neurons and synaptic transmission

Question 1

sensory neuron

Answer 1

• carry nerve impulses from sensory receptors to the spinal cord and the brain

Question 2

relay neuron

Answer 2

• allows the sensory and motor neurons to communicate with each other
• exist solely in the brain and spinal cord

Question 3

motor neuron

Answer 3

• they connect the central nervous system, to effectors such a muscles and glands

Question 4

action potential

Answer 4

when information is passed down the axon of the neuron as an electrical impulse

Question 5

synaptic vesicle

Answer 5

• contain chemical messengers (neurotransmitters)

Question 6

neurotransmitter

Answer 6

• carry signals across the synaptic cleft
• bind to receptor sites on the post-synaptic cell

Question 7

inhibition

Answer 7

neuron becomes more negatively charged and less likely to fire

Question 8

excitation

Answer 8

neuron becomes more positively charged and is more likely to fire

Question 9

summation

Answer 9

determines how frequently the neuron will fire by the combined effects of excitatory and inhibitory signals

Question 10

what % of neurons are located in the brain

Answer 10

80%

Question 11

how are sensory neurons adapted for their function

Answer 11

long dendrites and axon

Question 12

how are relay neurons adapted for their function

Answer 12

short dendrites
short axons

Question 13

how are motor neurons adapted for their function

Answer 13

short dendrites
long axons

Question 14

synaptic transmission

Answer 14

process where neighboring neurons communicate with each other through chemical ,messages across the synaptic cleft

Question 15

Process of synaptic transmission

Answer 15

• Information is passed down the axon of the neuron as an electrical impulse known as an action potential.
• Once the action potential reaches the end of the axon, it must cross over the synaptic gap.
• At the end of the neuron (in the axon terminal) are the synaptic vesicles which contain chemical messengers, known as neurotransmitters.
• When the electrical impulse (action potential) reaches these synaptic vesicles, they release their contents of neurotransmitters.
• Neurotransmitters then carry the signal across the synaptic gap.
• They bind to receptor sites on the post-synaptic cell that then become activated.
• Once the receptors have been activated, they either produce excitatory or inhibitory effects on the post-synaptic cell, making the post-synaptic cell more or less likely to fire.