Psy 201

Physiological/Biological
Psychology
1st Semester 2019-2020

Gloria P. de la Merced-Josol, RPsy, RGC

July 30 – August 1, 2019
(4th week, 1st month)
Physiological/Biological Psychology
Textbook:
Biological Psychology, 13th edition by James W. Kalat (2019) and
published by Cengage Publishing.
Nerve Cells &
Nerve Impulses
Chapter 1, Module 1.
(pages 17-27)
Your mental
experience
depend on the
activity of a
huge number
of separate but
interconnected
cells.
(Page 18)
The Nerve Cells
The nervous
system consists
of two (2) kinds
of cells, neurons
and glia.

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHBF_enPH812PH812&biw=1366&
bih=657&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=Mvw7XaHjA4qqoASe3rSYBA&q=neuron+and+g
lia+in+the+brain&oq=neuron+and+glia+in+the+brain&gs_l=img.12...0.0..773
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img.BBBsuKraoRo&ved=0ahUKEwihxMvnyNTjAhUKFYgKHR4vDUMQ4dUDCA
Y#imgrc=7LR-6cuFNhpuwM:
The Neuron
Neurons
receive
information
and transmit
it to other
cells.

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHBF_enPH812PH812&biw=1366
&bih=608&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=Mvw7XaHjA4qqoASe3rSYBA&q=neurons+in
+the+brain&oq=neuron&gs_l=img.1.1.35i39l2j0l8.1607.4477..7823...0.0..0.
128.1723.21j1......0....1..gws-wiz-
img.......0i30j0i10i24j0i24.qlnEno4tL_U#imgrc=apj_iP1zpVjMOM:
https://www.google.com/search?q=is+glia+and+glial+cells+the+same&rlz=1C1CHBF_enPH812PH812&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKE

wih8cv5htbjAhUsxosBHTVVABEQ_AUIESgB&biw=1366&bih=608#imgrc=aCDfAQTsnO4uIM :
The Glia
Glia are cells in the nervous
system that support the
activities of neurons.

GLIA, also called glial

cells or neuroglia, are non-
neuronal cells in the central
nervous system (brain and
spinal cord) and the
peripheral nervous system.
They maintain homeostasis,
form myelin, and provide
support and protection for
neurons.
https://www.google.com/search?q=is+glia+and+glial+cells+the+same&rlz=1C1CHBF_enPH812PH81
2&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwih8cv5htbjAhUsxosBHTVVABEQ_AUIESgB&biw=1
366&bih=608#imgrc=bVt5Hxm9XW9RlM:
Santiago Ramon y Cajal (1852-1934)
o Santiago Ramón y Cajal is often
called the father of
neuroscience. He won the Nobel
Prize for Physiology/Medicine in
1906 for his theory that became
known as the neuron doctrine.
o Using, Camillo Golgi’s staining
methods & applying themto
infants’ brains, he demonstrated
that nerve cells remain separate
instead of merging into one https://www.google.com/search?q=santiago+ramon+y+cajal&rlz=1C1CHBF_enPH812PH812&bi
w=1366&bih=608&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=cjoFjV1w5ZPOVM%253A%252CsgukZACYz

another. TvazM%252C%252Fm%252F01m0mq&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kSLZ6QupsS-
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QAw#imgrc=cjoFjV1w5ZPOVM:
TRIVIA for Santiago Ramon y Cajal
o Santiago Ramón y Cajal, often
called the father of neuroscience.
o At the age of 10, was punished for
not paying attention during his
Latin class. His punishment
comprised of imprisonment in
solitary cell, limited to one meal a
day, and taken out daily for public
floggings.
 Page 18-19.
 QUESTION: How many of you played
truant???
https://www.google.com/search?q=santiago+ramon+y+cajal+childhood&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CQXOtWgHnn_1IIjjpK79
70Zrzj-Soshgxg3aLBkKHcc-iDBzLQe--4SuruZUZKw5wOZ-
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BEcT2Z9HPwrzSoSCctB777hK6u5EWClfup6wPlLKhIJlRkrDnA5n6sRMh6DOTfrvPAqEgkuCWmPQqqytRF2O4kiSha
4GSoSCVGOi7_1No55iEcQIqHyTd75i&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwigr4yg1tjjAhXpG6YKHYmQBOUQ9C96BAgBEB
s&biw=1366&bih=657&dpr=1#imgrc=gp3VNPXocAvTSM:
Camillo Golgi (1843-1926)
o Camillo Golgi invented a method of
staining by hardening nervous cells in
potassium bichromate and then
impregnating the sample with silver
nitrate. The resultant reaction, known
as the black reaction allowed him to
see the Golgiapparatus under the
microscope.
o Camillo Golgi. Italian physician and
cytologist whose investigations into
the fine structure of the nervous
system earned him (with the Spanish
histologist Santiago Ramón y Cajal)
the 1906 Nobel Prize for Physiology https://www.google.com/search?q=camillo+golgi&rlz=1C1CHBF_enPH812PH812&biw=1366
or Medicine. &bih=608&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=Bpsbe_dclR9-
oM%253A%252C7_KPr25BGNEXzM%252C%252Fm%252F0d_q6&vet=1&usg=AI4_-
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oQAw#imgrc=Bpsbe_dclR9-oM:
The Neuron
o Your brain is made of approximately 100 billion nerve cells,
called neurons. Neurons have the amazing ability to gather and
transmit electrochemical signals -- think of them like the gates
and wires in a computer.
o Neurons share the same characteristics and have the same
makeup as other cells, but the electrochemical aspect lets them
transmit signals over long distances (up to several feet or a few
meters) and send messages to each other.

