of the
neuron.
At that moment, the charge
becomes less negative/even
positive, creating an action

Action potential is the

DEPOLARIZATION of a NEURON
Depolarization occurs, when positive sodium
(Na+) ions enter the neuron, making it more
susceptible to fire an action potential.
Neuron no longer @ homeostasisdomino
effect.

Once the
electrical
impulse reaches
the terminal
button
it triggers the
vesicles
(containing
neurotransmitters
), to move toward

REFRACTORY PERIODS
After all this excitement, the channels in the cell
membranes will close up again (and this may take some
time)
Refractory Period
After a neuron has fired an action potential it pauses for a short period to
recharge itself to fire again at this time the inside potassium ions move
out of the cell & cannot fire
Like a toilet bowl..gotta wait for the water to fill up again.

Imagine running a sprint. After you fi nish running, you

will need a period of time (ARP) to calm down before you
will run again.
After you completely recover, you can run again, but you
will need some more intense motivation (RRP), because
you dont really feel like sprinting again.

Other Action Potential Info

This graph depicts the change, with
time, in the electrical charge across
a given point on the axon
membrane as an action potential
passes through that point.

To transmit the message

the length of the axon takes
less than one hundredth of a
second!!

With each action potential, a small amount of sodium enters the

cell and a small amount of potassium leaves it to maintain the
original balance of these elements, each portion of the axon has a
sodium-potassium pump that continuously moves sodium out of
the cell and potassium into it

http://highered.mheducation.com/sites/0072943696/student_view0/chapter8/animation__trans
mission_across_a_synapse.html

Synapse -- a junction
between the axon tip
of the sending neuron
and the dendrite or
cell body of the
receiving neuron. This
tiny gap is called the
synaptic gap or cleft.

Axon Terminal buttons

creates
NEUROTRANSMITTERS.
Go into gap, and
received (from receptor
sites) on dendrites.
Create electrical
impulse for the neuron.
All in 1/100th of a
second!

SYNAPTIC CLEFT &

NEUROTRANSMITTERS
Neurons dont actually touch
Synaptic Cleft-microscopic gap between the terminal
button of one neuron and the cell membrane of
another neuron
This gap must be jumped in order for neurons to
communicate

Presynaptic neuron- sends signal

Postsynaptic neuron- receives signal
How does this happen?
The arrival of an action potential at an axons terminal
triggers the release of NEUROTRANSMITTERS- chemicals
that transmit information from one neuron to another
Collected together in little sacks called SYNAPTIC VESICLES
Vesicles fuse together with the membrane and spill
contents into the synaptic gap
They may bind to certain areas at various receptor sites

ALL-OR-NONE (PRINCIPLE) LAW

The neural impulse is like a toilet, either it fi res or it
doesnt fi re
Action potentials are all the same size as well

Neurons convey information about the strength of a

stimulus by varying the rate at which they fi re action
potentials
Stronger stimulus- more rapid volley of neural impulses
than a weaker stimulus

FLUSHING NEURON-CAT
Wr ite the se out on a s ep arate sh ee t of pape r (labe l and EXPL AIN)

All-or-Nothing Principle
Refractory Period
Resting Potential
Action Potential
Dendrites
Axon
Myelin Sheath
Terminal Buttons
Soma

Watch the cat again, however this time, watch it and imagine that
th e toilet fl ush ing is like a neuron fi ring
http s://www.you tub e.com/watch?v=H 2W8XKK-3Rk&feature=you tu
.b e

NEUROTRANSMITTERS
Neurotransmitters
(chemicals) released
from the sending
neuron, travel across
the synapse and bind
to receptor sites on
the receiving neuron,
thereby influencing it
to generate an action
potential.

OCD

High blood pressure

Neurotransmitters bind to the receptors of the

receiving neuron in a key-lock mechanism.

Each neurotransmitter has an unique chemical configuration

Neurotransmitters attach to specific receptorslike a puzzle piece fitting into
its proper place, receptors will only accept or recognize one type of
neurotransmitter

NEUROTRANSMITTERS
ACETYLCHOLINE
Acetylcholine (often abbreviated ACh) is the most common
neurotransmitter. It is located in both the central nervous and
peripheral nervous system
Acetylcholine was the first neurotransmitter be identified in 1914
As a neuromodulator it acts on basic autonomic and muscular
fuctions
Sarin Gas disrupts its ability to function and often leads to death

Neurotransmitters
Dopamine
Generally involved in regulatory motor
activity
In the basal ganglia, involved in mood,
sensory perception, and attention

NEUROTRANSMITTERS

Glutamate
Is an excitatory neurotransmitter
Plays a role in learning and memory
Too much can cause seizures
Malfunction of glutamate has also been
associated with Alzheimer's

NEUROTRANSMITTERS

Epinephrine
Also known as adrenaline
Causes the feeling of being
revved up or on edge
Activates a fight or flight reaction in the
autonomic nervous system

NEUROTRANSMITTERS

Serotonin
Attention and other complex cognitive
functions, such as sleep (dreaming), eating,
mood, pain regulation
Neurons which use serotonin are
distributed throughout the brain, stomach
and spinal cord
Mood disorders

NEUROTRANSMITTERS

GABA
(gamma-aminobutyric acid)
GABA is the most important and common
inhibitory neurotransmitter
Stops the brain from becoming overexcited
Too much may cause hallucinations

AGONISTS

ANTAGONISTS

EFFECTS OF DRUGS ON N.S.

Block actions of
neurotransmitters
Mimic actions of
neurotransmitters Occupy receptor site &
prevent action.
Bind to receptors
& generate PSPs a molecule, that by
binding to a receptor
a molecule that,
site, inhibits or blocks a
by binding to a
response
receptor site,
Botulin (poison found in
stimulates a
improperly canned food)
response
causes paralysis by blocking
ACh release
Opiate drugs can
We call it Botox and inject it
produce a
into our faces to paralyze
temporary high

underlying facial muscles

Outside substances, that mimic (Fit) into

receptor site for neurotransmitter
Similar enough in structure that it
mimics the neurotransmitters
effect on the receiving neuron
often agonists INCREASE
activity by inhibiting reputake
Sends message over and over
again! (Drugs and effectiveness)
Master Key
Similar enough to occupy the
receptor site and block its
action, but not similar enough
to stimulate activity
Other Key

CANDY NEURONS AND NEURAL

TRANSMISSION
2 tasks:
Candy Neurons: https
://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMPua58kiKE
Ill come around and provide candy to all groups. What you
need is 1 piece of paper, a pen and some good
communication skills.
Be sure to walk through each process and label each item correctly.
Ill come around and you can explain to me the process of neural
communication.
Eat any excess candy @ your own desire. ;)

Neural Transmission handout: feeling iff y on neurons? Start

the handout alongside your candy neuron process and clarify
any confusion.

NEXT CLASS:
Reading Guide 3B (Nervous and Endocrine System)
Neural Transmission handout