PSL300 Study Notes

Each hemisphere of the brain also has a cingulate gyrus  part of the limbic system
Limbic system  includes cingulate gyrus, amygdala, and hippocampus
Emotion, learning, and memory
Cerebral cortex  consists of sensory, motor, and association areas
Association areas integrate sensory data into perception
Motor outputs control target tissues
The noradrenergic system originates from the locus coeruleus in the pons
Its axons terminate through the brain  disseminates noradrenaline throughout the entirety of brain
Stress & panic
The serotonergic system originates from the raphe nuclei on the brain stem midline (pyramid)
Axons also terminate throughout the entirety of the brain
Aggression, locomotion, sleep-wake cycles
The dopaminergic system originate from the substantia nigra and ventral tegmentum in the midbrain
Axons terminate in the cerebral cortex and limbic system
Motor control and reward
The cholinergic system originates from the pons, midbrain, and base of the cerebrum
Transmitter  acetylcholine
Axons terminate in the cerebrum, hippocampus, and thalamus
Learning, memory, transmitting sensory data through thalamus
Receptors and Neurons
Receptors are cells that convert stimulus energy into electrical signals  conversion of one medium to another is called transduction
They first convert stimulus energy into graded changes in membrane potential
For instance, it may fire APs or release neurotransmitters
Each receptor has an adequate stimulus  the form of stimulus that it is most responsive to
Receptors can be classified according to their adequate stimuli:
Chemoreceptors  oxygen, pH, glucose
Mechanoreceptors  mechanical energy such as vibration, gravity, acceleration
Thermoreceptors  temperature
Photoreceptors  light
Simple receptors  neurons with free nerve endings
These sense temperature and noxious stimuli
Complex neural receptors are neurons with their endings in connective-tissue capsules
E.g. Pacinian corpuscle