central nervous system Flashcards
central nervous system
responsible for processing and integration of information around a body
neuroscience
scientific study of the nervous system
how many neurons in a person
100 billion
where are most of the neurones located
brain (80%)
nucleus
contains genetic material of the cell
axon
a tube like structure that carried the impulses away from the cell body down the neuron
myelin sheath
a fatty layer formed from special cells which wrap themselves around the axon
they protect the axon and speed up the electrical transmission of the impulse
node of ranvir
gaps in the myelin sheath which increases the speed of impulse forcing them to jump across gaps
axon terminal / terminal button
involved in communication across a gap called the synapse bit physically connected to the next neurone in the chain
3 types of neuron
sensory neurons
motor neurons
relay neurons
sensory neuron
carry messages from sensory receptors along nerves in peripheral nervous system to the cns
sensory neuron structure
long dendrites
short axons
motor neurons
carry messages from the cns along the pns to effectors in the body
effectors example
muscles
glands
motor neuron structure
short dendrites
long axons
relay neurons
connect sensory and motor neurons together and also connect other relay neurons
relay neuron structure
short dendrites
short axons
only found in cns
neuron function
transmit messages throughout the body through electrical signals
at resting stage what is the charge of the inside of a cell
negative
describe neuron transmission
- when a neuron is activated by a stimulus the inside of the cell becomes positively charged creating an action potential
- action potential travels down axon towards terminal buttons
what is depolarization
when a neuron is sufficiently activated by a stimulus and the inside of a cell becomes positively charged inside
what is an action potential
an electrical impulse
when can the action potential be generated
when depolarization reaches a certain threshold
what does all or none event mean
- action potential is always same intensity regardless of the size of the stimulus that originally generated it
- if the threshold isn’t reached there’s no action potential
- it either creates an electrical impulse or it doesn’t
how are signals within neurons transmitted
- chemically across the synapse
synapse
small gap between 2 neurones
what is synaptic transmission
a chemical process using biochemical substances called neurotransmitters
what happens when the action potential reaches the end of a neuron
it triggers the release of neurotransmitters from sacs called synaptic vesicles
neurotransmitters
chemicals that diffuse across the synapse to the next neuron
what happens when neurotransmitters diffuse across the synaptic cleft
they fit into matching receptor sites on the post synaptic neuron
what happens after the neurotransmitter reaches the synaptic neuron
it converts back into an electrical signal which may fire another action potential if the depolarization threshold is reached
what happens to neurotransmitters that remain in the synapse
they are reabsorbed into the presynaptic neuron through proteins called transporters
reuptake
when neurotransmitters that remain in the synapse are reabsorbed into the presynaptic neuron through transporters so they can be used again
serotonin
a chemical messenger that acts as a neurotransmitter and hormone in the body
it is a mood booster which causes inhibition in the post synaptic neuron causing the neuron to be more negatively charged
dopamine
a chemical messenger in the brain that sends messages to other nerve cells in the body
it is part of the brains reward system and creates pleasure,
makes a post synaptic neurons more likely to fire
acetylcholine
hells with muscle movements thinking and memory
examples of neurotransmitters
serotonin
dopamine
acetylcholine
vesicles
tiny sacs which trigger the release of neurotransmitters
receptors
membrane proteins which receive neurotransmitters from pre synaptic neurones
pres synaptic neurone
a nerve cell that sends information to another neurone across a synapse
post synaptic neurone
a neurone that receives signals / neurotransmitters from another neurone at a synapse