neurons and neural transmission

Vocabulary flashcards covering the parts of a neuron and key processes in neural transmission based on the Brain and Biology practice test.

Dendrite

The part of a neuron where the message enters the cell.

Soma

The cell body that the message travels through.

Axon

The long fiber where the action potential takes place.

Myelin Sheath

Covers and protects the axon where the action potential takes place, and helps the message travel faster.

Terminal Button

The part of the neuron where the message exits the cell.

Synapse

The space between one neuron and the next.

Resting Potential

The state a neuron is in before it receives any excitatory signals.

Refractory Period

A short period of time after a neuron fires during which it cannot fire again.

All-or-None Law

The principle that a neuron cannot partially fire; it either fires completely or does not fire at all.

Reuptake

The process in which neurotransmitters are sucked back into the axon terminal of the presynaptic neuron.

Action Potential

An electrical impulse traveling down the axon.

Depolarization

The process where the inside of the neuron becomes more positive as sodium enters.

Reflex Arc

A mechanism where signals sent from receptors to the spinal cord cause interneurons to immediately activate motor neurons, moving a body part before the brain processes the sensation.