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PS1005 > Neuron (I): Basic structure and the action potential > Flashcards

Neuron (I): Basic structure and the action potential Flashcards

1
Q

What is the central nervous system made up of?

A

Brain and spinal cord

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2
Q

What is the peripheral nervous system made up of?

A

Nerves all around your body

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3
Q

What are neurons? and what do they do?

A

Receive and transmit information in electrochemical form

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4
Q

How many neurons are in the human brain?

A

100 billion

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5
Q

What are glial cells? and what do they do?

A

They support neurons in function, for example provide structure, nutrition, cleaning etc.

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6
Q

What is the cell body of the neuron?

A

Metabolic brain of the cell, also known as soma. The cell body contains genetic information, maintains the neuron’s structure, and provides energy to drive activities.

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7
Q

What is the dendrites of the neuron?

A

Receives information from other neurons.
The surface is lined with synaptic receptors responsible for bringing information into neuron. Some dendrites contain dendrite spines: These branch out and increase the surface area of the dendrite. With more surface area it can receive more information.

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8
Q

What is the axon of the neuron?

A

An information sending pole where electrical impulses from the neuron travel away to be received by other neurons.
Thin fibre of neuron responsible for transmitting nerve impulses toward other neurons, organs, or muscles.

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9
Q

What is the axon terminals of the neuron?

A

These are the end points of the axon where release of chemicals to communicate with other neurons occurs.

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10
Q

What consists in the cell body?

A

Membrane: 2 layers of phospholipid molecules. Uncharged ions (h2o, co2, o2) can pass through.
Protein channels: Charged ions (NA+, K+, Cl+) pass through.
Nucleus: Contains DNA
Mitochondria/metabolism: This provides energy to the neuron. It needs fuel and oxygen.
Ribosomes: Synthesise new proteins.
Endoplasmic reticulum: Transports proteins to other cell locations.

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11
Q

What is the myelin sheath?

A

An insulating material that covers some neurons. If there are interruptions in the sheath, this is known as nodes of ranvier.

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12
Q

What is a multipolar neuron?

A

A type of neuron that possesses many dendrites and a single axon.

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13
Q

What is a bipolar neuron?

A

A type of neuron that has a single dendrite at one end and a single axon at the other end.
Many bipolar cells are specialized sensory neurons for the transmission of sense. As such, they are part of the sensory pathways for smell, sight, taste, hearing, touch, balance and proprioception.

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14
Q

What is a monopolar neuron?

A

A single branch extending in 2 directions with a soma (cell body) in the middle. One end is the receptive pole, and the other is the output zone. They transmit touch information from the body surface to the spinal cord.

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15
Q

What is afferent?

A

Information coming into the structure (CNS/PNS)

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16
Q

What is efferent?

A

Information that gets sent out of the structure (CNS/PNS)

17
Q

What are interneurons?

A

Interneurons are the central nodes of neural circuits, enabling communication between sensory or motor neurons and the CNS. They play vital roles in reflexes, neuronal oscillations, and neurogenesis in the adult mammalian brain.

18
Q

What are receptor/sensory neurons?

A

(Afferent) (skin to CNS)
They receive sensory input, convert it to electrical impulse and transmit it to other cells. Specialised to be highly sensitive to a particular type of stimulation, for example, touch, light, sound etc.

19
Q

What are motor neurons?

A

(Efferent) (CNS to muscle)
It sends impulses to muscles or glands.

20
Q

What are the names of the glial cells?

A

Astrocytes
Microglia
Oligodendrocytes
Schwann cells
Radial glia

21
Q

What are astrocytes?

A

(Astro = stars = big)
These are the biggest glial cells. They wrap around blood vessels and cell bodies. They remove waste material created when neurons die, synapse formation.

22
Q

What are microglia cells?

A

(Micro = small)
Smallest glial cells which are the resident immune cells of the brain and constantly patrol the cerebral microenvironment to respond to pathogens and damage. Protecting the brain from microorganisms.

23
Q

What are oligodendrocytes?

A

The myelinating cells of the CNS. They are the end product of a cell lineage which has to undergo a complex and precisely timed program of proliferation, migration, differentiation, and myelination to finally produce the insulating sheath of axons.

24
Q

What are Schwann cells?

A

They surround neurons, keeping them alive and sometimes covering them with a myelin sheath, and are the major glial cell type in the peripheral nervous system. They play essential roles in the development, maintenance, function, and regeneration of peripheral nerves.

25
Q

What are radial cells?

A

These guide migration of neurons and growth of their axons and dendrites during embryonic development.

26
Q

What are nerve impulses?

A

They are electrical messages transmitted down an axon.

27
Q

What is resting potential?

A

The resting membrane potential of a neuron is about -70 mV (mV=millivolt). This means that the inside of the neuron is 70 mV less than the outside. At rest, there are relatively more sodium ions outside the neuron and more potassium ions inside that neuron.

28
Q

What is polarisation?

A

The difference in electrical charge inside and outside of the cell.

29
Q

How much is sodium inside and outside the cell?

A

Many outside the cell and only a few inside the cell.

30
Q

How much is potassium inside and outside the cell?

A

A few outside the cell and many inside the cell.

31
Q

How much is chlorine inside and outside the cell?

A

Many outside the cell and a few inside the cell.

32
Q

How much is protein inside and outside the cell?

A

A few outside the cell and many inside the cell.

33
Q

What is hyperpolarization?

A

Increasing polarization

34
Q

What is depolarization?

A

Decreasing polarisation towards no polarity.

PS1005 (3 decks)

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