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Bio 2 Chapter 39: Information Flow & Neurons

Terms in this set (58)

oligodendrocytes
A type of glial cell that populates the CNS and is responsible for producing myelin.
astrocytes
A star shaped glial cell that provides support to neurons in the vertebrate central nervous system.
Glial cells
A nonneuronal cell contained in the nervous tissue that physically supports and provides nutrients to neurons, provides electrical insulation between them, and scavenges cellular debris and foreign matter.
nucleus
The central region of eukaryotic cells, separated by membranes from the surrounding cytoplasm, where DNA replication and messenger RNA transcription occur. In the nervous system, a nucleus is a concentration of nerve cells within the central nervous system that have related functions.
ganglion
A functional concentration of nervous system tissue composed principally of nerve cell bodies, usually lying outside the central nervous system.
central nervous system (CNS)
One of the two major divisions of the nervous system containing the brain and spinal cord.
peripheral nervous system (PNS)
All nerve roots and nerves (motor and sensory) that supply the muscles of the body and transmit information about sensation (including pain) to the central nervous system.
neural circuits
A connection between axon terminals of one neuron and the dendrites or cell body of a second neuron; typically a neural circuit consists of an afferent (sensory) neuron connected to one or more interneurons, and an efferent neuron
axon terminal
A branch at the tip of an axon that ends as a small, buttonlike swelling.
axon hillock
A junction with the cell body of a neuron from which the axon arises.
Axons
The single elongated extension of a neuron that conducts signals away from the cell body to another neuron or an effector.
Dendrites
The branched extension of the nerve cell body that receives signals from other nerve cells.
cell body
The portion of the neuron containing genetic material and cellular organelles.
motor neurons
An efferent neuron that carries signals to skeletal muscle.
effectors
In signal transduction, a plasma membrane associated enzyme, activated by a G protein, that generates one or more second messengers. In homeostatic feedback, the system that returns the condition to the set point if it has strayed away.
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