Neurotransmission Flashcards
The ______ is the basic unit of communication in the nervous system.
Neuron
The ______ is a fatty layer that wraps around the axons of neurons to increase transmission speed.
Myelin sheath
The ______ contains the cellular machinery that keeps the neuron alive, including the nucleus.
Cell body
The ______ are extensions of a neuron that receive information from other neurons.
Dendrites
The ______ is the part of a neuron that transmits signals to other cells.
Axon
The ______ are located at the end of an axon and are responsible for releasing neurotransmitters.
Axon terminals
The gap between two neurons where neurotransmitters are released is called the ______.
Synapse
Neurons transmit electrical signals along their axons, a process known as an ______.
Action potential
The resting membrane potential of a neuron is approximately ______ mV.
-70
The ______ pumps 2 K+ ions into the cell and 3 Na+ ions out, contributing to the negative membrane potential.
Na+/K+ ATPase
The neurotransmitter ______ is involved in muscle control and is released at neuromuscular junctions.
Acetylcholine
The neurotransmitter ______ is involved in mood regulation, particularly related to depression and anxiety.
Serotonin
The neurotransmitter ______ is associated with reward, motivation, and addiction.
Dopamine
The ______ channels open in response to depolarization and allow sodium ions to enter the cell during an action potential.
Voltage-gated sodium
The ______ channels open to allow potassium ions to exit the cell, repolarizing the membrane after an action potential.
Voltage-gated potassium
Synaptic vesicles release neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft through a process called ______.
Exocytosis
Neurotransmitters bind to ______ on the postsynaptic membrane, initiating a response in the receiving neuron.
Receptors
______ channels open in response to an action potential and allow Ca2+ to enter the presynaptic neuron.
Voltage-gated calcium
The ______ is the location in the neuron where action potentials are generated.
Axon hillock
Neurotransmitters are removed from the synaptic cleft by ______ or ______.
Reuptake, enzymatic breakdown
______ neurons transmit sensory information to the central nervous system.
Sensory
______ neurons transmit signals from the brain and spinal cord to muscles or glands.
Motor
The ______ are the immune cells of the central nervous system, scavenging plaques and damaged cells.
Microglia
______ cells form the myelin sheath in the central nervous system.
Oligodendrocytes
______ cells form the myelin sheath in the peripheral nervous system.
Schwann
The process by which the nervous system changes in response to experience is called ______.
Neuroplasticity
The ______ neuron type is characterized by a single long axon and multiple dendrites.
Multipolar
The ______ are gaps in the myelin sheath where action potentials are regenerated.
Nodes of Ranvier
The ______ is a reflex response in which stretching a muscle causes it to contract.
Knee-jerk reflex
In the central nervous system, ______ matter contains the cell bodies of neurons.
Gray
In the central nervous system, ______ matter consists of myelinated axons.
White
The ______ system is responsible for regulating involuntary bodily functions such as heart rate and digestion.
Autonomic nervous
The ______ is part of the autonomic nervous system responsible for the ‘fight or flight’ response.
Sympathetic
The ______ is part of the autonomic nervous system that controls ‘rest and digest’ functions.
Parasympathetic
______ neurons release acetylcholine as their neurotransmitter.
Cholinergic
______ neurons release norepinephrine as their neurotransmitter.
Adrenergic
The ______ gland releases hormones that regulate other glands and bodily functions.
Pituitary
The ______ is involved in regulating hunger, thirst, and body temperature.
Hypothalamus
The ______ controls involuntary muscles and organs in the peripheral nervous system.
Autonomic nervous system
The ______ is the main neurotransmitter system involved in the ‘reward’ pathway of the brain.
Dopaminergic
The ______ lobe of the brain is primarily responsible for processing visual information.
Occipital
______ summation occurs when multiple presynaptic inputs combine to generate a larger postsynaptic potential.
Spatial
______ summation occurs when repeated inputs from the same presynaptic neuron build upon each other.
Temporal
An ______ receptor responds directly to a neurotransmitter by opening an ion channel.
Ionotropic
A ______ receptor triggers intracellular signaling pathways after binding to a neurotransmitter.
Metabotropic
Neurotransmitters bind to ______ channels to generate an excitatory or inhibitory postsynaptic potential.
Ligand-gated ion
______ are the star-shaped glial cells involved in maintaining the blood-brain barrier.
Astrocytes
______ cells wrap around axons in the peripheral nervous system to form the myelin sheath.
Schwann
______ cells are the macrophages of the brain and spinal cord, responsible for immune defense.
Microglia
______ are glial cells responsible for myelinating neurons in the central nervous system.
Oligodendrocytes
The ______ is the insulating layer around axons that increases the speed of action potential conduction.
Myelin sheath
Synaptic transmission begins when an ______ arrives at the presynaptic terminal.
Action potential
Calcium enters the presynaptic terminal and triggers the release of ______ from synaptic vesicles.
Neurotransmitters
______ is the process of recycling neurotransmitter vesicle membranes after exocytosis.
Endocytosis
Neurotransmitters act on ______ to propagate signals to the postsynaptic neuron.
Receptors
Neurotransmitter release is triggered by the influx of ______ ions into the presynaptic terminal.
Calcium
The ______ system is responsible for detecting pain, temperature, and pressure.
Somatosensory
The ______ is a neurotransmitter involved in controlling movement, attention, and learning.
Dopamine
The ______ is a neurotransmitter that is inhibitory and helps to control anxiety and stress.
GABA
______ is the neurotransmitter that typically acts at neuromuscular junctions to trigger muscle contraction.
Acetylcholine
The ______ is involved in regulating circadian rhythms, sleep, and wakefulness.
Suprachiasmatic nucleus
The ______ potential is the difference in electrical charge across a cell’s plasma membrane.
Membrane
The ______ period is the time following an action potential during which a neuron cannot fire again.
Refractory
The ______ describes the rapid depolarization of a neuron during an action potential.
Rising phase
______ describes the rapid return of a neuron’s membrane potential to a negative value after depolarization.
Repolarization
______ potentials are brief, localized changes in membrane potential that can summate to trigger an action potential.
Graded
A ______ potential is the electrical signal that travels down the axon of a neuron.
Action
The ______ synapse involves the direct flow of ions between neurons via gap junctions.
Electrical
The ______ synapse involves the release of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft.
Chemical
