Nervous System Flashcards
What are the parts of neurons?
Dendrites, soma, axon, myelin sheath, terminal buttons, and synapse
What is the soma?
Cell body
What is the axon?
Transmitting end, transmits electrical pulses to other neurons
What are dendrites?
Receiving end, receives incoming messages from other neurons
What is myeline sheath?
a fatty substance surrounding the axon that makes the nerve impulses travel faster and more efficiently
What are terminal buttons?
The little knobs at the end of the axon that contains tiny sacs of neurotransmitters
What is the synapse?
The space between an axon and an adjacent neuron, where information is transmitted from one neuron to another
How is an action potential generated?
1, Starts at resting potential (-70 mV)
2. A signal from another neuron comes (triggers at -55 mV)
3. Depolarization - voltage change (50 mV)
- Sodium channels open causing the inside of the cell to become positive
4. Repolarization /hyperpolarization
- Potassium channels open causing too much potassium to leave the inside of the cell (overshoots)
5. Back to resting potential
- The sodium and potassium pump turns back on to restore resting potential
What is a neurotransmitter?
A chemical messenger that carries signals between neurons, muscles, and glands
How is communication between neurons accomplished?
The action potential causes the terminal buttons to release neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft to fuse to the next neuron
What are the 6 basic neurotransmitters?
Acetylcholine, dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, GABA, and glutamate
What does acetylcholine do?
Learning and memory, motor movements
What does dopamine do?
Sensations and pleasure, voluntary movement
What does serotonin do?
Regulation of mood, control dreaming
What does norepinephrine do?
control of voluntary reponses