Psychsim 5: Neural Messages

Question 1

The _____, or nerve cell, is the basic building block of the nervous system

Answer 1

Neuron

Question 2

Carry information from the bodies tissues and organs to the central nervous system

Answer 2

Sensory neurons

Question 3

Carry instructions from the central nervous system to the bodies organs and tissues

Answer 3

Motor neurons

Question 4

______ in the brain and spinal cord link the sensory and motor neurons. They do the additional processing of the information needed to make sense of the events occurring within your body and outside in the environment

Answer 4

Interneurons

Question 5

The way a neuron passes information, neural impulses, within its own cell and the way it relays messages to other neurons. The first process is called

Answer 5

Axonal conduction

Question 6

Second process is known as

Answer 6

Synaptic transmission

Question 7

The four main parts of the neuron

Answer 7

Dendrites, Soma (cell body), axon and axon terminal’s

Question 8

The cell body of the neuron contains the nucleus, which controls the functioning of the entire cell

Answer 8

Soma

Question 9

The ____ carries signals from the cell body to other nerve cells. Neurons usually have only one axon, but that axon may have several branches.

Answer 9

Axon

Question 10

Neurons can have hundreds or even thousands of _____, each with many branches. The dendrites receive signals from other nerve cells. They carry these messages to the cell body, which may relay the messages to the axon.

Answer 10

Dendrites

Question 11

The axon branches end in tiny buttons called the ______.These terminals contain small sacs called synaptic vesicles

Answer 11

Axon terminal’s

Question 12

Axons _____, dendrites ______

Answer 12

Announce, detect

Question 13

______ Carry messages to other cells

Answer 13

Axons

Question 14

Axon conduction is a complicated electrical chemical process. In simplest terms, it involves an electrical impulse that travels down the axon like a wave. In _____ and _____ , The impulse travels from the cell body to the axon terminal’s. In ______ , The impulse moves from the dendrite area of the axon to its axon terminal’s

Answer 14

Motor neurons, interneurons, sensory neurons

Question 15

Every time an impulse travels down the axon, we say that the axon has fired or responded. This impulse is also called the

Answer 15

Action potential

Question 16

The fluid inside outside contains protein molecules _______ with a negative charge. These particular protein molecules are found only in the ____

Answer 16

Anions, intercellular fluid

Question 17

Sodium ions and potassium ions are _____ and have a positive charge, while chloride anions have a negative charge

Answer 17

Cations

Question 18

When the axon is in its resting state, there are more negative particles inside the axon than outside. This produces an electrical charge called ____.

Answer 18

Resting potential

Question 19

Remember that the overall balance between the positive and negative charges is such that the inside of the axon is electrically negative with respect to the outside. We say that the axon is ____ in its resting state.

Answer 19

Polarized

Question 20

When the neuron fires, the part of the axon nearest the cell body opens its sodium gates, allowing the sodium ions to rush in. The influx of these positively charged ions and -_____ that part of the axon

Answer 20

Depolarizes

Question 21

By this time about have a millisecond later this sodium gates in the first section of the axon close up again other gates open to allow some of the potassium ions, repelled by the sudden positive shift, to flow out of the axon, therefore _____ the membrane

Answer 21

Repolarizing

Question 22

Travels at a speed ranging from 1 to 200 mph, depending upon the type of neuron

Answer 22

Action potential

Question 23

There is usually a small gap between the neurons. This gap is called the

Answer 23

Synapse

Question 24

The axons of synaptic knob contains tiny sacs called

Answer 24

Synaptic vesicles

Question 25

These sacs are filled with special chemicals known as

Answer 25

Neurotransmitters

Question 26

Synapses with sodium channels are called

Answer 26

Excitatory synapses

Question 27

The release of neurotransmitters thus allows negatively charged chloride ions to flow into the receiving neuron, causing a slight hyper polarization of the neuron, which makes the neuron less likely to fire. We call these

Answer 27

Inhibitory synapses

Question 28

The part of the neuron that receives input from other neurons is the

Answer 28

Dendrite

Question 29

When a cell is at rest

Answer 29

Enough positively charged sodium ions are kept outside of the cell to maintain a slightly negative charge inside

Question 30

Drugs or chemicals can

Answer 30

Be used to cure a whole variety of clinical disorders by playing a role at the synaptic level. Facilitate the transmission of information from one neuron to another. Inhibit the transmission of information from one neuron to another