Neuron quest P3

What is neuroplasticity?

The brain’s ability to change and reorganize its neural connections in response to experience and learning.

What happens biologically when we learn something new?

Neural connections change, and repeated activity can strengthen synapses and modify neural pathways.

What is long-term potentiation (LTP)?

A long-lasting increase in synaptic strength following repeated or coordinated neural activity.

Complete the phrase: “Neurons that fire together…”

“…wire together.”

What does “neurons that fire together wire together” mean?

Neurons that are repeatedly activated together can develop stronger connections.

According to the class review, the ______ the pathway, the more likely information is to be remembered.

Stronger

With practice, existing neural connections become stronger, but ______ neural connections may also ______.

New; form.

Identify two changes that improve neural communication during learning.

Existing synaptic connections become stronger, and new neural connections can form.?

Why can practicing a skill make it easier over time?

Practice can modify neural pathways and strengthen connections involved in the skill.

When a neuron fires, it’s called…

An action potential.

Neurons send chemical messengers called…

Neurotransmitters.

An ______ signal occurs along the axon.

Electrical

A ______ signal is sent between neurons at a typical chemical synapse.

Chemical

What has to be reached in order for a neuron to fire?

The threshold.

Excitatory neurotransmitters make the next neuron more likely to ______, while inhibitory signals make it less likely to ______.

Fire; fire.

A neuron must return to its ______ before firing again.

Resting potential.

New memories, skills, and habits are formed through ______ in neural connections.

Changes.

The more ______ neurons fire together, the more likely they are to stay together.

Often

What is the vocabulary term for a process in which repeated neural activation enhances synaptic efficiency?

Long-term potentiation (LTP).

A neuron can fire up to ______ times per second.

1,000 times per second

What happens if a neuron continues to receive excitatory signals after reaching threshold?

The velocity of an individual action potential does not increase. Additional input may influence subsequent firing.

What is the purpose of neurons?

To receive, process, and transmit information throughout the nervous system.

Describe the location of the Nodes of Ranvier and what happens there.

They are gaps between myelin sheath segments where the action potential is regenerated.