AP psych - neurons and cells

Neurons

A nerve cell and the basic building block of the nervous system.

Nerve

A bundle of axons that links the central nervous system with the body's receptors, muscles, and glands.

Sensory Neurons

Neurons that receive information from the outside world and send it to the brain via the spinal cord (afferent neuron).

Motor Neurons

Neurons that carry signals from the spinal cord to the muscles and glands to produce movement (efferent neuron).

Interneurons

Neurons that connect sensory and motor neurons together, found in the brain and spinal cord.

Reflex Arc

The mechanism by which the peripheral and central nervous systems communicate.

Glial Cells

Cells in the nervous system that provide structure, insulation, communication, and waste transport, outnumbering neurons 50:1.

Dendrite

The part of a neuron that receives messages from neighboring cells.

Cell Body/Soma

The life support center of a neuron that indicates whether to continue the message or not.

Axon

The part of a neuron that passes messages away from the cell body to neighboring neurons, muscles, or glands.

Myelin Sheath

A protective covering for some axons that speeds up neural signals; deterioration can lead to issues like multiple sclerosis.

Axon Terminal

The end of the axon that leads to neighboring cells to send messages.

Terminal Buttons

The end of the axon terminal where neurotransmitters are stored and released.

Synapse

The junction between sending and receiving neurons, where neurotransmitters are released.

Receptor

A cell on the end of dendrites that neurotransmitters connect to in order to send messages to the next neuron.

Action Potential

A triggered electric shock that is above the threshold, following an all-or-nothing principle.

Refractory Period

The time it takes to recover from one action potential before moving on to another.

Resting Potential

The state of a neuron waiting to fire, represented by a negative charge inside the neuron.

Depolarization

The phase of action potential where the voltage rises, represented by the toilet flushing.

All-or-Nothing Principle

The concept that an action potential either occurs fully or not at all, similar to a toilet flush.