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Biological Psychology > The Nervous System Cells - Exam 2 > Flashcards

The Nervous System Cells - Exam 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

What part of the neuron receives information?

A

The dendrite

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2
Q

What part of the neuron sends information?

A

The axon

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3
Q

When does an action potential occur?

A

When a neuron has become sufficiently stimulated by nearby cells

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4
Q

What happens during an action potential?

A

When an action potential begins, the sodium gates open, and positively charged sodium ions rush into the neuron, making the cell positive. This is called depolarization/ the rising phase. Then the potassium gates open and rush out of the neuron, which gets rid of the positive charge and makes the cell negative again (even hyperpolarized for a second).

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5
Q

What is the action potential cycle?

A

Resting, depolarize, repolarize, hyperpolarize, resting

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6
Q

What happens at the nodes of ranvier in a myelinated axon?

A

The action potential is regenerated, which is called saltatory conduction

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7
Q

The difference in electrical charge between the inside and the outside of the axon membrane is defined as the _______ potential.

A

membrane

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8
Q

If the membrane potential of a neuron went from -70 mV to -90 mV, it would be termed a(n):

A

hyperpolarization.

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9
Q

Which of the following is true of ion distribution across the membrane?

a. Sodium ions are more concentrated inside the axon membrane.
b. Potassium ions are more concentrated outside the cell membrane.
c. Sodium ions are more concentrated outside the axon membrane.
d. The action potential is the balance point between diffusion and electrostatic pressure.

A

c. Sodium ions are more concentrated outside the axon membrane.

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10
Q

The Na+/K+ pump removes ______ Na+ ions and adds _______ K+ ions.

A

3; 2

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11
Q

What event restores the membrane potential from the peak of the action potential back down to the resting level?

A

Potassium ions move out of the cell.

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12
Q

Which of the following is consistent with the “all-or-none” law?

A

If the stimulus is strong enough to reach the neuron’s threshold of excitation, an action potential will occur.

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13
Q

When the neuron is at its resting membrane potential, there is/are:

a. more sodium ions on the inside of the neuron
b. an overall negative charge
c. an overall positive charge
d. more potassium ions on the outside of the neuron

A

b. an overall negative charge

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14
Q

Which of the following is an important advantage associated with saltatory conduction?

A

Myelin helps the axon’s action potential maintain increased velocity and strength.

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15
Q

In a myelinated axon, ions can enter and leave the membrane only at:

A

the nodes of Ranvier.

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16
Q

If a neuron has just had an action potential, what stage is the earliest it can have another action potential?

A

relative refractory period

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17
Q

What did Santiago Ramon y Cajal create?

A

He created the staining technique that allowed some tissues to absorb the pigment, and others to not absorb any

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18
Q

What did Santiago Ramon y Cajal’s technique lead to the creation of?

A

The Neuron theory

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19
Q

What is the neuron theory?

A

The theory that the nervous system is composed of anatomically and functionally distinct cells

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20
Q

What are the two types of cells in the CNS?

A

Neurons and glial cells

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21
Q

How many neurons does the brain have?

A

About 100 billion

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22
Q

What do glial cells do?

A

They are a category of cells that act as the glue of the brain, and each type serves a unique purpose. In general, they support neurons

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23
Q

What do astrocytes do?

A

They form the blood-brain barrier, receive glucose from capillaries and pass it to neurons for energy, form a supportive network for neurons and blood vessels, and remove damaged tissues/ clean up the big messes in the brain

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24
Q

What is the largest and most common type of glial cell?

A

Astrocytes

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25
Q

What do microglia do?

A

They’re the brain’s rapid response team and clean up the smaller debris of the brain. They’re also very active in many diseases including Alzheimer’s and HIV

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26
Q

What do oligodendrocytes do?

A

They’re octopus-like cells that wrap the tips of their tentacles around neurons in the CNS to form the myelin sheath. They can provide myelin for up to 50 axons at a time

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27
Q

Where does white matter in the brain get its name from?

A

Oligodendrocytes

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28
Q

Why are Schwann cells unique?

A

They’re the only glial cell found in the peripheral nervous system

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29
Q

What do Schwann cells do?

A

They form a layer of myelin around parts of a nerve in the PNS. They’re small, so many cells are needed to myelinate a single axon. They also do astrocyte-like chemical clean ups.

30
Q

If damage occurs to a nerve, what do Schwann cells do?

A

They arrange themselves in a series of cylinders to guide regrowth

31
Q

What happens when a nerve is severed in the PNS?

A

Severed nerves in the PNS can grow sprouts and spread in the direction Schwann cells direct them

32
Q

What happens when a nerve is severed in the CNS?

