Key Words: Neurons Flashcards
Neuron
A nerve cell in the brain
Synapse
A junction/gap between two neurons
Nucleus
This acts like the brain of the cell
Dendrites
Attracted to cell body, receive messages from neuron
Axon
A long, slender projection of a nerve cell
Axon hillock
The specialised part of the cell body that connects to the axon
Myelin sheath
Fatty substance that wraps around nerve fibres and increases the speed of electrical communication between neurons
Nodes of Ranvier
These are gaps in the myelin sheath
Axon terminals
The somewhat enlarged, often club-shaped endings by which axons make synaptic contacts with other nerve cells
Terminal buttons/bulbs
Structures on the end of the axon
Vesicles
Stores neurotransmitters, ready to be released across the synapse
Neurotransmitter
A chemical messenger, travels across synaptic gap between neurons
Pre-synaptic neuron
Before synapse - sends out neurotransmitter
Post-synaptic gap
After synapse - receives neurotransmitter
Receptors
On the post-synaptic neuron, allow or block neurotransmitter
