M1 - Cellular Structures

Question 1

glial cells - basic definition

Answer 1

cells of the nervous system that do not generate or transmit electrical impulses

Question 2

glial cells - location

Answer 2

located in CNS (white and gray matter) and PNS

Question 3

glial cells - general functions

Answer 3

protect and support nerve cells; maintain homeostasis

Question 4

astrocytes

Answer 4

SUPPORT
glial cells; make up the structural matrix of the brain; they support the neurons of the brain and contain a neural growth factor responsible for brain plasticity

Question 5

oligodendroglia

Answer 5

MYELIN

glial cells; generate and maintain the myelin in the CNS

Question 6

Schwann cells

Answer 6

generate and maintain the myelin in the PNS

Question 7

ependymal

Answer 7

CSF
glial cells;
lines the brain ventricles and the central canal of the spinal cord; involved in the production of cerebral spinal fluid

Question 8

microglia

Answer 8

SCAVENGERS
glial cells;
they find and destroy plaque, damaged or unnecessary neurons, and infectious agents in the CNS

Question 9

neuron

Answer 9

a nervous system cell with special projections (axons and dendrites) that transfers information throughout the body via an electrochemical process (text); receives, conducts, and transmits nerve impulses

Question 10

bouton

Answer 10

(pronounced “button,” AKA “the foot”) located at the end of a neuron’s axons, this is where neurotransmitters are created, packaged, and then released across the synaptic cleft (synapse)

Question 11

axon

Answer 11

part of neuron that conducts information away from the cell body; covered by myelin sheath

Question 12

soma (of neuron)

Answer 12

(cell body) contains the nucleus which houses the RNA and DNA (the control centers), cytoplasm, mitochondria (produce energy for the cell), and the Golgi body (helps maintain viability)

Question 13

myelin sheath

Answer 13

allows information to travel more quickly down the axon; info “hops” to each chunk of myelin; thicker the myelin, faster the impulse travels

Question 14

nodes of Ranvier

Answer 14

breaks in the myelin

Question 15

dendrites

Answer 15

receive information from neighboring neurons; their presence expands the area from which the cell can receive impulses

Question 16

sensory neuron

Answer 16

takes information from outside the body and directs it to the brain

Question 17

afferent

Answer 17

(pronounced “A-ferent”) moving toward the brain

Question 18

motor neurons

Answer 18

conduct information from the brain to the body

Question 19

efferent

Answer 19

(pronounced “E-ferent”) moving out of the brain to the body

Question 20

interneurons

Answer 20

little extension cords that help process and connect other neurons; mostly found in the CNS

Question 21

neurotransmitters

Answer 21

the chemical messenger sent from one neuron to another through the synaptic cleft