Chapter 3: Neurons
This chapter was adapted from:
Furtak, S. (2021). Neurons. In R. Biswas-Diener & E. Diener (Eds), Noba textbook series: Psychology. Champaign, IL: DEF publishers. Retrieved from http://noba.to/s678why4 License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 DEED
This chapter provides an overview of the basic structure of neurons and their means of communication. Neurons receive information about the world around us from our sensory systems (vision, audition, olfaction, gustation, and somatosensation); in turn, they process that information and plan and execute appropriate responses, including attending to a stimulus, learning new information, speaking, eating, mating, and evaluating potential threats. This chapter aims to familiarize readers with the anatomy of neurons and explain how neurons use electrochemical signals to communicate, process sensory information, and generate complex behaviors. Understanding neurons is an essential foundation as you move forward in psychology.
Learning Objectives
- Differentiate the functional roles of the two main cell classes in the brain—neurons and glia.
- Describe how the forces of diffusion and electrostatic pressure work collectively to facilitate electrochemical communication.
- Define resting membrane potential, excitatory postsynaptic potentials, inhibitory postsynaptic potentials, and action potentials.
- Explain features of axonal and synaptic communication in neurons.
