Quiz 1 Study Cards

Question 1

axon

Answer 1

• a thin fiber of consistent diameter

- conveys an impulse toward other neurons, an organ, or a muscle

Question 2

blood-brain barrier

Answer 2

• mechanism that excludes most chemicals from the vertebrae brain

Question 3

dendrites

Answer 3

• branching fibers on the cell that get narrower near their ends
• receives information from other neurons through synaptic receptors

Question 4

glia

Answer 4

• several types that perform different functions

- aka neuroglia

Question 5

interneuron

Answer 5

• a cell with its dendrites and axons entirely contained within a single structure
• aka intrinsic neuron

Question 6

membrane

Answer 6

• surface of the cell

- aka plasma membrane

Question 7

motor neuron

Answer 7

• with its soma in the spinal cord, receives excitation through its dendrites and conducts impulses along its axon to a muscle

Question 8

myelin sheath

Answer 8

• insulating material covering many vertebrae axons

- composed of fats and proteins

Question 9

neuron

Answer 9

• receives information and transmits it to other cells

Question 10

nucleus

Answer 10

• in animals, the structure that contains the chromosomes

Question 11

presynaptic terminal

Answer 11

• swelling at the end of each axon branch

- aka the end bulb of bouton (french for button)

Question 12

sensory neuron

Answer 12

• specialized to be highly sensitive to a particular type of stimulation (light, sound, etc.)

Question 13

thiamine

Answer 13

• vitamin B1

- enables the body to process glucose (sugar)

Question 14

absolute refractory period

Answer 14

• the period in which the membrane cannot produce another action potential regardless of the stimulation

Question 15

action potentials

Answer 15

• messages sent by axons

Question 16

all-or-none law

Answer 16

• the amplitude and velocity of an action potential are independent of the intensity of the stimulus that initiated it, provided that the stimulus reached the threshold

Question 17

electrical gradient

Answer 17

• maintaining the electrical charge between the inside and outside of the cell
• aka polarization

Question 18

hyperpolarization

Answer 18

• refers to the change in the charge of a neuron when a negative charge is applied to the negative potential inside the axon
• increased polarization

Question 19

local neurons

Answer 19

• neurons without an axon

- only exchange information with their closet neighbors

Question 20

resting potential

Answer 20

• the difference in voltage between the inside and outside of a cell

Question 21

sodium-potassium pump

Answer 21

• a protein complex

- repeatedly transports three sodium ions out of the cell while drawing two potassium ions into it

Question 22

threshold

Answer 22

• “limit” that when surpassed produces a massive depolarization of the membrane, opening the membrane’s sodium channels