Chapter 3 Flashcards
What are neurons?
cells in the nervous system that communicate with one another to perform information-processing tasks
What are Golgi-Stained Neurons?
- highlights the appearance of neurons
- Santiago Ramon y Cajal
- nuerons don’t actually touch
- different types of neurons
- each neuron is composed of a body, dendrite, and axon
What is the cell body?
coordinates information-processing tasks and keeps the cell alive
What is Dendrite?
receives information from other neurons and relates it to the cell body
What is the axon?
transmits information to other neurons, muscles, or glands
What is the myelin sheath?
provides insulating layer of fatty material
What are glial cells?
Support cells found in the nervous system
What is a synapse?
The gap between neurons
What are sensory neurons?
Receive information from the outside world and convey info to the brain via the spinal cord
What are motor neurons?
Carry signals from the spinal cord to the muscles to produce movement
What are interneurons?
Connect sensory, motor, and other neurons
What is a Purkinje cell?
Neuron with elaborate treelike assemblage of dendrites
What is a Pyramidal cell?
Neuron with a triangular cell body and a single, long dendrite with may smaller dendrites
What is a Bipolar cell?
Neuron with only one dendrite and a single axon
Together, conduction and transmission are referred to as…
Electrochemical action
What is resting potential?
The difference in electric charge between the inside and outside of a neuron’s cell membrane
What is action potential?
The electric signal that is conducted along a neuron’s axon to a synapse; threshold is reached, all or none
What are breaks in the myelin sheath called?
Nodes of Ranvier; the electric impulse jumps from node to node, speeding the conduction of info down the axon
What does Acetylcholine do (Ach) do?
Voluntary motor control
What does Dopamine (DA) do?
rewarding behaviors
What does Glutamate do?
Speeds up neural communication
What does GABA do?
Slows down neural communication
What does Norepinephrine (NE) do?
Influences mood and arousal
What does Serotonin (5-HT) do?
regulation of sleep and wakefulness
What doe Endorphins do?
Body’s natural pain killers
What are agonists?
Drugs that increase the action of a neurotransmitter (L-dopa for dopamine)
What are antagonists?
Drugs or chemical in opposition of a neurotransmitter