Chapter 3- Nervous System Flashcards
What did Golgi discover?
That the nervous system is composed of a network of interconnected fibers, but discrete cells ( Cajal).
Cells have the consistency of jelly and are packed tightly together
What is the neuron hypothesis?
That the nervous system is made up of discrete cells
What structure of the neuron gather information from other cells?
The dendrites
What structure of the neuron carries information to other cells?
the Axon.
How many axons can a neuron have
One, but it can have many dendrites
How many neurons does our nervous system contain?
about 86 billion
What is a dendritic spine?
a protrusion from a dendrite that increases its surface area
it is the usual point of contact of axons of other cells
What is the axon hillock?
Juncture of soma and axon, where the action potential begins
Where does an action potential begin?
Axon hillock
What is an axon collateral?
branch of an axon
What are teleodendria?
end branches of an axon
What is a terminal button?
knob a the tip of an axon that conveys information to other neurons; also called an end foot
What is a synapse ?
gap between one neuron and another neuron
usually between an end foot of the axon and a dendritic spine of another neuron
what is the information flow in a neuron?
dendrite–cell body– axon–end foot
What are the three functions of neurons?
sensory, motor and interneurons ( association)
