Physical and Electrical Properties of Cells in the NS Flashcards
what is the main job of the neuron?
to transmit info
what are the 4 basic functions of a neuron?
receive, integrate, transmit, and transfer info
what is the soma and what does it do?
the cell body that integrates info
what are dendrites and what do they do?
projections from the soma that receive info
what is the axon hillock?
the connection b/w the soma and axon
what is the axon and what does it do?
long projection out of the soma that transmits info via the electric voltage potential that runs down the axon to the terminal
what is the axon terminal?
the end of the axon that forms a synapse with another neuron’s dendrites
what is myelin?
fatty and protein sheath that wraps around the axon
prevents current flow across axonal membrane
what maintains the shape of the neuron?
cytoskeleton proteins such as microtubules, neurofilaments, and microfilaments
what is axoplasmic transport?
old and new proteins transported up and down the axon
what is anterograde transport
new materials brought from the soma to the axon
what is retrograde transmission
old materials brought from the axon up to the soma
what is a unipolar neuron?
one projection from the soma
what is a bipolar neuron?
2 projections from the soma (dendrite and axon)
what is a pseudounipolar neuron?
a single projection from the soma that divides into two branches (one is dendrite, other is axon)
most sensory neurons (cell body in DRG, dendrite in organs, axons synapse in dorsal horn SC)
what is a multipolar neuron?
more than 2 projections from the soma (multiple dendrites and 1 axon
Purkinje cells
how are membrane channels classified?
the mechanism that opens them and the ions they conduct
leak channels
open and close at random
considered to be open all the time
contribute to the resting membrane potential
what are the 3 types of gated channels?
voltage-gated channels
ligand-gated channels
modality-gated channels
voltage-gated channels
opened by a change in the voltage
sodium, calcium, and chlorine move in
potassium moves out
what ions are concentrated outside the membrane?
sodium, calcium, and chlorine
what ions are concentrated inside the membrane?
potassium
ligand-gated channels
a molecule binds to the receptor and opens it
NT receptor can allow more than 1 ion through at a time
can be opened by a molecule inside or outside the cell
modality-gated channels
opens/closes in response to mechanical forces (stretch, acidity, chemical, etc)
electric potentials
difference in electrical charge on each side of the membrane with the inside being more negative than the outside
rapid changes in the electrical charge transmits info along the axon
resting, local, and action
resting membrane potential
no net flow of ions (neuron not in excited state)
about -70 mV (-90 to -60 mV)
maintained by the electrochemical gradient
what is the electrochemical gradient?
the ion concentration (chemical) gradient and electrical gradient determine the ion concentration across the membrane
what is the ion concentration (chemical) gradient and what does it do?
unequal distribution of ions with more ions concentrated inside the cell
more potassium inside, more calcium, sodium, and chloride outside