Chapter 3 Vocab

Question 1

cell body (soma)

Answer 1

Core region of the cell containing the nucleus and other organelles for making proteins

Question 2

dendrite

Answer 2

Branching extension of a neuron’s cell membrane that greatly increases the surface area of the cell and collects information from other cells.

Question 3

axon

Answer 3

“Root,” or single fiber, of a neuron that carries messages to other neurons

Question 4

dendritic spine

Answer 4

Protrusion from a dendrite that greatly increases the dendrite’s surface area and is the usual point of dendritic contact with the axons of other cells.

Question 5

axon hillock

Answer 5

Juncture of soma and axon where the action potential begins,

Question 6

axon collateral

Answer 6

Brach of an axon.

Question 7

terminal button (end foot)

Answer 7

Knob at the tip of an axon that conveys information to other neurons.

Question 8

synapse

Answer 8

Junction between one neuron and another that forms the information-transfer site between neurons

Question 9

sensory neuron

Answer 9

Neuron that carries incoming information from sensory receptors into the spinal cord and brain.

Question 10

interneuron

Answer 10

Association neuron interposed between a sensory neuron and a motor neuron; thus, in mammals. interneurons constitute most of the neurons of the brain.

Question 11

motor neuron

Answer 11

Neuron that carries information from the brain and spinal cord to make muscles contract.

Question 12

bipolar neuron

Answer 12

Sensory neuron with one axon and one dendrite.

Question 13

pyramidal cell

Answer 13

Distinctive interneuron found in the cerebral cortex.

Question 14

Purkinje cell

Answer 14

Distinctive interneuron found in the cerebellum

Question 15

tumor

Answer 15

Mass of the new tissue that grows uncontrolled and independent of surrounding structures.

Question 16

glial cell

Answer 16

Nervous-system cell that provides insulation, nutrients, and support and that aids in repairing neurons and eliminating waste products.

Question 17

ependymal cell

Answer 17

Glial cell that makes and secretes cerebrospinal fluid; found on the walls of the ventricles in the brain. “Ependymal cells have one cilia (a hair-like structure) and they all beat in synchrony to circulate cerebrospinal fluid throughout the ventricles.”

Question 18

astrocyte

Answer 18

Star-shaped glial cell that provides structural support to neurons in the central nervous system and transports substances between neurons and blood vessels. The stuff in the skull is about half neurons, about 48% astrocytes, and 2% other types of cells”

Question 19

blood-brain barrier

Answer 19

Tight junctions between the cells that compose blood vessels in the brain, providing a barrier to the entry of an array of substances, including toxins, into the brain.

Question 20

microglia

Answer 20

Glial cells that originate in the blood, aid in cell repair, and scavenge debris in the nervous system “The brain’s immune system”

Question 21

myelin

Answer 21

Glial coating that surrounds axons in the central and peripheral nervous systems; prevents adjacent neurons from short-circuiting.

Question 22

oligodendroglia

Answer 22

Glial cells in the central nervous system that myelinate axons.

Question 23

Schwann cell

Answer 23

Glial cell in the peripheral nervous system that myelinates sensory and motor axons.

Question 24

multiple sclerosis (MS)

Answer 24

Nervous-system disorder that results from the loss of myelin (glial-cell covering) around neurons.

Question 25

paralysis

Answer 25

Loss of sensation and movement due to nervous-system injury.

Question 26

Phospholipid formations

Answer 26

Question 27

Information flow in neurons

Answer 27

Question 28

What is the “central dogma” of molecular biology?

Answer 28

DNA -> RNA -> Protein

Question 29

Basic Neuron Anatomy

Answer 29

Question 30

Impermeable membrane

Answer 30

Question 31

Semi-permeable membrane

Answer 31

Question 32

Astrocyte supporting the synapse

Answer 32

Question 33

Information flow in neurons

Answer 33

dendrites receive, soma/hillock integrate, axon hillock initiates action potential, axon transmits

Question 34

Neural computation is a balance of ______ and ______

Answer 34

excitation and inhibition