3.1.1 CNS, neurotransmitters, neurons & synaptic transmission Flashcards
What does the CNS consist of
Brain, spinal-cord and relay neurons
What does the PNS consist of
Motor neurons and sensory neurones
Describe the CNS
The CNS consists of the brain and spinal cord. It is the central processing and control point for all human behaviour. The brain processes all the information from the senses and is then responsible for controlling the behaviour that may result from this information. The spinal-cord connects the brain to the rest of your body and allows messages to be passed from the body to the brain and also from the brain To other parts of the body in order to get them to respond. The cells in the CNS are known as neurons and the cells communicate with around thousands of other cells at a time in huge networks
What are the three types of neurons
Motor, relay, sensory
What do you motor neurons do
They carry messages from the CNS along the nerves in the PNS to the affecters in the body e.g. muscles and glands, they have short dendrites and long axons
What do the sensory neurons do
Carry messages from sensory receptors along nerves in a PN S to the CNS, they have long dendrites ensure axons
What do relay neurons do
they connect sensory and motor neurons together and also connect to other relay neurons. They have short dendrites and short axons
What is the structure and role of a neuron
The new one has a cell body with a nucleus in the middle, around the outside or dendrites which pick up information from other cells and turn it into an electrical signal. This electrical charge travels down the axon until it gets to the axon terminals and these terminals pause the information onto the dendrites of the next cell in the chain. The space between the axon terminal and the next gap in the cell is the synaptic gap
