Anatomy of the peripheral nervous system and synapses

Question 1

what are cranial nerves connected to

Answer 1

the brain, cerebellum and brain stem,

Question 2

what do sensory nerves do

Answer 2

carry nerve impulses from the sensory organs to the brain or spinal cord

Question 3

what do motor nerves do

Answer 3

transmit nerve impulses from the central nervous system to the muscles.

Question 4

why do reflexes happen quickly

Answer 4

because reflexes don’t travel up to your brain for interpretation.

Question 5

what pathway do reflexes involve?

Answer 5

nervous pathway called a reflex arc.

Question 6

explain how reflexes work

Answer 6

It starts off with receptor cells being excited and then sending a signal along a sensory nerve to the spinal cord, which then passes it along to a motor nerve. A muscle receives the signal and contracts.

Question 7

explain what a synapse is

Answer 7

a synapse is when Neurons communicate with each other through gaps where information can be transferred from neuron to neuron or from neuron to muscle.

Question 8

explain the steps that synapses take

Answer 8

1. A neuron receives a message through its dendrites and reacts by sending out an nerve impulse
2. The nerve impulse travels through the axon until it reaches the nerve endings.
3. Small bags of neurotransmitters open at the surface of the endings and spread their chemical message into synapses.
4. The dendrite of the next neuron receives this message and procedures its own nerve impulse.