Chapter 0: Foundations of Biopsychology - Cells of the Nervous System Flashcards

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1
Q

The nervous system is made up of two (2) types of cells, which are?

A
  1. Neurons
  2. Glia
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2
Q

Is specialized to carry out the functions of information processing and communication.

A

Neuron.

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3
Q

Cells in the nervous system that support the activities of neurons.

A

Glia.

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4
Q

A small structure within a cell that carries out a specific function.

A

Organelle.

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5
Q

The main mass of a neuron, containing the nucleus and many organelles.

A

Cell body / soma.

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6
Q

The branch of a neuron usually responsible for carrying signals to other neurons.

A

Axon.

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7
Q

The branch of a neuron that generally receives information from other neurons.

A

Dendrite.

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8
Q

Its primary task is to form a boundary between the cell and its external environment.

A

Neuron membrane (cell membrane).

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9
Q

Separates the intracellular fluid of the cell’s interior from the extracellular fluid surrounding the neutron.

A

Neural membrane.

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10
Q

Neural membranes consist of?

A

Double layers of phospholipid molecules.

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11
Q

Embedded within the lipid layers are ________ that serve as ion channels and ion pumps.

A

Proteins.

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12
Q

A protein structure embedded in a cell membrane that allows ions to pass without the use of additional energy.

A

Ion channel.

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13
Q

A protein structure embedded in a cell membrane that uses energy to move ions across the membrane.

A

Ion pump.

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14
Q

These open and close in response to the electrical status of adjacent areas of membrane.

A

Voltage-dependent channels.

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15
Q

An ion channel in the neural membrane that responds to chemical messengers.

A

Ligand-gated channel.

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16
Q

An ion pump that uses energy to transfer three (3) sodium ions to the extracellular fluid for every two potassium ions retrieved from the extracellular fluid.

A

Sodium-potassium pump.

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17
Q

A protein structure embedded in the neural membrane that uses energy to move calcium ions out of the cell.

A

Calcium pump.

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18
Q

These help to maintain the differences in chemical composition between the intracellular and extracellular fluids.

A

Sodium-potassium and calcium pumps.

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19
Q

The structural support that maintains the shape of the neuron is provided by the?

A

Cytoskeleton.

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20
Q

The largest fiber in the cell cytoskeleton, responsible for the transport of neurotransmitters and other products to and from the cell body.

A

Microtubule.

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21
Q

These run parallel to the length of the axon and provide structural support.

A

Neurofilaments.

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22
Q

The smallest fiber found in the cell cytoskeleton that may participate in the changing of the length and shape of axons and dendrites.

A

Microfilament.

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23
Q

The substructure within a cell body that contains the cell’s DNA.

A

Nucleus.

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24
Q

An organelle in the cell body involved with protein synthesis.

A

Ribosome.

25
Q

An organelle in the cell body that participates in protein synthesis.

A

Endoplasmic reticulum.

26
Q

An organelle in the cell body that packages protein in vesicles.

A

Golgi apparatus.

27
Q

Organelles that provide energy to the cell.

A

Mitochondria.

28
Q

These produce and assemble the cell’s ribosomes.

A

Nucleolus.

29
Q

Specialized for the generation of action potentials.

A

Axon hillock.

30
Q

The fatty insulating material covering some axons that boosts the speed and efficiency of electrical signaling.

A

Myelin.

31
Q

The uncovered section of axon membrane between two adjacent segments of myelin.

A

Node of Ranvier.

32
Q

One of the branches near the end of the axon closest to its targets.

A

Collateral.

33
Q

The swelling at the tip of an axon collateral specialized for the release of neurotransmitter substances.

A

Axon terminal.

34
Q

A neuron with one branch that extends a short distance from the cell body then splits into two branches.

A

Unipolar neuron.

35
Q

A neuron with two branches: one axon and one dendrite.

A

Bipolar neuron.

36
Q

A neuron that has multiple branches, usually one axon and numerous dendrites.

A

Multipolar neuron.

37
Q

The largest varieties of glial cells.

A

Macroglia.

38
Q

The smaller varieties of glial cells.

A

Microglia.

39
Q

A type of glial cell found in the central nervous system whose functions include providing structural and nutritional support for neurons, isolation of the synapse, debris cleanup, blood-brain barrier, and participation in chemical signaling.

A

Astrocyte.

40
Q

A type of glial cell found in the central nervous system whose function is for the myelination of axons.

A

Oligodendrocyte.

41
Q

A type of glial cell found in the peripheral nervous system whose function is for the myelination of axons

A

Schwann cell.

42
Q

A type of glial cell found in the central nervous system whose function is for debris cleanup.

A

Microglia.

43
Q

This is characterized by a large concentrations of sodium and chloride ions and a relatively small concentration of potassium ions.

A

Extracellular fluid.

44
Q

The measurement of the electrical charge across the neural membrane when the cell is not processing information.

A

Resting potential.

45
Q

The force that moves molecules from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration (also through electrical force).

A

Diffusion.

46
Q

The threshold for action potential is equal to?

A

-65mV

47
Q

The human brain contains about what number of neurons?

A

100 billion.

48
Q

The average neuron forms about how many synapses?

A

1000.

49
Q

A type of synapse in which messages are transmitted from one neuron to another by chemical neurotransmitters.

A

Chemical synapse.

50
Q

A type of synapse in which a neuron directly affects an adjacent neuron through the movement of ions from one cell to the other.

A

Electrical synapse.

51
Q

The width of the synaptic gap in an electrical synapse is equal to?

A

3.5mm.

52
Q

The width of the synaptic gap in a chemical synapse is equal to?

A

20mm.

53
Q

The type of message that can travel across an electrical synapse.

A

Excitatory only.

54
Q

The type of message that can travel across a chemical synapse.

A

Excitatory or inhibitory.

55
Q

The process in which vesicles fuse with the membrane of the axon terminal and release neurotransmitter molecules into the synaptic gap.

A

Exocytosis.

56
Q

A special protein structure embedded in neural membrane that responds to chemical messengers.

A

Receptor site.

57
Q

Three (3) methods for deactivating neurotransmitters.

A
  1. Diffusion away from the synapse
  2. Through the action of special enzymes
  3. Through reuptake
58
Q

The presynaptic membrane uses its own set of receptors known as ____________ to recapture molecules of neurotransmitter substance and return them to the interior of the axon terminal.

A

Transporters.