Neurons and synpatic transmissions Flashcards
Where are most neurones located and how can signals be transmitted
80% of the neurones are located in the brain
Signals can be trasnmitted Chemically (across a synapse) and Electronically within a nerve cell
How many total neurones are there in the body
100 billion
What are the three types of neruones
Motor
Sensory
Relay
What is the size of neurones
They vary in size from less than a mm to a metre long
What is the basic structure of a neurone
They have a soma (body) which includes the nucleus-contains the genetic information in a cell-
And they have branch like structures called dendrites which portrude from the cell body
What does the axon do?
The axon carries electrical impulses away from the cell body down the length of the neuron
What is the neuron covered in
A myelin sheeth which insulates and protects the axon as well as speeds up the electrical transmission of the impulse
What would happen if the Myelin sheeth was continuous
It would slow down the electrical transmission
What are the nodes of ranvier
The gaps between myelin sheeth
They speed up the transmissions of the impulse as they force it to jump across the gaps along the axon
Allow ions to diffuse in and out of a neurone
What is at the end of the axon
Terminal buttons- Allow communication with the next neuron across the synapse (a gap)
What is electron transmission
The firing of a neuron
Is the neuron positively charged or negatively charged when it is in its resting state compared to the outside
Negatively charged inside positvely outside
What is an action potential
The change in electric potential that propagates along the axon during the transmission of a nerve impulse or the contraction of a muscle.
What are the 2 steps in electrical transmission
- Has to teach the action potential
- electrical impulse travels down the axon towards the end of a neuron
What are neural networks
The way neurons communicate
What is a synapse
A gap that separates a neuron from another
What does a synapse include
A gap between them (synaptic cleft) as well as the presynaptic terminal and post synaptic receptor site
How are signals within neruons trasnmitted
Electrictronically
How are signals between neurons trasnmitted
Chemically by synaptic trasnmissions
What happens when an electrical impulse reaches the end of a neuron (presynaptic terminal)
Triggerers the release of a neurotransmitter from tiny sacs called synaptic vesicles
What are neurotrasnmitters
Chemicals released from the synpatic vesicle that relay signals across the synapse from one neuron to another
What happens once the neurotransmitters cross the synpase
It is taken up by the postsynaptic receptor sites-dendrites of the next neuron-
Here the chemical message is converted into an electrical impulse and the process of transmission happens again
What is an example of a neurotrasnmitter having a specialist function
- Acetylcholine is found at each point where a motor neuron meets a muscle
- Causes the muscle to contract
What are the two effects a neuron can have on the neighbouring neuron
Excitiory or inhibitory