The Nervous System and the Eye Flashcards
What is a neurone?
Specialised cells which transmit information through nerve responses
What is a nerve?
A bundle of several neurones
Nerve cell = a single neurone
What is a nerve impulse?
Electrical signal (current) that travels along a neurone
Two examples of reflexes
Knee jerk reflex
Pupil reflex
What is the cell body?
The part of a neurone which contains the nucleus
What is the dendrite?
Extensions at which nerve impulses are received from other cells at synapses and transmitted to the cell body
What is the axon?
Extension which carries nerve impulses to other neurone or effector organ (muscle or gland)
What is the myelin sheath?
Fatty sheath which insulates the axon (preventing short-circuits of electrical impulses) and speeds up the conduction of nerve impulses, made of Schwann cells
What are the steps of the reflex arc?
- Stimulus (could be pain)
- Receptor
- Sensory neurone (anywhere where you feel sense)
- Relay neurone (in the central nervous system)
- Motor neurone
- Effector (muscle, gland)
- Response
Way to remember the reflex arc?
Steve Receives Stamps Regularly Meanwhile Emily Runs
What is a reflex?
Involuntary and almost immediate response to a stimulus
What does the central nervous system consist of and how is it linked to the sense organs?
The brain and the spinal cord are the two parts of the central nervous system. They are linked to the sense organs by nerves
What are the three parts of the spine?
Intervertebral disc
Spinal cord
Vertebral column (encloses and protect the spinal cord)
What is a synapse?
A tiny gap between 2 neurones across which impulses pass by diffusion of a neurotransmitter
What is are neurotransmitters?
Chemicals that transmit signals from one neurone to another across a synapse