The Neuron 🧠Flashcards
What are neurons?
Neurons are cells that make up the brain and nervous system which receive and transmit information
What do dendrites do?
A projection of a neuron that typically branches from the soma and is able to recieve information from other neurons
What does the soma do?
The cell body. Receives information from the dendrites which it then passes onto the axon.
What is the nucleus?
Stored within the soma, it contains the neuron’s genetic material. Responsible for coordinating and regulating the cell.
Define ‘nerve impulse’.
An electrical message that travels along the axon of a neuron
What is the role of the myelin sheath?
Myelin is a fatty substance that acts as an insulator to stop nerve signals from leaking out, and which also helps speed up the flow of information. Myelin sheath=myelin covering, as it encases the axon.
What is the role of the axon?
It is a fibre that transmits nerve impulses
What are axon terminals?
Structures at the end of the axon that store and release neurotransmitters.
What is a neurotransmitter?
A chemical produced by a neuron that carries a message across the synapse to another neuron; these chemicals are produced in the nervous system.
What is the synapse?
The gap between two neurons or a neuron and a target cell which is used as a point of communication.
