Download Neural Communication

NEURAL
COMMUNICATION
HOW DO YOUR NEURONS COMMUNICATE WITHIN AND BETWEEN EACH
OTHER
SHARON STOWE-MYER, Ph.D.
WELCOME TO A DISCUSSION ON HOW
YOUR BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, AND
ELECTRICITY EFFECTS HOW YOU
MOVE, FEEL, THINK, AND BEHAVE.
PLEASE PAY ATTENTION!
THERE WILL BE A SHORT QUIZ AT THE
END.
NEURAL COMMUNICATION? THAT SOUNDS COMPLICATED…
NEURAL COMMUNICATION REFERS TO THE WAYS YOUR NEURONS, ONE TYPE OF CELL IN YOUR CNS, RECEIVE,
PROCESS, AND DISTRIBUTE INFORMATION WITHIN THE CELL AND BETWEEN THE CELLS. IT IS EXTREMELY FAST!
WHY DO WE NEED TO KNOW THIS FOR A
PSYCHOLOGY CLASS?
NEURONS AND GLIA CELLS
• THE MAIN CELLS IN YOUR CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM.
• NEURONS ARE THE INFORMATION PROCESSING STRUCTURES WITHIN YOUR
BRAIN AND CNS.
• WHAT IS INFORMATION PROCESSING?
• GLIA CELLS SUPPORT THE NEURONS IN THEIR EFFORT TO PROCESS, SEND,
PROCESS, AND RECEIVE INFORMATION. THEY ARE THE FOUNDATION AND
STRUCTURES THAT ALLOW NEURONS TO DO THEIR JOB.
• NEURONS RECEIVE INPUT FROM OTHER NEURONS, PROCESS AND MAKE SENSE
OF THIS COMMUNICATION, AND SEND OUTPUT TO ANOTHER NEURON(S)
BASED ON THE COMMUNICATIONS THEY RECEIVED.
• NEURONS CONTROL THE FLOW FOR ALL MOTOR, SENSORY, AND COGNITIVE
INFORMATION TO RUN THE UNIQUE BRAIN AND BODY THAT IS YOU.
• THIS WHOLE PROCESS IS VERY CHAOTIC!
• NOW FOR BACKGROUND INFORMATION….
THE STRUCTURE OF THE NEURON
•
THERE ARE OVER 10,000 TYPES OF NEURONS.
•
THERE ARE MOTOR NEURONS CONTROLLING MOVEMENTS, SENSORY NEURONS, AND
COGNITVE NEURONS.
•
YOUR NEURONS CONTAIN FOUR PARTS:
•
A CELL BODY THAT FUNCTIONS AS THE METABOLIC MANAGING CENTER.
•
PROCESSES THAT ARE CONDUITS TO INFORMATION FLOW: THOUSNDS OF DENDRITES
THAT RECEIVE SIGNALS FROM OTHER NEURONS and ONE AXON THAT SENDS AN
OUTGOING SIGNAL.
•
AXON TERMINALS THAT CONTAIN THE NEUROTRANSMITTERS THAT SEND CHEMICAL
SIGNALS BETWEEN NEURONS.
HOW NEURONS SEND SIGNALS TO OTHER
NEURONS
•
INFORMATION BETWEEN NEURONS IS SENT BY CHEMICAL AND ELECTRICAL SIGNALS.
•
THIS HAPPENS WITHIN EACH NEURON AND BETWEEN NEURONS.
•
INFORMATION IS SENT ALONG AXONS VERY QUICKLY THROUGH ELECTRICAL SIGNALS KNOWN AS ACTION
POTENTIALS. THIS STIMULATES AND MOVES INFORMATION FROM THE CELL BODY TO THE AXON TERMINALS AT THE
END THE NEURON.
•
TO SEND INFORMATION BETWEEN NEURONS THE CELLS USE THE SYNAPSES WHICH ARE THE SPACE BETWEEN THE
NEURONS (NEUROTRANSMISSION).
ELECTRICAL CONDUCTION
COMMUNICATION WITHIN THE NEURON
• NEURONS SEND SIGNALS ELECTRICALLY AND CHEMICALLY. THEY DO THIS
THROUGH GENERATING AN ACTION POTENTIAL OR ELECTRICAL SIGNAL.
