neurones and synaptic transmissions

Question 1

what is synaptic transmission

Answer 1

*Synaptic transmission is a method of
neurons communicating with each other,
relaying information to the CNS across
sensory neurons and carrying out
responses dictated by the brain through
sending information to effectors via
motor neurons.

Question 2

what is action potential

Answer 2

action potential occurs when a neurone sends information down an axon from the cell body.
This action potential is an explosion of electrical activity-this means that some event (a stimulus) causes he resting potential to move forward

Question 3

what are the two neurone states

Answer 3

resting state and activated state

Question 4

what is the resting state

Answer 4

the inside is negatively charged compared to the outside

Question 5

what is the activated state

Answer 5

the inside is positively charged causing action potential

Question 6

what are neurotransmitters

Answer 6

chemicals that are released from a synaptic vesicle into the synapses by neurons.
They affect the transfer of an impulse to another nerve or muscle
These neurotransmitters are taken back up into the terminal buttons of neurons through the process of reuptake
or they are broken down by an enzyme

Question 7

excitation and inhibition

Answer 7

synaptic connection can be excitatory or inhibitory-the difference lies in the action of the neurotransmitter at the postsynaptic receptor
Excitory-make it more likely the next neuron will fire (such as acetylcholine)
inhibitory-they make it less likely the next neuron will fire (such as GABA)

Question 8

describe the structure and role of a neurone

Answer 8

Neurons enable communication within the nervous system
* the cell body (soma) contains the genetic material
* branch-like dendrites extend from the cell body (often with dendritic spines)
* dendrites carry functional information towards the cell body
* dendrites can receive information from other neurons
* axons carry messages away from the cell body
* axons can be myelinated to increase speed of nerve transmission (saltatory conduction between
nodes of Ranvier)
* terminal boutons are at the end of axons, these make synaptic connections with other cells
* axon terminals contain neurotransmitters.

Question 9

Outline the difference in function between Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area

Answer 9

• Broca’s area is responsible for speech production whereas Wernicke’s area is responsible for
  language comprehension
• Boca’s area enables speech to be fluent whereas Wernicke’s area enables speech to be meaningful