NEUROSCI 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Central Nervous System, Peripheral Nervous System, Autonomic Nervous System

• School: Duke University
• Department: Neuroscience
• Course: NEUROSCI 101
• Professor: Williams

Document Summary

Neuron- the most basic unit of the nervous system, composed of receptive extensions called dendrites, an integrating cell body, a conducting axon, and a transmitting axon terminal. Glial cells- nonneural brain cells that provide structural, nutritional, and other types of support to the brain. Synapse- the cellular location at which information is transmitted from a neuron to another cell. Input zone- the part of a neuron that receives information from other neurons or from specialized sensory structures. Dendrite- an extension of the cell body that receives information from other neurons. Integration zone- the part of a neuron that initiates neural electrical activity. The region of a neuron that is defined by the presence of a cell nucleus. Conduction zone- the part of a neuron- typically the axon- over which the action potential is actively propagated. A single extension from the nerve cell that carries action potentials from the cell body toward the axon terminals.