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Neurons and Its Function

The central nervous system is composed of neurons and glia cells. Glia cells provide structural support and perform housekeeping functions for neurons. Neurons receive input from other neurons, process the information, and send output to other neurons. There are three main types of neurons: motor neurons that convey information from the CNS to muscles/glands, sensory neurons that convey information to the CNS, and interneurons that convey information between neurons within the CNS. A neuron has a cell body, dendrites that receive signals, an axon that transmits signals, and axon terminals that release neurotransmitters and communicate with other neurons.

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164 views

Neurons and Its Function

The central nervous system is composed of neurons and glia cells. Glia cells provide structural support and perform housekeeping functions for neurons. Neurons receive input from other neurons, process the information, and send output to other neurons. There are three main types of neurons: motor neurons that convey information from the CNS to muscles/glands, sensory neurons that convey information to the CNS, and interneurons that convey information between neurons within the CNS. A neuron has a cell body, dendrites that receive signals, an axon that transmits signals, and axon terminals that release neurotransmitters and communicate with other neurons.

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Kristol Myers
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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PS10B SEMESTER II 2012- BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF BEHAVIOUR The Central Nervous System is composed entirely of two kinds of specialized

cells: Neurons and Glia. Function of Glia cells- Glia are the cells that provide support to the neurons. In much the same way that the foundation, framework, walls, and roof of a house prove the structure through which run various electric, cable, and telephone lines, along with various pipes for water and waste, not only do glia provide the structural framework that allows networks of neurons to remain connected, they also attend to the brain's various house-keeping functions (such as removing debris after neuronal death). Function of a Neuron is to receive INPUT "information" from other neurons, to process that information, then to send "information" as OUTPUT to other neurons. Neurons process all of the "information" that flows within, to, or out of the CNS. All of the motor information through which we are able to move All of the sensory information through which we are able to see, to hear, to smell, to taste, and to touch All of the cognitive information through which we are able to reason, to think, to dream, to plan, to remember, and to do everything else that we do with our minds.

It is estimated that there are as many as 200 billion neurons in the brain alone. Structure of the Neuron Three kinds of neurons: Motor (efferent) neurons (for conveying motor information AWAY from the CNS to muscles or glands) Sensory (afferent) neurons (for conveying sensory information TOWARD the CNS) Inter-neurons (which convey information between different types of neurons, most are located in the CNS) Cell body/soma- The largest portion of a neuron. It contains the nucleus. Dendrite- Dendrites are the branch-like structures of neurons that extend from the cell body (soma). The dendrites receive electrical and chemical signals from the axons of other neurons. The signal always travels in the same direction - the signal comes into the neuron through the dendrites, through the cell body (soma), to the axon, and then

out the terminal buttons to the dendrites of the next neuron. In this way, information travels all around your body by going from neuron to neuron. ** Dendrites bring information to the cell body Axon- the long, slender projection of a neuron that conducts electrical impulses (action potentials) away from the cell body to the axon terminals ** Axons take information away from the cell body Axon terminal- The somewhat enlarged ends of an axon, often club-shaped, by which axons make synaptic contacts with other nerve cells and release neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft Nodes of Ranvier: Nodes of ranvier are small spaces or gaps between the myelin sheath (the fatty substance that coats the axon). Neurotransmitter- neurotransmitters are chemicals that transmit messages from one nerve cell (neuron) to another. It is released by the presynaptic neuron into the synaptic cleft Synapse- A specialized structure or junction that allows cell to cell communication from an axon terminal to another neuron. The synapse refers to the whole structure including the tips (synaptic knob) while the cleft specifically refers to the gap between them. (N.B. A synapse has 3 components: Presynaptic membrane, Synaptic cleft, Postsynaptic membrane) Synaptic Cleft- The small space/gap between the axon terminal of one neuron and the dendrite of another neuron in which a nerve impulse is transmitted by a neurotransmitter.

Neuronal Communication Incoming signals from other neurons are received through its dendrites. The outgoing signal to other neurons flows along its axon to the axon terminal to the synapse (the knob like structure on the end of the axon terminal). Communication of information between neurons is accomplished by movement of chemicals (neurotransmitters) across a small gap called the synaptic cleft. Information from one neuron flows to another neuron across this synaptic cleft. **For communication between neurons to occur, an electrical impulse must travel down an axon to the synaptic cleft. Neurotransmitters from the presynaptic membrane then cross the synaptic cleft where they may be accepted by the receptor cell of the next neuron located on the postsynaptic membrane To begin firing an action potential (nerve impulse/electrical signal) is generated near the cell body portion of the axon. An action potential is an electrical signal which then travels down the axon. The release of a neurotransmitter is triggered by the arrival of a nerve impulse (or action potential). (see previous bullet) Resting Potential takes place when the cell hasn't fired for a certain amount of time it is therefore considered to be at rest. The resting potential of a neuron is approx. -70 mV

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