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Fundamentals of neuroscience > Neurones (cells of NS) > Flashcards

Neurones (cells of NS) Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 2 main cell types that the brain is made up of?

A
  • Neurones = cell to cell communication (x10^11)
  • Glia = homeostasis (x10^12)
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2
Q

What are 2 problems that occured when discovering the neurone?

A

They are VERY small!
- Typical brian cell = 10-50um
- Need a microscope

Need thin brain slices from a ‘squidy brain’
- Need to know how to fix and cut tissue

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3
Q

How was the neurone discovered?

A

1740 = Emanual Swedenborg, first description of the neurone

1873 = Camillio Golgi, Goli stain revealed neurones of the brain

1888 = Ramon Y Cajal, used Golgi stain to study circuitry of many brain regions

1891 = Vilhelm von Waldeyer, coined the term ‘neurone’

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4
Q

What was the two theories proposed to explaine neurones?

A
  • Reticular theory
  • Neurone doctrine
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5
Q

What was the Reticular theory?

A
  • Golgi
  • NS made up of a single continuous syncytium of neurones
  • Communicate via continuity

Was wrong

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6
Q

What was the Neurone doctrine?

A
  • Cajal
  • NS made up of individual neurones seperated by small gaps
  • Communicate via contact

Was right

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7
Q

Summary 1:

A
  • NS made up of neurones and glia
  • Golgi and Cajal attributed to understnading the structure of the NS
  • These cells are individual entities (neuron doctrine)
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8
Q

What are the main parts of the neurone body?

A
  • Cell body
  • Dendrites
  • Axon (may be myelinated)
  • Axon terminals
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9
Q

What is the role of a neurone?

A

Receive, process and transmit electrical signals from one part of the NS to another

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10
Q

What channels are found in the neuronal membrane?

A
  • Na+ (into the cell)
  • K+ (going out of cell)

These help to maintain a gradient

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11
Q

What are the key parts found the in cell body (soma) of a neurone?

A
  • RER
  • Ribsomes
  • Mitochondrion
  • Nucleus
  • Golgi apparatus
  • SER

Contains everything the cell needs

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12
Q

What happens in the nucleus found in the soma?

A

RNA exported out of nucleus, goes to RER to gold apparatus & sent to areas in the neurone

(Transcription)

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13
Q

What is the RER an important store of?

A

Na+

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14
Q

How (in basic terms) can the neurone be excited?

A

G proteins in membrane binds to gluatamte which allows Ca+ channels to open to trigger excitation

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15
Q

Why is it important that there are mitochondria in neurones?

A

Neurones use glucose as main source of energy

They transfer glucose to pyruvate - in the cell this only produces 2 ATP

So using mitochondria they can perform krebs cycle to produce 36ATP

Important for cellular respiration

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16
Q

What are the 3 tubes that amke up the cytoskeleton?

A
  • Microtubule (20nm)
  • Neurofilament (10nm)
  • Microfilament (5nm)

These are constantly being broken down & rebuilt

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17
Q

What are the microtubules associated with?

A

Alzheimers

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18
Q

What is microfilament made up of?

A

Individual atoms (actin molecules)

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19
Q

How long is the longest axon in the human body?

A

1m long

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20
Q

What is the role of axons?

A

Action potential propagation

Can be myelinated or unmelinated

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21
Q

What order do potentials travel down the axon?

A

Axon hillock > axon proper > axon terminal

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22
Q

What are the two directions of axonal travel?

A
  • Anterograde
  • Retrograde
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23
Q

Can the axon synthesise proteins?

A

No protein synthesis can occur here

Must be made in the cell body & ttransported by the cytoskeleton

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24
Q

What direction of axonal travel in Anterograde?