o
The Structure of a Neuron
Neurons vary in their shape. All neurons have 3 basic parts:
1. Soma (Cell body) – the main mass of a
neuron, containing the nucleus (containing
the DNA), endoplasmic reticulum and
ribosomes (for building proteins) and
mitochondria (for making energy). If the cell
body dies, the neuron dies.
2. Axon – the branch of a neuron, usually
responsible for carrying signals to other
neurons. Depending upon the type of neuron, axons
can be covered with a thin layer of myelin sheath, like
an insulated electrical wire.
3. Dendrite – the branch of neuron that
generally receives information from other
neurons. Dendrites can be located on one or both
ends of a cell.
The Neuron: Parts and functions
Motor Neuron versus a Sensory Neuron
o A motor neuron with its soma in the spinal
cord, receives excitation through its
dendrites and conducts impulses along
its axon to a muscle.
o A sensory neuron is specialized at one
end to be highly sensitive to a particular
type of stimulation, such as light, sound,
or touch. (Please refer to pages 19-20 of
your textbook, special note on Figure
1.5).
o As shown in Figure 1.5, tiny branches lead directly
from the receptors into the axon, and the cell’s
soma is located on a little stalk off the main trunk.
Sensory neuron has (1) shorter axon; (2) with receptor; (3) has cell body at
the side, no dendrites; and (4) has one long dendron; while
Motor neuron has (1) a longer axon; (2) no receptor; (3) has cell body
terminal, and has dendrites; and (4) many short dendrons.
Dendron is another term for dendrite.
Giorgio Ascoli (2015)
o Giogio Ascoli (2015) offers an analogy
that if you could expand the dendrite of
a reasonably typical neuron to a height
of a tree, the cell’s axon and its
branches would extend for more than
25 city blocks. (page 21)
o Giorgio Ascoli is the founding director
of the Center for Neural Informatics,
Structures, and Plasticity as well as a
University Professor, Department of
Bioengineering, Krasnow Institute for
advanced study.
Myelin Sheath
o Myelin is a fatty insulating
material covering some axons
that boosts the speed and
efficiency of electrical
signaling.
o Each myelin sheath insulates
the axon over a single section
and, in general, each axon
comprises multiple
long myelinated sections
separated from each other by
short gaps (interruptions)
called Nodes of Ranvier.
Presynaptic terminal
o The presynaptic axon terminal,
or synaptic bouton, also known
as end bulb, or bouton, is a
specialized area within the axon
of the presynaptic cell that
contains neurotransmitters
enclosed in small membrane-
bound spheres called synaptic
vesicles (as well as a number of
other supporting structures and
organelles, such as
mitochondria and endoplasmic.
(Please refer to page 21).
Afferent vs. Efferent Axon
o Afferent axon brings information
into a structure.
o Efferent axon carries information
away from the structure.
o Every sensory neuron is an
afferent to the rest of the nervous
system, and every motor neuron
is an efferent from the nervous
system.
o Efferent starts with an e as in
exit; afferent starts with a as in
admit.
Afferent vs. Efferent Neuron
 Efferent starts with an e as in exit;
afferent starts with a as in admit.
o Within the nervous system, a given
neuron is an efferent from one
structure and an afferent to another.
 Efferent starts with an e as in exit;
o Afferent neurons are sensory
neurons that carry nerve impulses
from sensory stimuli towards the
central nervous system and brain,
while efferent neurons are motor
neurons that carry neural impulses
away from the central nervous
system and towards muscles to
cause movement.
Interneuron
o Interneuron is also known as
Intrinsic Neuron.
o It is a neuron which transmits
impulses between other neurons,
especially as part of a reflex arc.
o If a cell’s dendrites and axon are
entirely contained in a single
structure, the cell is an interneuron
or intrinsic neuron of that structure.
o For example, an intrinsic neuron of
the thalamus has its axon and all its
dendrites within the thalamus.
o Page 21.
Interneuron
o Interneurons create neural
circuits, enabling
communication between
sensory or motor neurons and
the central nervous system
(CNS).
o They have been found to
function in reflexes, neuronal
oscillations, and neurogenesis
in the adult mammalian brain.
o Page 21.
Glia
o Glia, also called glial cells
or neuroglia, are non-neuronal
cells in the central nervous
system (brain and spinal cord)
and the peripheral nervous
system. They maintain
homeostasis, form myelin, and
provide support and
protection for neurons.
o The term “glia” is derived from
a Greek word meaning “glue”
becue it holds the neurons
together. (page 21)
Glial Cells
o Glia outnumber neurons in the
cerbral cortex, but neurons
outnumber glia in several
other brain areas, especially in
the cerebellum.
o The brain has several types of
glia such as the astrocyte,
microglia, oligodendrocyte,
the schwann cells, and the
radial glia.
o Pages 21 - 23
Types of Glial Cells
Types of Glial Cells and their functions
The blood-brain barrier
o The blood–brain
barrier (BBB) is is formed
by brain endothelial cells
lining the cerebral
microvasculature, and is
an important mechanism for
protecting thebrain from
fluctuations in plasma
composition, and from
circulating agents such as
neurotransmitters and
xenobiotics capable of
disturbing neural function.
Gloria P. de la Merced-Josol
Types of Glial Cells