SB2g: The Nervous System Keywords Flashcards
Axon
The long extension of a neurone that carries an impulse away from the dendron or dendrites towards other neurones.
Axon terminal
Small ‘button’ at the end of the branches that leave an axon.
Central nervous system
The main part of the nervous system – the brain and spinal cord. Abbreviated to CNS.
CNS
Stands for central nervous system.
Dendrite
A fine extension from a neurone, which carries impulses towards the cell body.
Dendron
Large, long extension of a sensory neurone that carries impulses from dendrites towards the axon.
Impulse
Electrical signal transmitted along a neurone.
Myelin sheath
Fatty covering around the axons of many neurones. It speeds up the transmission of impulses along their length and helps to insulate them from one another.
Nerve cell
Another term for neurone.
Nervous system
An organ system that contains the brain, spinal cord and nerves, and carries impulses around the body. This system helps us to sense and respond quickly to changes inside and outside our bodies.
Neurone
A cell that transmits electrical impulses in the nervous system.
Neurotransmission
Impulses passing from neurone to neurone.
Receptor cell
Cell that receives a stimulus and converts it into an electrical impulse to be sent to the brain and/or spinal cord.
Response
Action that occurs due to a stimulus.
Sense organ
Organ that contains receptor cells.