• CHEMICALS MOVE ACROSS THE NEURAL MEMBRANE. THE CHEMICALS HAVE
AN ELECTRICAL CHARGE AND ARE REFERRED TO AS IONS. THESE IONS ARE
SODIUM, POTASSIUM, CALCIUM, CHLORIDE, AND SOME VARIOUS PROTEIN
MOLECULES.
• AN ACTION POTENTIAL HAPPENS WHEN THE ELECTRICAL CHARGES WITHIN
THESE IONS INTERACT WITH THE NEURON ACROSS THE NEURAL MEMBRANE
(THE BOUNDARY AND SELECTIVE BARRIER OF THE NEURON).
• ACTION POTENTIALS THEN SEND INFORMATION DOWN THE AXON, AWAY
FROM THE CELL BODY (ON AN EEG YOU SEE A SPIKE). THEY MOVE
500FEET/SECOND. THIS ENDS AT THE AXON TERMINALS BECAUSE THERE IS A
GAP BETWEEN THE NEURONS.
NEUROTRANSMISSION:
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN
NEURONS
• THIS BEGINS WHERE CONDUCTION IS LEFT OFF WHICH IS AT THE AXON
TERMINALS.
• NEUROTRANSMISSION HAPPENS AT THE SYNAPSES.
• THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF TRANSMISSIONS: CHEMICAL SYNAPSES AND
ELECTRICAL SYNAPSES. MOST TRANSMISSIONS ARE CHEMICAL.
NEUROTRANSMISSION VIA THE SYNAPSES
• NEURONS HAVE NO CONTINUTITY BETWEEN NEURONS MEANING THEY ARE NOT
CONNECTED.
• A SYNAPSE IS THE GAP BETWEEN EACH NEURON. THIS BOUNDARY IS SELECTIVE WHICH
CAN BE BAD OR GOOD.
• A NEURON IS SENDING SIGNALS WITHIN THE NEURON ELECTRICALLY. HOWEVER THIS
ELECTRICAL IMPULSE CANNOT JUMP THIS SYNAPTIC GAP.
• NEUROTRANSMITTERS FUNCTION AS THE MESSENGER ACROSS THIS GAP.
• THEY ARE SPECIALIZED CHEMICALS THAT ALLOW THE NEURONS TO COMMUNICATE
WITH EACH OTHER. THEY EITHER EXCITE OR INHIBIT ACTION BETWEEN THE NEURONS.
• EXAMPLES ARE SEROTONIN, DOPAMINE, NOREPINEPHRINE, AMINO ACIDS, HISTAMINE,
ETC.
• THEY TELL YOUR HEART TO BEAT, YOUR STOMACH TO DIGEST, AND AFFECT YOUR
MOOD, SLEEP, WEIGHT, ETC.
SYNATIC TRANSMISSION
•
CONSIDERED THE KEY PROCESS TO UNDERSTANDING HOW THE CNS
FUNCTIONS TO COORDINATE AND CONTROL HOW OUR BODIES
WORK.
•
NEUROTRANSMITTERS ARE NEEDED TO COMMUNICATE ACROSS THE
CELLS.
•
AS THE ELECTRICAL SIGNALS STOP AT THE AXON TERMINALS THEY
COMMICATE WITH THE SYNATIC VESICLES AT THE END OF THE
SENDER NEURON (THE PRESYNAPTIC NEURON).
•
IN ORDER TO COMMUNICATE TO THE RECEIVER NEURON THE
PRESYNATIC NEURON RELEASES NEUROTRANSMITTERS FROM THESE
VESICLES INTO THE GAP BETWEEN THE SYNAPSES CALLED THE
SYNATPTIC CLEFT. THIS IS A MEMBRANE BETWEEN THE TWO
NEURONS.
•
THE NEUROTRANSMITTERS BIND TO THE RECEPTORS AT THE RECEIVER
NEURON CALLED THE POSTSYNAPTIC NEURON. THIS ALLOWS THEM
TO START THE CONVERSATION.
•
AGAIN THIS CONVERSATION IS VERY FAST AND CHAOTIC.
•
WHEN THE CONVERSATION IS SYNCHRONOUS (NOT CHAOTIC) THIS
SOMETIMES SIGNALS A PROBLEM SUCH OCD, PARKINSONS, ETC.
SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION
• CHEMICAL TRANSMISSION OF INFORMATION ALLOWS THE NEURONS MORE
CONTROL OVER THE COMMUNICATION.
