Neurons

Question 1

Neurons

Answer 1

they are cells that are specialised to transmit information using electrical and chemical signals, throughout our whole body. There are three different types of neurons: relay, sensory and motor neurons

Question 2

Relay Neurons

Answer 2

Relay neurons are responsible for connecting sensory and motor neurons, as well as other relay neurons. Relay neurons have small dendrites and small axons.

Question 3

Sensory Neurons

Answer 3

Sensory neurons are responsible for communicating information from the peripheral nervous system and central nervous system. Sensory neurons have long dendrites and small axons.

Question 4

Motor Neurons

Answer 4

Motor neurons are responsible for connecting the central nervous system and the effectors (muscle and glands). Motor neurons have small dendrites and long axons.

Question 5

How does information go from stimulus to bringing out a response?

Answer 5

Firstly, there is a stimulus such as touching a hot object. This will activate the pain receptors and it will be activities by the sensory receptor. Then, the sensory receptor will send the message to the relay neuron which will then alert the motor pathways. Because the motor pathway has effectors which are like muscles and glands, it is able to provide a muscle response such as removing the hand.

Question 6

Structure of a Neuron

Answer 6

Each neuron has a cell body, which contains a nucleus that is responsible for containing genetic information of the cell.

Finally, at the end of the neuron is the axon terminal which communicates with the other neurons across a gap which is known as synapse.

Question 7

Dendrites

Answer 7

Dendrites are like long branches, which are responsible for carrying impulses from neighbouring neurons towards the cell body.

Question 8

Axon

Answer 8

Axon is responsible for carrying impulses away from the cell body and goes down the neuron and towards the axon terminal.

Question 9

Myelin Sheath

Answer 9

If the myelin sheath was continuous then the effect it had of speeding up the transmission process would be the opposite, but there are gaps in the middle called nodes of ranvier which forces the transmission to jump across the gaps in the axon.

Question 10

Electrical Transmission

Answer 10

Neurons communicate through electrical and chemical transmission. Neurons are in a resting state, thus are negatively charged but when it is activated by a stimulus, it becomes positively charged for a second and this causes action potential (neuron is firing). When this occurs, an electrical impulse is created which travels down the axon towards the end of the neuron. When it gets to the end of the terminal buttons, it has to cross the synapse (the gap) and this is where chemical transmission will occur.