Module 1.1: The Cells of the Nervous System Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards detailing key anatomical terms, organelles, neuron structures, and glial cell types from the provided lecture notes on the cells of the nervous system.

Neurons

Cells that receive information and transmit it to other cells in the nervous system.

Glia

Non-neuronal cells of the nervous system that perform supportive, protective, and regulatory functions.

Santiago Ramón y Cajal

Spanish investigator and founder of neuroscience who used silver salt staining techniques on infant brains to show that a small gap separates nerve cells.

Camillo Golgi

Italian investigator who discovered a method to completely stain individual nerve cells with silver salts.

Plasma membrane

The surface structure of a cell that separates the inside of the cell from the outside environment and controls the chemical flow through protein channels.

Nucleus

The structure within animal cells (except mammalian red blood cells) that contains the chromosomes.

Mitochondria

Structures that perform metabolic activities, providing the energy that the cell uses for all activities.

Ribosomes

Structures within a cell that synthesize new protein molecules.

Endoplasmic reticulum

A network of thin tubes that transport newly synthesized proteins to other locations inside the cell.

Motor neuron

A neuron with its soma located in the spinal cord that receives excitation through its dendrites and conducts impulses along its axon to a muscle.

Sensory neuron

A neuron specialized at one end to be highly sensitive to a specific type of stimulation, such as light, sound, or touch.

Dendrites

Branching fibers of a neuron that narrow near their ends and are lined with synaptic receptors to receive information from other neurons.

Dendritic spines

Short outgrowths on dendrites that increase the surface area available for synapses.

Soma

The cell body of a neuron, containing the nucleus, ribosomes, and mitochondria, where most of the metabolic work occurs.

Axon

A thin fiber of constant diameter that conveys impulses toward other neurons, organs, or muscles.

Myelin sheath

An insulating material covering many vertebrate axons.

Nodes of Ranvier

Interruptions or gaps in the myelin sheath along an axon.

Presynaptic terminal

A swelling at the end of an axon branch that releases chemicals across the junction between a neuron and another cell.

Afferent axon

An axon that brings information into a given structure.

Efferent axon

An axon that carries information away from a given structure.

Intrinsic neuron

A neuron whose dendrites and axon are entirely contained within a single structure; also known as an interneuron.

Purkinje cell

A type of neuron found only in the cerebellum with widely branching dendrites that receive input from up to $200{,}000$ other neurons.

Astrocytes

Star-shaped glial cells that wrap around synapses, shield connections, synchronize related neurons, dilate blood vessels, and interact with axon terminals.

Tripartite synapse

The hypothesis that an axon tip releases chemicals that cause neighboring astrocytes to release chemicals, magnifying or modifying the signal.

Microglia

Tiny glial cells acting as part of the immune system by removing viruses, fungi, damaged neurons, and weak synapses.

Oligodendrocytes

Glial cells in the brain and spinal cord that build myelin sheaths and supply nutrients to axons.

Schwann cells

Glial cells in the periphery of the body that build myelin sheaths and supply nutrients to axons.

Radial glia

Glial cells that guide the migration of neurons and their extensions during embryonic development.