• THE FOLLOWING PROCESS OCCURS:
• THE ACTION POTENTIAL ARRIVES AT THE AXON TERMINAL (THE END OF THE
AXON).
• ION CHANNELS OPEN FOR COMMUNICATION TO OCCUR. THE IONS ENTER
THE PRESYNAPTIC NEURON.
• THE IONS BIND WITH OTHER CHEMICALS. THIS ALLOWS THE VESICLES TO MERGE
WITH THE PRESYNAPTIC MEMBRANE. THIS MERGE ALLOWS THE
NEUROTRANSMITTERS TO BE RELEASED IN THE SYNPTIC CLEFT.
• AS THE NEUROTRANSMITTERS RELEASE INTO THE SYNAPTIC CLEFT, THEY DIFFUSE
THROUGH THE MEMBRANE (THE MEMBRANE IS SEMI PERMEABLE).
• NOW THE NEUROTRANSMITTER BINDS WITH THE MEMBRANES AT THE ENDS OF
BOTH CELLS (THE SENDER CELL WHICH IS PRESYNAPTIC AND THE RECEIVER
CELL THE POST SYNAPTIC). THIS IS EITHER DIRECT (JUST HAPPENS) OR INDIRECT
(CAUSES THE RELEASE OF A SECONDARY MESSENGER).
• THIS CAN CAUSE TWO RESPONSES FROM THE RECEIVER CELL (POST SYNAPTIC).
THE RESPONSE IS EITHER AN EXCITATORY OR INHIBITORY.
WHAT? I AM CONFUSED OR ASLEEP…..
• ADD A PICTURE
EXCITATORY RESPONSES
FORM GOOD AND BAD HABITS
• THE INSIDE OF THE CELL BECOMES MORE POSITIVELY CHARGED.
• THIS MEANS THE ACTION POTENTIAL FROM THE PRESYNAPTIC NEURON
INCREASES THE LIKLIHOOD THAT AN ACTION POTENTIAL WILL BE GENERATED IN
THE POSTSYNAPTIC NEURON.
• THIS CAUSES THE FIRING OF NERVE IMPULSES.
• NEURONS THAT FIRE TOGETHER ARE LIKLEY TO WIRE TOGETHER.
• WHEN THEY WIRE TOGETHER THEY FORM NEURAL MAPS. THIS IS WHAT MAKES
SOME PARTS OF YOUR BODY AND BRAIN EASIER TO USE. THIS ALSO MAKES
THINGS EASIER TO REMEMBER OF FOR YOU TO FORM A HABIT THAT IS
UNCONSCIOUS.
INHIBITORY RESPONSES
CAN FORM GOOD AND BAD HABITS TOO
• WHETHER THE POSTSYNAPTIC NEURON GENERATES AN ACTION POTENTIAL OR
NOT DEPENDS UPON THE RECEIVER NEURON’S RECEPTOR SITE AND THE TYPES
OF IONS THAT ARE PRESENT.
• INHIBITORY RESPONSES INHIBIT THE GENERATION OF AN ACTION POTENTIAL.
• INHIBITION SERVES AS A STABILIZING INFLUENCE.
• FOR EXAMPLE PREVENTING NEURONS FROM EXCITING EACH OTHER PREVENTS
A CONVULSIVE SEIZURE OF FIRING (THE LATTER OCCURS IN EPILEPSY).
• INHIBITORY OR EXCITORY ARE NEITHER GOOD OR BAD. THEY JUST INDICATE
THE DIRECTION OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE NEURONS.
• THIS DETERMINES HOW YOU THINK, BEHAVE, FEEL, MOVE, ETC.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
AND
HOW CAN I UNDERSTAND AND
REMEMBER ALL OF THIS?
WHAT ARE WAYS YOU REMEMBER
COMPLICATED INFORMATION?
• MAKE UP A SONG ABOUT SOMETHING.
• TEACH SOMEONE ELSE THE MATERIAL.
• MAKE UP RHYMES.
• USE FLASHCARDS AND REPEAT THE INFORMATION LOUDLY.
• USE FIRST LETTER MNEMONICS.
• REHEARSE THE INFORMATION OVER AND OVER.
• CREATE VISUAL ASSOCIATIONS WITH DRAWINGS AND PICTURES.
• FIND AN ANIMATION ON YOUTUBE.
• WHAT ELSE?
QUESTIONS?
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!