Module 1.2

Question 1

Who is Santiago Ramon y Cajal?

Answer 1

A Spanish investigator that was the first to demonstrate that the cells individual cells compromising the nervous system remained separate

Question 2

What are the Five Structures of an Animal Cell?

Answer 2

Membrane, Nucleus, Mitochondria, Ribosomes, and Endoplasmic Reticulum

Question 3

What’s the cells membrane?

Answer 3

Separates the inside of the cell from the outside and has selective permeability

Question 4

What’s the nucleus?

Answer 4

Contains chromsomes

Question 5

What’s the mitochondria?

Answer 5

Performs metabolic activity to give the cell energy, not all mitochondrias are the same, and has their own genes separate from the nucleus

Question 6

What are ribosomes?

Answer 6

Sites that synthesize new protein molecules

Question 7

What is the endoplasmic reticulum?

Answer 7

Network of tubes that transport the newly synthesized protein to their locations

Question 8

Why is the mitochondria important for the brain?

Answer 8

The brain is dependent on mitochondrial activity and is linked to depression and other disorders if the activity decreases

Question 9

What are the four structures of a neuron?

Answer 9

Soma, dendrites, axon, and myelin sheath

Question 10

What do all neurons contain?

Answer 10

A cell body (soma)

Question 11

What’s a motor neuron?

Answer 11

Soma is in the spinal cord, receives excitations from other neurons, and controls muscles or glands for movement

Question 12

What’s a sensory neuron?

Answer 12

Specialized in one end to be highly sensitive to a particular type of stimulation

Question 13

What are dendrites?

Answer 13

Branching fibers that get narrower towards the end, lined with synaptic receptors, and have dendritic spines that increase synapses

Question 14

What is the soma?

Answer 14

The cell body that contains nucleus, ribosomes, mitochondria, and is covered with synapses

Question 15

What is the axon?

Answer 15

A thin fiber of constant diameter that convey an impulse to other neurons, organs, or a muscle, can be a meter long, and has the presynaptic terminal at the end

Question 16

What is the myelin sheath?

Answer 16

an insulating material that covers axons with interruptions of nodes of Ranvier

Question 17

What’s the difference between afferent neurons and efferent axons?

Answer 17

Afferent axons bring information and efferent axons carry away information

Question 18

What are interneurons or intrinsic neurons?

Answer 18

Neurons that have dendrites and axons contained within a single structure

Question 19

What is an astrocyte?

Answer 19

A glia cell that is star shaped and provides many functions. It help synchronizes the activity of the axon and generates rhythms in the body. Responsible for dilating blood vessels

Question 20

What is the tripartite synapse?

Answer 20

A popular hypothesis, the tip of the axon releases chemicals that cause the neighboring astrocyte to release its own chemicals, thus modifying the messages to the next neuron

Question 21

What are microglia?

Answer 21

Tiny glia cells that remove waste material and prune and manage ineffective synapses

Question 22

What are oligodendrocytes and schwann cells?

Answer 22

Glia cells that build the myelin sheath that surrounds and insulates certain vertebrate axons, supply axon with nutrients for proper functioning, and oligodendrocytes alter the myelin sheath due to neural activity which alters the timing of axon responses

Question 23

What is the radial glia?

Answer 23

Guides the migration of neurons and the growth of their axons and dendrites during embryonic development

Question 24

What is the blood-brain barrier?

Answer 24

A mechanism that surrounds the brain and blocks most chemicals from entering

Question 25

What is passive transport?

Answer 25

Chemicals that can freely transport through the barrier. Water, sodium, potassium, and chloride.

Question 26

What is active transport?

Answer 26

Protein-mediated process that expends energy to pump chemicals from the blood into the brain. Glucose, certain hormones, amino acids, and a few vitamins are brought via active transport.

Question 27

What issues does that blood-brain barrier have?

Answer 27

It can prevent beneficial chemicals from crossing the barrier such as chemotherapy.

Question 28

What do vertebrate neurons depend on?

Answer 28

Glucose

Question 29

What do neurons need a steady supply of?

Answer 29

Oxygen

Question 30

What vitamin does the body need to use glucose?

Answer 30

Vitamin B1 or thiamine

Question 31

What are gut bacteria?

Answer 31

Guest in the body as they’re not genetic. Stimulates vagus nerve (from the intestines to the brain)
Releases chemicals that cross the lining of intestines and enter the blood (includes vitamins and amino acids, but also chemicals that cause inflammation
These chemicals release from bacteria can affect mood and motivations
Stress increases the type of bacteria that causes inflammation and mitochondrial damage

Question 32

What type of bacteria might people with depression have more of?

Answer 32

Gut bacteria