ch 3 neurons and neurotransmitters

Question 1

action potential

Answer 1

• the process in which a “signal” is passed within an individual neuron

Question 2

synapses

Answer 2

the connection between two neurons

Question 3

neurons

Answer 3

nerve cells that are responsible for communication

Question 4

dendrites

Answer 4

part of the neuron that receives information from other neurons

Question 5

axon terminals

Answer 5

the part of the neuron that transmits messages to the next neuron/cell

Question 6

neurotransmitter

Answer 6

chemicals that cross the synaptic gap to allow communication from a neuron to a target cell

Question 7

glutamate

Answer 7

• excitatory neurotransmitter
• makes post-synaptic neurons more likely to start an action potential
• an important role in learning and memory

Question 8

GABA

Answer 8

• inhibitory neurotransmitter
• makes post-synaptic neurons less likely to start an action potential
• an important role in regulating anxiety

Question 9

Acetylcholine

Answer 9

• found in the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system
  -it is a key neurotransmitter used to cause muscles contraction (in voluntary and involuntary muscles)
• plays an important role in learning, memory and REM sleep)

Question 10

epinephrine (adrenaline)

Answer 10

released in the brain as part of the stress response, regulation of anxiety, fear and emotional arousal
- also released by the adrenal glands and carries around the blood to increase heart rate, breathing and blood pressure

Question 11

norepinephrine (noradrenaline)

Answer 11

similar to epinephrine, plays an important role in the stress response, increasing alertness and arousal
- increases blood pressure and releases glucose into the bloodstream, readying the body for action
-norepinephrine also regulates moods and our ability to concentrate

Question 12

dopamine

Answer 12

• involved in thoughts, feeling, motivation and behaviour
• dopamine helps control the brains reward and pleasure centres
• it also plays a key role in addictive behaviours (including drug use)

Question 13

serotonin

Answer 13

• helps regulate mood, eating, arousal and pain
• also part of the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle and our internal body clock
• decreased serotonin levels in the brain have been linked to depression

Question 14

Alzheimer’s disease

Answer 14

a disease that progressively destroys neurons in the brain, causing memory loss. cell loss in the cortex of the brain (which usually happens in old age)
-its a tangle in the fibres

Question 15

axon

Answer 15

the part of the neuron along which the electrochemical nerve impulse is transmitted

Question 16

excitatory synapses

Answer 16

causes the target cell to become excited and more likely to fire and cause an action potential

Question 17

inhibitory synapses

Answer 17

cause the target cell to become inhibited and less likely to fire and cause an action potential

Question 18

myelin

Answer 18

a white fatty substance that coats some axons and insulates them, protecting them from electrical interference from the neurons

Question 19

Parkinson’s disease

Answer 19

a progressive neurological condition, known to affect the control of movement
Parkinsons = dopamine

Question 20

postsynaptic neuron

Answer 20

a neuron that receives information from another neuron

Question 21

presynaptic neuron

Answer 21

a neuron that transmits information to another neuron

Question 22

soma

Answer 22

largest part of a neuron: it controls the metabolism and maintenance of the neuron

Question 23

synaptic transmission

Answer 23

the process of neurons sending information to each other via neurontransmitters