A

The new sprouts encounter scar tissue produced by astrocytes, which they cannot penetrate through

33
Q

What do sensory neurons do?

A

They carry messages from sensory organs to the brain and spinal cord, which is called afferent communication

34
Q

What do motor neurons do?

A

They carry messages from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and joints, which is called efferent communication

35
Q

What are interneurons?

A

They’re neurons that are fully contained within the CNS and communicate with each other inside the brain and spine; they connect one structure of the brain to the other

36
Q

What does the membrane of a cell do?

A

It separates the inside of the cell from the outside, and protein channels are embedded in the membrane to allow some chemicals to pass through under certain conditions

37
Q

What do neurons have in common with other cells?

A

A membrane, nucleus, mitochondria, and ribosomes

38
Q

What four structures make neurons special?

A

Dendrites, soma (cell body), axon, and terminal buttons

39
Q

What do the dendrites do [broad terms]?

A

They gather information from other neurons

40
Q

What do cell bodies/ soma do [broad terms]?

A

They integrate and process the information received from the dendrites

41
Q

What do axons do [broad terms]?

A

They carry information from the cell body to the terminal buttons to be passed on to other nearby neurons

42
Q

What do the terminal buttons do [broad terms]?

A

They send chemicals out to other nearby neurons

43
Q

Why are dendrites special?

A

They house the synaptic receptors

44
Q

How do some dendrites increase their information intake potential?

A

They grow dendritic spines, which increase the surface area of the dedrite

45
Q

How can axons send information faster?

A

If they have a myelin sheath

46
Q

What is MS?

A

A disease where the myelin sheath around myelinated axons is destroyed due to the body’s own immune system

47
Q

Who is most likely to get MS?

A

Twins, women between 20-40, and people who live far from the equator

48
Q

What are the symptoms of MS?

A

Visual (optic neuritis), sensory, or motor. Symptoms are made worse by high temperatures and high humidity

49
Q

What can be used to treat MS?

A

No cure, but corticosteroids and interferons can help

50
Q

How are neurons classified?

A

Based on the number of structures (axons and dendrites) attached to their body

51
Q

What’s the most common type of neuron?

A

Multipolar (one axon, many dendrites)

52
Q

Bipolar neurons have how many axons and dendrites?

A

One axon and one dendrite

53
Q

Give an example of a bipolar neuron

A

The retina (usually sensory neurons)

54
Q

What generates electricity?

A

When a positively charged iron moves through space and moves an electron, the movement of electrons generates electricity

55
Q

What are ions also called?

A

Electrolytes

56
Q

Is the cell membrane permeable, not permeable, or selectively permeable?

A

Selectively permeable

57
Q

What are the ion gates?

A

Cylindrical proteins (channels) in the cell membrane

58
Q

When the neuron is inactive, what is the state of its charge?

A

It’s at its membrane resting potential, which is an negative charge (-70mv). It’s also polarized.

59
Q

At its resting state, where are the ions in a neuron?

A

There’s a lower concentration of Na+ compared to the environment and a higher concentration of K+ compared to the environment

60
Q

The process of ions moving from areas of high concentration to low concentration is called ___

A

diffusion

61
Q

The membrane resting potential depends on the ____ distribution of ions inside and outside of the neuron

A

uneven

62
Q

An uneven distribution of ions inside and outside a neuron is called what?

A

A concentration gradient

63
Q

When a neuron is at rest, are the protein gates open or closed?

A

The Na+ gates are completely closed and the K+ gates are partly closed

64
Q

What is the membrane resting potential also called?

A

Polarization

65
Q

Polarization is maintained by what two things?

A

Protein gates and the sodium-potassium pump

66
Q

The sodium-potassium pump removes __ Na+ ions from the inside and ushers __ K+ ions inside

A

3; 2

67
Q

Does maintaining the membrane resting potential cost the cell energy?

A

Yes; it takes energy to operate the gates and even more energy to operate the sodium potassium pump

68
Q

What is the rate law?

A

Variations in the intensity of a stimulus are represented in the rate at which the axion fires; stronger stimuli generate more action potentials in a period of time, but those action potentials are equal in intensity and speed

69
Q

How are action potentials on myelinated axons different from action potentials on ummyelinated axons?

A

Action potentials on myelinated axons will all be faster and stronger than those on unmyelinated axons

70
Q

What are the gaps in the myelin of a myelinated axon called?

A

The nodes of ranvier

71
Q

What happens at the nodes of ranvier?

A

The action potential is regenerated, which is called saltatory conduction

72
Q

How does MS related to action potentials?

A

In MS, the myelin in myelinated axons is damaged, and since there are no sodium or potassium gates in the myelinated sections of an axon, the action potential will fizzle out or become unfocused

Biological Psychology (7 decks)

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