L11 - Neurons Flashcards
What are the components of a neuron?
Cell body –> contains the nucleus
Dendrites –> branches that carry the info from other neurones
Axon –> branch that carries info to other neurones
What is action potential?
a neural impulse travelling down the axon to the axon terminal buttons
What’s myelin?
fatty substance speeding up conduction
How does communication between neurones happen?
Through synapses + neurotransmitters
What is a synapse?
gap where neurotransmitters are released from the presynaptic neurone to affect the postsynaptic neurone
What’s a neurotransmitters?
chemical signals that bing to receptors in the postsynaptic neurone, creating synaptic potential
what’s grey matter made from?
composed of neuronal cell bodies
what’s white matter made up of?
consists of myelinated axons and support cells
what are ventricles?
hollow chambers containing cerebrospinal fluid
what’s the structure of cerebral cortex?
2 folded sheets of grey matter with raised folds (gyri) and buried grooves (sulci)
organised into layers with different cell types
divided into 2 hemispheres and 4 lobes
what’s the basal ganglia used for + what components is it made from?
involved in motor activity + skill learning
made from caudate nucleus, putamen + globus pallidus
what’s the limbic system used for + what components is it made from?
relates to the past + present experiences and emotional responses
Amygdala (fear response), cingulate gyrus (emotion and cognition), hippocampus (learning and memory), mammillary bodies (memory).
what’s the diencephalon made from?
thalamus
hypothalamus
what does the thalamus do?
relay centre for sensory info
what does the hypothalamus do?
regulates homeostasis (temp, hunger, thirst, endocrine functions)