A

Foward along the axon

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25
What direction of travel is Retrograde?
Back along the axon to the cell body
26
What is a node or ranvier?
Gaps in the myelin sheath which APs "jump" between
27
What are the stages in creatin an AP and what channels are open during these?
- Resting potential = Na+/K+ pump - Depolarisation = Voltage gated Na+ channel - Repolarisation = voltage gated K+ channel - Resting potential = Na+/K+ pump
28
When does depolarisation happen?
When the threshold of 55mV is reached Causes voltage gated Na+ channels to open & an influx of ions to make membrane potential more +ive
29
What is the axon terminal?
This is where the synapse is, synaptic vesicles carry NTs across the gap In presynaptic --> postsynaptic direction
30
What are dendrites?
Branch off the neurone to pick up signals around the area - work like antenna Form synapses to transfer info
31
What is convergence?
Incoming signals from lots of presynaptic neurone (terminal)
32
Where is AP initiated?
In the axon hillock as the result of synaptic input at the dendrites
33
Where does the AP travel along?
Along the axon terminal which synapses with the dendrites of the next neurone
34
What happens when the AP reaches the axon terminal?
- This triggers synaptic activity in the form of NT release from the presynaptic neurone - The NTs bind to receptors on the postsynaptic neurone triggering the generation of an AP
35
What is convergence?
Multiple axon terminals synapse with the dendrites of just one postsynaptic neurone They "converge" onto one neurone
36
What is divergence?
One presynaptic neurone branches off and its axon terminals synapse with numerous other postsynaptic neurones One neurone "diverges" off to many others
37
What is the role of the membrane in a neurone?
- Encase the neurone - expresses specific proteins in specific locations
38
What is the role of the soma?
The "house keeper" it is the cell body
39
What is the role of the endoplasmic reticulum?
- RER and ribosomes = translation - SER = protein folding - Calcium stores
40
What is the role of the Golgi apparatus?
- Post translational modifications - Protein packaging
41
What is the role of the cytoskeleton?
- Cell structure - Protein transport
42
What is the role of the axon?
AP propagration
43
What is the role of the axon terminal?
Presynaptic NT release
44
What is the role of the dendrites?
Postsynaptic input
45
What are the 4 main ways to classify a neurone?
- Axonal projection - Dendritic pattern - Number of processors - Based on connections
46
What are the 2 types of axonal projection?
- Goes to a distant brain area - Stays in local brain area
47
For a neurone wich goes to a distant brain area do the following: - Give an example - Its funtional implication - Describe it's structure
- Projection neurone or principal neuron or Golgi type I cell (corticla motor neurone) - Affects different brain areas - Long postsynaptic axon (dorsal root ganglion cell)
48
For a neurone wich stays in a local brain area do the following: - Give an example - Its funtional implication - Describe it's structure
- Intrinsic neurone or interneurone or Golgi type II cell (cortical inhibitory neurone) - Affects only nearby neurones - Pre and postsynaptic axons are similar in length - pretty short (retinal bipolar cell)
49
What are the 2 types of dendritic patterns axons can have?
- Pyramid shaped spread of dendrites - Radial-shaped dpread of dendrites
50
For a pyramid-shaped dendrite spread, do the following: - Give an example - Its funtional implication - Describe it's structure
- Pyramid cell (hippocampal pyramidal neurone) - Large area for receiving synaptic input --> determines pattern of incoming axons that can interact with the cell - Most dendrites collected around the cell with one longer extended one
51
For a radial-shaped spread of dendrites do the following: - Give an example - Its funtional implication - Describe it's structure
- Stellate cell (cortical stellate cell) - Large area for receiving synaptic input: determines pattern of incoming axons that can interact with the cell (i.e. star shaped) - Dendrites project directly off the cell, they are all equally long and in a star like shape
52
What are the different numbers of processers a neurone can have?
- One processor exits the cell body - Two processors exit the cell body - Many processors exit the cell body
53
For a neurone with on processor, do the following: - Give an example - Its funtional implication - Describe it's structure
- Unipolar neurone (dorsal root ganglion cell) - Small area for receiving synaptic input: highly specialised function - One straight line of axon with the some coming off of it - only allows for one process
54
For a neurone with two processors, do the following: - Give an example - Its funtional implication - Describe it's structure
- Bipolar neurone (retinal bipolar cell) - Small area for recieiving synaptic input: highly specialised function - Axon comes off either end of the soma - allows for two processes to happen
55
For a neurone with many processors, do the following: - Give an example - Its funtional implication - Describe it's structure
- Multipolar neurone (spinal motor neurone) - Large areas for recieving synaptic input: determines the pattern of incoming axons that cna interact with the cell - Many dendrites coming off from all over the cell
56
What are the 3 different things neurones can synapse with?
- With muscles (motor) - With other neurones (interneurones) - Recieve info from sensory surfaces of the body e.g. skin and retina (sensory)
57
For a neurone which synapses with muscles do the following: - Give an example - Its funtional implication
- Motor neurones e.g. spinal motor neurones - Transmit motor signals from the CNS to the periphery to cause movement
58
For a neurone which synapses with other neurones do the following: - Give an example - Its funtional implication
- Interneurones e.g. cortical stellate cells & spinal interneurones - Enable communication between sensory & motor neurones
59
For a neurone which recieves info from sensory skin surfaces on the body (e.g. skin & retina) do the following: - Give an example - Its funtional implication
- Primary sensory neurones e.g. dorsal root ganglion neurone - Transmission of sensory info e.g. temp from the periphary to the CNS
60
What is a myotatic reflex?
Reflex stimulates the spinal cord, the motor neurones go to the extensor muscle

Fundamentals of neuroscience (38 decks)

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